This match had none of the importance of a battle to make the play offs and – thankfully for us – nor one for relegation. However, there were places in the final table at stake where we could conceivably move up to thirteenth which would be just two places worse than last season and quite a turnaround from where we had been for a lot of this season. Horsham YMCA could make it to eleventh with a win and defeat for Midhurst & Easebourne in their match against our play off chasing neighbours Crawley Down Gatwick. A win could take us above Wick if their three goal advantage in goal difference could be over come; above AFC Varndeanians if they did not win at relegated Saltdean United; defeat would see Pagham overhaul us if they avoided defeat against a Little Common side still in the relegation battle.

After a few minutes of sparring the lads were camped outside their box and moving the ball around nicely looking for an opening. Hamza Abubakari, Tyrone Gondoh and Tyrone Magala Bryan exchanged passes and found Sirak Negassi. He played it to Conor Wilford lying deep on the right and his shot across the keeper nestled inside the far post for 1-0 on five minutes. No sleepy start to this match but it still needed Prince Aderogba to make a good block to avoid conceding within a minute. Magala Bryan was brilliant soon after to win the ball on the touchline and then shield it under intense pressure. He got the space to play it across the box for Sammie Saward to clear as we all hoped he had looked beforehand. On the ten minute mark Aderogba and Andrew Harris ganged up on the breaking Horsham player to force him to concede a goal kick. Saward continued his impressive form in goal to punch a free kick clear and then to make a catch under pressure from their follow up play.

The goalscorer Wilford won the ball in midfield and by neatly beating his opponent was able to put us on the front foot as opposed to just passing backwards. On 25mins as our attack developed, Negassi was into their box and on the end of a ball from Abubakari and with just the keeper to beat he got his second goal of the season. A minute later and Negassi was in space on the left, zipped the ball across the six yard box as Ousmane Balde Dansoko came in at the far post and somehow it went behind for a goal kick and not in for number three. A couple of minutes past the half hour and Saward claimed a free kick well and then was fouled – well, it certainly looked like it but the men in black seemed to be in holiday mode. In the other matches AFC Varndeanians had been ahead since eight minutes but then Little Common took the lead at Pagham followed by Bexhill United going ahead at Wick meaning we were now level on points and goal difference with them and if only we had that third goal.

On 37mins while Bexhill had scored again to put us above Wick we were defending a free kick from a central position. Having won the ball it needed somebody to put their laces through it although the boots these days do not seem to have these any longer. Failure to clear it saw the ball fall to a Horsham player to hit a sweet shot home for 2-1 and put us back behind Wick again. Two minutes later there was a great chance to change that as Balde Dansoko challenged their keeper on the edge of the box with the loose ball falling to the ideal player. Top scorer Wilford needed a gentle lob over the stranded keeper but alas put the ball over the bar. Inside the last five minutes and Jack McDonnell did an excellent job on the right to first win the ball in our half and then drive down the wing to the byline. He put the ball into the box and then Abubakari played it back to him again now on the right corner of the box. McDonnell was unable to balance himself and so could not control his shot so it went wide of the left post. After a lengthy five added minutes it was 2-1 at half time and at this point AFC Varndeanians were now two up at Saltdean and securing thirteenth place and Pagham had equalised against Little Common.

Back out in the sunshine for the final forty-five minutes...in theory. Seven minutes in and a lovely long ball from Rhyan Ramsay found Negassi up against two but with support from Abubakari. He played it into the box where Ramsay won the ball and found Balde Dansoko, then to Wilford who passed to McDonnell out wide but the ball was cleared. An early change as on 57mins Negassi was replaced by Elliot Cannon just coming back from an injury sustained in December. A minute later from a corner on the left, Saward made a sharp save from a header. Play swung down the other end in the next minute and space opened up in the centre for McDonnell to hit a shot that was high and wide. Just past the hour mark and from a corner on the right by Wilford the ball ran to Abubakari but his shot was over the bar. Might we rue these missed chances? A second change followed with David Heaton coming on for Ramsay.

Twenty minutes to go and Bexhill had missed a penalty but then scored a third goal two minutes later to move us above Wick again while it remained all square at Pagham. Wilford drilled a free kick long from the left to find McDonnell on the right edge of their box but he could not tame the ball and it went out for a goal kick. Another change as Carl Brown replaced Balde Dansoko a minute later. In just a minute of coming on Brown was found in the box by Abubakari with just the keeper to beat but his shot lacked power and was straight at him. Then some great work again by McDonnell on the touchline to then feed the ball to Wilford for a long ball down the line to Cannon. He played the ball onto Brown for him to win a throw that nothing came from.

On 76mins we were keeping the ball on the right touchline near the corner flag and winning a series of throw ins but in the end Horsham were able to clear the ball. In breaking forward Horsham thought they could catch Saward off his line but in the end gave him an easy catch. Brown sprang the Horsham backline and was in on the keeper but he was very quick off his line to claim the ball. Next time a minute later Brown was offside. Ten minutes to play and Brown had another one on one with the keeper and the ball bounced out to Cannon at an awkward height. He found Abubakari and he was able to win a corner. Then came a first for the season, having had a nailed on yellow card earlier in the game, and now no longer captain having handed the armband to club captain Heaton, Wilford's questioning of one of many poor examples of officiating earnt him a sin bin and therefore a red card. Wilford admitted forgetting this new rule which does seem to be a highly debatable change. The sin bin punishment of ten playing minutes on the bench is supposed to be for something that does not merit a yellow card but how can that be the case if now a yellow card and a sin binning will get you sent off – answers on a postcard.

On with game to try to hold onto our lead and with six minutes left Brown ran onto a high ball to put the keeper under pressure but he held firm. A final change as Aaron Kiberu replaced Harris. Having thought Wilford's red card had been moot with just ten minutes left on the watch and it unlikely he would have returned to play we moved into added time. Two minutes in Saward continued he strong performance between the sticks to take a corner from the left. A minute later he took a cross well as Horsham tried to make their man advantage tell. Into the fifth added minute the ball broke to Brown and attacking the box he cut the ball back, it deflected to McDonnell but he could not shape for a shot to get a third goal. And still the added time kept coming which was now way past a ten minute sin bin and almost as if we were playing until an equaliser came. In the sixth added minute it came as the ball could not be cleared from our box and a slight bit of confusion between keeper and defender allowed Horsham to scramble the ball home.

Were we now playing added time until they get a winner? In the eight added minute Cannon had a shot from deep that just drifted wide of the left post. And in yet another added minute Brown was nearly able to get into the box and have a shot but he just could not get set. Finally having played a rather head-scratching ten minutes of added time it was over and ended 2-2. AFC Varndeanians had added a third goal after Saltdean had pulled one back and so were thirteenth in the final table. Our hold on fourteenth place had not actually been ended by Horsham's equaliser but by Wick pulling a goal back at the death as when we were level on points and goal difference, goals scored was the decider and that favoured Wick. There were no further goals at Pagham so just a point was not enough to overhaul us so in fifteenth we remained – our worst finish since promotion although two seasons were voided due to Covid. For all Horsham YMCA's jubilation at equalising, two second half goals for Midhurst & Easebourne had put paid to their chance of moving up the table as well as Crawley Down Gatwick's play off hopes.

And here endeth the 2024-2025 season match reports.