Horsham YMCA

Just two months ago we faced Horsham YMCA looking to bounce back from a mauling by Steyning Town and after a goalless first half we had a comfortable 4-1 win. It was goalless at half time on our visit to Gorings Mead but this time there was no lift to our second half performance against a side that looked as limited going forward as they had at the end of January. With it looking like a goalless second half as well it took a corner to break the deadlock and give the home side a 1-0 win.

The first half was slow to get going with the Horsham keeper called into action in the fourth minute as a shot from Louis Gates skimmed off a head into his arms. In the following minute, Josh McArthur Nolan pushed forward on the left to win a corner from which Tom Green had a shot that went wide of the left post. With ten minutes played Horsham had their first opening with a shot from the right skimming through the box and wide of the left post. On 20mins Horsham were on the attack and a long ball into our box was hooked clear by Green. Two minutes later Jay Simpson and Gates combined for him to deliver a cross into the box from the left. A quick break by Horsham gave them a shooting opportunity but it was dragged wide of the left post. On 24mins Horsham had a shot from outside the box that our keeper Louie Erotokritus-Stausi gathered at the second attempt. As the half hour approached, Simpson fed the ball out to Toby hill on the right flank. His cross to the left side of the box found Gates and then Conor Wilford and his shot was deflected behind for a corner. On 32mins a clearance from defence by Jimmy Williams found Hill. His cross from the right found Gates but just as he lined up a shot the ball hopped up. The ball came to Simpson but he was closed down and Horsham cleared.

On 34mins came our clearest chance as Gates had possession on the left and set up Simpson for a shot. He wrapped his foot around the ball to curl it into the top right corner but there was not quite enough curl on it as drifted past the right post. Horsham came close to opening the scoring with a move from the left ending in a shot that was saved and the ball cleared off the line. The clearance downfield was covered but the Horsham defender made a mess of it and Gates chased down the loose ball on the left touchline. His cross came out to Hill for a shot that was blocked. Gates got the ball and had a shot that was also blocked. This time McArthur Nolan got the ball and his shot was blocked and deflected out for a throw. Good committed defending from the home side to keep it at 0-0. Horsham had a chance in the final minute of normal time as a cross from the right was delivered to the far post only to be headed wide. In the first added minute they got in behind us but the ball forward went through the box and behind. A minute later some quick thinking saw a chance for a long shot to catch Erotokritus-Stausi off his line but it was way wide of the goal. A few more minutes were played before the half ended goalless as per our game two months earlier.

With 48mins played we had a free kick in a central position. Simpson slid the ball low to McArthur Nolan to take forward but the goalkeeper was quick to come off his line and claim. After a period of few openings, on 64mins Gates was attacking the left side of their box and when their covering player challenged it looked a corner but a goal kick was given. On 65mins as the ball ran free on our right Williams had a race to the ball and outmuscled his opponent to drive forward and cross to Simpson on the left of their box. He set up Gates for a shot but he could not get enough power behind it to trouble their keeper. Time for a change on 69mins as Jake Riddington replaced Gates. A minute later a ball out from the back by Stephen Hodge found Williams on the left. He passed to McArthur Nolan to attack the box and find Simpson. He set up a shot for Chace Hanmer that was wide. A scare at our end as a Horsham throw was allowed to travel into our six yard box and required a save and then a block by Williams that earned us a free kick to clear the danger.

Williams had space for a shot after receiving the ball from the left but just could not get any power in it. On 74mins Richie Wetton came on for Hanmer. Horsham won a corner on the right and when it arrived in the box it was not cleared and Horsham took the lead. It looked the most likely way they would score as their finishing and final balls had been wayward all match. From the restart the ball came to Green for a shot that went wide of the right post. In the next minute, a foul by Horsham produced a flurry of cards as first their No. 4 received a second yellow card and his marching orders. The yellow card flashed again, this time for a spell in the sin bin to reduce Horsham to nine men. Omari Bartlett was replaced by Ashley Aderemi in an attacking change. On 82mins Williams found Wetton in the box with a cross. He controlled it well on his chest but it was taken off him and out for a corner. Another change on 85mins as Simpson was replaced by Lucas Sewell. In the final minute Riddington drove forward to the edge of the box to lay it off for Hodge to have a shot off target. Into added time of ten minutes but the best we could muster was a cross into the box by Williams from the left wing that the keeper claimed easily. Horsham YMCA avenged their earlier defeat with this scrappy 1-0 win.

There was not much flow to our play today as our run of defeats extended to five. A second defeat in a row by a side below us has seen a slide down the table to thirteenth in part due to not being able to play last Tuesday. We are level on points with Pagham but with two games in hand. Our opponents next Saturday Little Common have also gone past us and are two points ahead in eleventh. With four games left to play it looks unlikely that we can make the top half of the table come season’s end. There is only a short gap to our next game as we travel to AFC Uckfield on Tuesday to hopefully finally play this game. We face a side that should they lose will be all but relegated given they are six points behind Saltdean United and with a far worse goal difference. They are also the only team below us in the six match form table and that is only on goal difference. Let us hope we can find the level of performance we had earlier in the season and end our poor run.