HORSHAM 0 Hastings United 2
A2B Stadium, Woodside Road, Worthing
Attendance: 229
Tuesday 24th September 2008
Ryman League Premier Division
Referee: A Laver

HORSHAM

HASTINGS UNITED

1.Paul Seuke
2.Jack Page
3.Russell Eldridge
4.Andy Howard
5.Billy Franks (Haddow,65)
6.Lee Carey
7.Jacob Mingle
8.Ian Payne
9.Lee Farrell
10.Evan Archibald
11.Mark Knee (Geddes,84)
Subs:
12.Alex Haddow
14.Shane Graham
15.Gavin Geddes
16.Michael Dale
17.Rob Frankland

1.Greg Nessling
2.Andy Ballard
3.Jethro Warren (Radley,69)
4.Rhys Whyborne
5.Nathan Russell
6.Ben White (Franklin,87)
7.Antonio Gonnella
8.Sam Adams
9.Marc Whiteman
10.Frankie Sawyer (Ramsay,77)
11.Terry Payne
Subs:
12.Scott Ramsay
14.Jack Franklin
15.Ben Radley
16.Jack Dixon
17.Seb Barton

Goalscorers:
Sawyer (13,59)

Reporter: Mark Wells
Photographs: John Lines

Horsham's four game winning start to the season is fast becoming a distant memory after Hastings striker Frankie Sawyer condemned the Hornets to their fifth league defeat in six games. A goal in each half from the former Millwall apprentice settled this Sussex derby in the visitors' favour to leave boss John Maggs with the difficult task of lifting his players ahead of the weekend's crucial FA Cup tie at Folkestone.

The loss of key players to injury has been the overriding factor in Horsham's recent poor run of form but Maggs was upset at the way his patched up side went about this game, abandoning their usual flowing football in favour of a more direct approach. "Anyone who knows me knows that's not my style," he said angrily. "We play our football on the floor, not smacking it down the centre-half's throat. I was very disappointed with the way we played and I gave the lads a rucking for it after the game. I know we've got players missing but I expected better than that. We tried a different formation tonight and, okay, it didn't come off so I'll have to take a look at that again before Saturday".

Both sides had players facing their former team-mates, with Lee Carey and Russell Eldridge facing the Arrows for the first time since joining Horsham in the summer and Hastings' Marc Whiteman was hoping to celebrate a win against the side for whom he had a brief spell in the 2004/5 season, while recent Horsham target Rhys Whybourne lined up in the visitors' defence. Horsham's depleted ranks meant that Maggs went with an unfamiliar 3-5-2 formation, with Eldridge and Jack Page acting as covering wing-backs and Ian Payne deployed as sweeper behind centre-half pairing Andy Howard and Billy Franks.

After both sides had traded early efforts on goal, Evan Archibald for the hosts and Nathan Russell for the visitors, it was the East Sussex side who went ahead on 13 minutes when Whiteman escaped the attentions of Howard to cross low in to the goalmouth for Sawyer to tuck the ball past Paul Seuke for his first goal of the season.

Mark Knee went close to producing an equalising goal on 36 minutes when a good run and cross from Lee Farrell saw the ex-Worthing man bring a scrambled save from Greg Nessling in the Hastings goal, with claims that the ball had crossed the line ignored by referee Laver. Horsham finished the half the stronger and Archibald should have levelled things up on the stroke of half-time when Lee Farrell and Page combined to send over a cross that the striker headed over the crossbar.

H/T Horsham 0 Hastings United 1

Hastings almost doubled their advantage, 10 minutes after the break, when Antonio Gonnella's cross was met by Terry Payne but his shot was cleared off the goal-line by his Horsham namesake, Ian. Having survived that let-off, the hosts produced a dangerous attack of their own that saw Page hit the post with a left foot drive only for the Arrows to rub salt in to the wounds by taking a 2-0 lead, 2 minutes later. Seuke initially repelled a shot from Gonnella but Sawyer was on hand to head home the rebound to the clear delight of the travelling faithful among a 229 crowd.

Howard wasted a golden opportunity to reduce the arrears immediately but he could only put the ball wide from Page's pass and his defensive partner Franks was equally wasteful when his mishit shot was blocked by a defender. To their credit, Horsham continued to make most of the running and Knee brought about a fine save from Nessling before Maggs went for broke by sending on Alex Haddow for Franks with 25 minutes remaining. But their attacking ambitions were leaving them exposed to the pacy Hastings attacks and only Sawyer's inaccuracy prevented him from claiming a hat-trick, shooting wide of the target after Howard was caught in possession, before the goalscorer was withdrawn in favour of Scott Ramsay.

Carey hit a volley well over the top, and Knee's close range effort went wide, as the home side became increasingly desperate for the goal that might give them a late lifeline. Gavin Geddes was sent on in place of Knee with 6 minutes remaining but the Hornets next chance fell again to Carey whose shot was quickly blocked by the resolute defence and the visitors were able to hold out to the final whistle to record their third win of the season, all away from their Pilot Field base. 

NEXT MATCH: v Folkestone Invicta (a) Saturday 27th September ko 3pm