After the Tuesday night win, the first half performance was a huge disappointment as there no fluidity to our game and trying to match the home side's kick it long to the big men approach does not suit our style so we were second best. A lucky break in the box gave Horsham YMCA the lead. We went down to ten men with a sin bin and they almost strolled through to score a second immediately after. It was mostly all Lingers in the second half as a different team emerged and most of the game was in the Horsham half. For all their hard work, the lads could not get the goal that might have changed the outcome of the game.

Stephen Hodge and Gus Ward were back in the starting eleven and Kobe Asante was back in the match day squad. From the start Horsham went long and won two headers but the ball went out for a goal kick. A couple of minutes later a free kick was delivered straight into Jack Webb-Olley's hands. Good pressing by Jeff Duah-Kessie saw their keeper gift the ball to Reece Jacobs who went for a shot at the empty goal but it went to the left. Another free kick gave Horsham the chance to put the ball in the box but they could only head it behind. Just past ten minutes and Jack Webb-Olley made a good claim of a ball into the box. Struggling to keep the ball, Conor Wilford made a good block in the box on the byline. Guyni Nganga was in support but Horsham were awarded another free kick. The ball in was an easy take for Webb-Olley.

From a Jason Stripp free kick on the left, their keeper quickly sent the ball downfield that needed Nganga to stop and find Stripp again, with Hodge finally clearing it forward. Midpoint in the half and more solid defending kept a free kick out of the box and Horsham's shot put the ball behind. Under pressure yet again, a cross from the left was headed behind by Noah Agbinone. With virtually everyone standing on the goal line the corner was a farce and wasted. A minute short of the half hour mark and another Horsham ball into our box was blocked but not cleared. A follow up shot hit a post and spun away from Hodge to find a Horsham boot and it was a goal for the home side. A brief respite as Wilford drilled the ball out from the back over to the left wing to find Jacobs. With good control he was able to push into the centre for a shot that drifted wide of the left post.

When a good spell of possession around their box ended with losing the ball – not for the first time – Horsham were racing away with a three on two advantage but in choosing the wrong option the chance was wasted. Nganga and Gus Ward combined well on the left to win a corner but nothing came from it. With 37mins played, the referee decided to take issue with something Wilford said and sent him to the bench for rest of the half. While still absorbing this, Horsham were able to come down the centre and into the box, giving Webb-Olley no chance in goal to take a two goal lead. Before the end of the half a quickly taken free kick set Nganga away on the left wing and his cross saw Reese Cartwright closing in on the keeper.

From the whistle Horsham had a break that was offside but then still in the opening minute of the second half, Tuesday's Man of the Match Webb-Olley was needed to block the ball and Hodge was on hand to clear. Webb-Olley was called into action not long after Horsham were able to ride tackles and get through on goal but he got a block in. A good passing move out from the back put Nganga away down the left and a deep cross into their box that they cleared. An early change came on 58mins as Kobi Asante replaced David Heaton. Cartwright had a break into the box and his blocked shot rebounded to Jacobs. He held off their defenders and did well to get into the six yard box but the keeper claimed the ball. With the lads getting the ball down and playing our game, Horsham had become the ragged side and their long balls were now just to relieve the pressure. However, they still needed to be defended and Hodge was strong to get his head to the ball on 65mins and then press forward again.

A Stripp free kick into the box from the right was punched out by their keeper as far as Jacobs who was then fouled on the edge of the box. Stripp played the ball short to Asante for a shot. The ball was cleared long downfield and Hodge used his pace to sweep up the loose ball and find Asante back in support. With 69mins played Duah-Kessie and Cartwright were replaced by Matt Cheeseman and Louis Lembikisa. Approaching the last fifteen minutes and a fluid passing move out from the back involved Hodge, Agbinone, Wilford and finally Nganga to drive down the left wing again. The ball in saw the keeper challenged and the ball come to Jacobs for a shot that was straight at the keeper. A final change on 77mins saw Hodge replaced by Bailey Neil Gray.

Another good period of possession the kept Horsham penned back around their box and saw Jacobs have a shot off target. Into the last ten minutes and still a goal would not come despite all our pressure. We still had to be alert to being caught out at the back and Bailey Neil Gray did well to hold Horsham up down their left and then win the ball. With two minutes of normal time to play, Horsham had a two on one break but Webb-Olley came off his line to block the shot and keep the score down. Two minutes into added time, Webb-Olley did it again to see the game end 2-0 to the home side.

The long faces at half time were replaced with smiles at the end thanks to a really dominant second half against a side that started the day in fourth and went up to second at the end. Fair to say we had more control than at any point against Guernsey – a side who hammered third placed Newhaven 7-1 making our win look even better – and hope this will be repeated in future matches. We slipped back to eighteenth as Wick won against Little Common. Next up is a home game against a Lancing side that lost 7-2 to Bexhill United to stay bottom of the table. Seaford Town stay level on points with them having failed to add to the point from their draw with us. Let us hope for a performance on Saturday that matches this game's second half.