HORSHAM 1 MARGATE 0

HORSHAM:
1.Paul Seuke 2.Tom Graves (Geard) 3.Nigel Brake 4.Andy Howard 5.Kevin Hemsley (French) 6.Lee Carney 7.Jacob Mingle 8.Yinka Salaam (Farrell) 9.Jean Michel Sigere 10.Simon Austin 11.Gary Charman Subs: 12.Lee Farrell 14.Eddie French 15.Matt Geard 16.Steve Davies 17.Alan Mansfield
Scorer: Howard (84)

MARGATE:
1.Scott Chalmers-Stevens 2.Ryan Peters 3.Ricardo Josephs 4.Luke Coleman (Side) 5.Jay Saunders 6.Robin Trott (Smith) 7.Dean Standen 8.Kieran Morris 9.James Pinnock 10.Rob Haworth 11.Ryan Martin (Quain) Subs: 12.Charlie Side 14.Lewis Smith 15.Aaron Quain 16.Paul Axon 17.Matt Bowles

Reporter: Mark Wells

Andy Howard was the unlikely hero as Horsham earned a first ever league victory over Margate to bring the curtain down on an unforgettable year. His 84th minute strike, a far post volley from Nigel Brake's cross, was just about deserved after each side had enjoyed sustained periods of possession in an entertaining match played out in front of Queen Street's biggest league gate of the season. 

After 4 successive defeats, John Maggs had been keen to arrest the slide that had seen his team slip towards the wrong end of the table and confidently elected to start the match with the same 11 players who had finished the Boxing Day fixture at Tonbridge Angels where their losing streak was sensationally ended with a 5-1 win. However, with Lewis Taylor absent on holiday, the manager was forced in to a rethink and pushed Yinka Salaam in to Taylor's midfield spot while Tom Graves had recovered sufficiently from a bout of 'flu to fill the right-back berth. Lee Farrell dropped to the bench alongside the familiar figure of Matt Geard, who had rejoined the club from Burgess Hill during the week, to allow loan signing Jean-Michel Sigere to link up once more with Simon Austin, a partnership that brought great dividends at Tonbridge. For their part, Margate were without the experienced trio of Jimmy Jackson, Steve McKimm and Justin Skinner as well as teenage defender Dan Young who dislocated a shoulder during Wednesday's match against Billericay Town. However, captain Jay Saunders was available once more after missing the previous 3 games and former Dulwich Hamlet striker Charlie Side was among the substitutes.

Before the match could get underway, chairman Frank King presented Gary Charman with a silver salver to commemorate the winger's 400th appearance for his home town club for which he drew warm applause from the spectators.

Three minutes in, Nigel Brake threatened to get the hosts off to a perfect start when, from a position not dissimilar to that from which he scored his memorable FA Cup goal against Maidenhead United, he let fly only to watch embarrassingly as the ball flew high in to the trees that skirted the car park. A mistake by Saunders gifted Lee Carney an opportunity when his sloppy pass was intercepted by Austin whose lay off was perfect for Carney but he drilled his shot just past Scott Chalmers-Stevens' right-hand post.

Salaam then spurned a glorious chance after good work down the Horsham left between Charman and Brake had enabled Sigere to turn on the edge of the box but the midfielder, unmarked on the edge of the six yard box, could only find Luke Coleman with his intended pass and the ball was cleared. Horsham continued to press and Austin was fractionally off target as he rose to met Graves' looping cross  before shooting over the crossbar after more fine work from Charman. A rare attack by the visitors earned them a corner but there was no let up on the Margate goal as, from the resulting clearance, a good passing move released Brake who floated a cross narrowly past the far post with Chalmers-Stevens in no-man's land.

A scuffed clearance from Saunders was picked up by Salaam who unleashed a powerful shot from the angle of the penalty area that failed to test the Margate 'keeper as the home side continued to enjoy the greater possession. Mingle and his opposite number, Dean Standen, were involved in regular spats throughout the first period but it was Carney who found himself first in to referee McCoy's notebook when he disputed the award of a free-kick to the visitors. The kick, predictably, came to nought and two minutes later Mingle was threatening the Margate goal once more when Sigere chased a long ball from Carney and pulled the ball back but, with the pass falling slightly behind him, Mingle couldn't keep the ball down and it sailed harmlessly over the bar from 10 yards.

Two further chances were to fall the way of the Hornets before the break when Carney's free-kick was nodded across goal by Charman but Howard couldn't get over the ball and succeeded only in directing his header off target and, in injury time, Brake's cross picked out Salaam unmarked at the far post but Austin was unable to turn in his volleyed cross-shot and Maggs was left to reflect on a 45 minutes in which his side had dominated for long periods without finding the crucial end product.

H/T Horsham 0 Margate 0

A kick to the ankle at the end of the first half saw Eddie French replace Kevin Hemsley at the restart and the long serving defender was soon trailing James Pinnock as the striker turned and played in Rob Haworth but the former Met Police player looked laboured in his run and Paul Seuke was off his line quickly to make the claim. Trott produced a strong block to prevent Mingle from bursting in to the area and Kieran Morris' face stopped a Carney piledriver as Horsham continued where they'd left off in the first half. Trott lasted just 6 minutes of the second half before the player/manager made way for Lewis Smith and Ricardo Josephs was given two bites of the cherry when he collected a rebound off of French to send in a shot that Seuke had to save on his goal line.

Standen's wild attempt cleared Seuke's crossbar by some distance as Margate took their turn to apply the pressure and only a strong challenge by Howard denied Haworth from squaring to Pinnock with the goal gaping. A left-sided corner for the visitors found Pinnock with his back to goal, an hour in, and he showed great skill to turn French on the edge of the box and hit a fine drive through a posse of players that Seuke did well to save. Horsham, after looking the more likely winner earlier in the game, now seemed as if they would do well to hold on for a point and Haworth should have done better after being played in by Standen, the striker dragging his shot wastefully across the face of goal.

With the home side now forced to play with all bar Sigere and Austin behind the ball, Margate decided to introduce another forward and replaced Coleman with Side but the substitute's first involvement saw him muscled off of the ball by Brake who picked out Mingle on the edge of the Margate area but the midfielder slipped as he went to shoot and spooned the ball harmlessly back to Chalmers-Stevens. Another slip, this time from Brake, almost proved costly as Side quickly began a counter-attack and Howard was grateful to turn the ball behind at the near post. Brake soon made amends when he slid in to stop Side from cashing in on Pinnock's clever pass and Pinnock was then afforded the freedom of the Horsham penalty area when he got on to the end of a throw from the impressive Ryan Peters to set up Side once more only for the substitute to completely fluff his shot, getting underneath the ball and sending it high in to the night sky.

Maggs needed to shake things up and, with just over 20 minutes remaining, he sent on Farrell for Salaam to add an extra attacking option to his under pressure side. Charman, back defending, tried to play the ball out of trouble but could only present it to Standen whose low drive bobbled in front of Seuke who showed a safe pair of hands in making an excellent save. A Horsham free-kick gave Carney the chance to relieve the pressure momentarily and French was inches away from getting his header on target as he rose to meet his team-mate's kick at the near post but it was a rare excursion in to the Margate danger zone from the hosts who were forced in to their final substitution with 15 minutes remaining after Graves was left hobbling, Geard coming on for his first appearance since the Brighton Charity Cup Final, 8 months ago.

With the final whistle less than 10 minutes away, both teams seemed resigned to a goalless draw but good anticipation by Mingle saw him surge through from midfield and release Farrell but the striker, without a league goal since the opening day of the season, seemed oblivious to the opening and Chalmers-Stevens was able to advance from his line to collect. A clever pass from the outside of Carney's boot looked to send Sigere away but Josephs was equal to the task, beating the French U21 international to the ball before hammering it in to touch but, from the resulting throw-in, Horsham were to earn themselves the decisive corner from which they would grab the breakthrough.

Carney's quickly taken kick saw him exchange passes with Brake and the full-back clipped a neat ball in to the far post where Howard, unopposed, lashed the ball past Chalmers-Stevens who could only help it in to the corner of the net for the defender's first goal of the season. In the minutes that remained, Horsham withstood a free-kick, a corner and a strong run and shot from Josephs to record their 10th league win of the season and a jump of 4 places to 9th in the Ryman Premier Division table, just 3 points outside the play-off places....not a bad way to end the year !

NEXT MATCH: v Wealdstone (a) Saturday 5th January ko 3.00pm