HORSHAM 1 LEWES 2

HORSHAM:
1.Paul Seuke 2.Stuart Myall (Davies) 3.Nigel Brake 4.Andy Howard 5.Kevin Hemsley 6.Lee Carney 7.Jacob Mingle 8.Lewis Taylor 9.Chamal Fenelon 10.Simon Austin (Farrell) 11.Gary Charman
SUBS: 12.Eddie French 14.Lee Farrell 15.Tom Graves 16.Steve Davies 17.Rob Frankland
Scorers: Mingle (69)

LEWES:
1.Steve Williams 2.Jay Conroy 3.Lewis Hamilton 4.Paul Kennett 5.Steve Robinson 6.Leon Legge 7.Andy Drury (Wormwull) 8.Gary Holloway 9.Tom Davis 10.Jean Michel Sigere (Booth) 11.Dale Binns
SUBS: 12.Paul Booth 14.Simon Worwull 15.Stefan Cox 16.Anthony Barness 17.Hamid Barr
Scorers: Binns (29), Booth (75)

Reporter: Mark Wells
Photographs: John Lines

Lewes' stranglehold on this West v East Sussex 'derby' continued with an unspectacular victory that saw Steve King's side put paid to Horsham's Senior Cup ambitions for the third successive year. The Rooks, runaway leaders of the Blue Square Conference South, were defending a 13 match unbeaten run against the Ryman Leaguers but, having seen off the likes of Chelmsford City, AFC Wimbledon, Maidenhead United - and drawn with Swansea City - already this season, home fans were hopeful that the sorry record might finally be overturned in this final meeting between the two sides at the Queen Street ground.

With Jean-Michael Sigere now back at his 'parent' club after a brief, and successful, loan spell with the Hornets, John Maggs turned to the familiar figure of Chamal Fenelon to lead the line alongside Simon Austin after the Havant & Waterlooville striker recently agreed to rejoin the club until the end of the season. Maggs' hand was further forced with the reluctant inclusion of Tom Graves and Rob Frankland in the squad after Alan Mansfield was called away due to family illness and Matt Geard's ineligibility after appearing in an earlier round of the competition for Burgess Hill Town. Lewes showed several changes to the side which surrendered it's unbeaten home record to Hampton & Richmond Borough on Saturday with Ian Simpemba and Matt Groves missing and Anthony Barness, Simon Wormwull and 27 goal Paul Booth dropped to the bench.  Jay Conroy came in to the defence alongside Leon Legge, one of just 4 survivors from the side that defeated Horsham in the 2006 Senior Cup final.

A decent sized crowd descended upon the Atspeed Stadium, ignoring the attraction of that 'other' derby match taking place, the Spurs v Arsenal Carling Cup semi-final, and they saw the home side make a promising start. Prompted by the impressive Lee Carney, the hosts enjoyed the greater possession during the opening stages, forcing Legge to concede an early corner from which the Horsham midfielder volleyed the loose ball wide and another corner saw the ball worked inside to Nigel Brake whose first time effort flew over the top of Steve Williams' goal from 25 yards.

The Hornets were making good use of both flanks early on but it was a 'route one' clearance down the middle by Paul Seuke that opened up the Lewes defence when Fenelon's dummy allowed Austin to beat Steve Robinson and Lewis Hamilton to the ball and send in a low shot that had Williams scrambling uncomfortably to save. Fenelon's physical presence was giving the Rooks rearguard food for thought and, after outjumping Conroy, a neat sidestep opened up a shooting opportunity but he snatched at it and the ball rolled almost apologetically towards the safe hands of Williams. Andrew Drury's evening came to a premature end when he limped out of the action to be replaced by former Crawley Town man Simon Wormwull on 21 minutes and Carney was spoken to by referee Austin for a careless lunge on Tom Davis as the game briefly threatened a return to the bitter battles of the past. From the free-kick, Seuke was called in to his first save of note on 25 minutes when he made an easy claim from Paul Kennett's far post header.

For all their possession, the home side's inability to find the breakthrough was to prove costly when Lewes hit them with the sucker punch on 29 minutes. A misplaced pass from Stuart Myall was picked up inside the centre-circle by Wormwull and his instant pass over the top invited the pacy Dale Binns to nip in ahead of the hesitant Kevin Hemsley and skip round Seuke before slotting the ball in to the empty net. It was a tough break for  Maggs' players who had competed admirably up to that point until the Rooks displayed the sort of clinical finishing that Conference football demands.

The goal clearly woke the visitors from their slumbers and Hemsley was forced to clear his lines when Gary Holloway's cross shot looked to be turned in at the far post by Sigere. Another lofted pass beyond the Horsham defence saw Binns once more escape the attentions of Hemsley but he was crowded out before he had chance to get his effort in on goal and the ball was cleared. A neat build-up involving Carney and Brake saw Fenelon turn well on the edge of the box but his shot lacked the power and direction to worry Williams. An air shot from Conroy, attempting to clear, provided an unexpected chance for Charman who couldn't keep the ball down and could only curl a long range effort over the top. It was the home side who finished the half the stronger, winning themselves 3 corners in succession. From the first, Lewis Taylor fired in a low shot that rebounded behind off a defender and the near post and, from the resulting kick, Austin found himself with acres of space inside the Lewes penalty area to pick out Hemsley whose volley was deflected behind. Williams' goal remained intact when Fenelon headed the third wide of the near post but the goalkeeper had to be at his best to deny Fenelon's sharp turn and shot as the half drew to a close.

H/T Horsham 0 Lewes 1

The second period began in much the same way as the first, the Hornets forcing an early corner and a throw-in from Myall brought a casual clearance from Holloway that Carney might have done better with than slice wide of the goal. Seuke had a let-off when Binns wrestled possession back for Lewes, got to the byeline and fired an inviting cross along the face of goal without a visiting player able to apply the telling finish. Davis provoked laughter and anger from the home fans when he bumped in to the back of Taylor and threw himself theatrically to the ground in hope of a free-kick but, fortunately for the Lewes man, the match officials failed to spot the incident that could just as easily have produced a yellow card for the dramatic fall as much a free-kick.

Myall received a caution for a foul on Binns and then it was Williams' turn to prove that gamesmanship is alive and well in the upper reaches of the pyramid when a high ball from Carney was met by the Lewes stopper who was caught, somewhat innocuously, by Austin and went down as if poleaxed. Austin turned the loose ball in to the net to a backdrop of derisory shouts from the home fans at the keeper's overreaction. There followed an untidy passage of play in which both sides conceded possession cheaply through a number of misplaced passes but, on 69 minutes, the Hornets were to get their reward with an equalising goal. Gary Charman, who had switched wings with Taylor midway through the first half, cut back on to his right foot and sent in a good cross that was helped on at the near post by Austin for Mingle to volley home from the penalty spot for his ninth goal of the season.

With his side in need of a lift, King replaced the ineffective Sigere with Booth and, within 5 minutes, the former Cambridge City man had bagged his 28th goal of the season to seal the win for the visitors.  Taylor's deep corner was headed away from underneath his own crossbar by Binns before Conroy popped up at the other end of the pitch to supply the accurate cross that was nodded down by Holloway to Booth who swept the ball past Seuke from close range.

The goal seemed to demoralise the home side for, despite continuing to enjoy the greater possession, the final ball was too frequently lacking and many attacks foundered via a misdirected pass. One such slack piece of play, this time from Charman, saw Binns enter in to an intriguing race with Taylor - himself no slouch - and it was the Lewes man who won the battle, flicking the ball nonchalantly past his marker before cutting it back for Kennett who was denied only by Seuke's outstretched leg. With Lee Farrell now up against his former team-mates, Austin making way for the final ten minutes, Maggs withdrew Myall and sent on his remaining forward Steve Davies to try and rescue this tie in the closing stages. The ploy almost paid spectacular dividends when a Horsham corner, in injury time, caused havoc in the Lewes penalty box as Davies' flicked header was helped on by Farrell only for the ball to hit the base of the post before being cleared by Binns with Hemsley poised to convert the rebound. Sadly for the Hornets it was not to be and the full time whistle signalled the inevitable conclusion.

NEXT MATCH: v AFC Hornchurch (h) Saturday 29th January ko 3.00pm