|
1.Paul Seuke
2.Jack Page
3.Russell Eldridge
4.Andy Howard
5.Sam Page
6.Lee Carney
7.Jacob Mingle
(Graham,88)
8.Lee Carey
9.Evan Archibald (Baitup,70)
10.Mark Knee (Farrell,30)
11.Gary
Charman
Subs:
12.Liam Baitup
14.Shane Graham
15.Lee Farrell
16.Ian Payne
17.Rob Frankland
Goalscorers:
Carey (70) |
1.Paul Nicholls
2.Jack Smith
3.Alan Bray
4.Dean Palmer (Dundas,84)
5.Chris Collins
6.Karim El-Salahi
7.Matt Hann
8.Adam Wilde (Smith,78)
9.Chukki Eribenne
10.Karl Murray
11.Gavin McCallum (West,90)
Subs:
12.Delando Smith
14.Craig Dundas
15.Steve West
16.Steve McKimm
17.Danny
Bracken
Goalscorers:
Wilde (58)
McCallum (90+1) |
|
Reporter: Mark Wells
Match highlights (45MB): Click here
Canadian under 20 international Gavin McCallum struck an injury time
winner to send Horsham slipping to their third defeat in eight days.
The pacy winger had been at the heart of much of Sutton's most
dangerous attacks and was in the right place to turn in substitute
Craig Dundas' pass to secure Sutton's first away win of the season and
leave the Hornets crestfallen. Having hauled themselves back in to the
game, courtesy of Lee Carey's wind assisted goal, John Maggs' side
contrived to miss several good chances to take the lead before falling
to McCallum's close range finish and there was more bad news for Maggs
when Mark Knee was helped off the pitch with a reported hamstring
injury that could make him a doubt for Tuesday's long trip to
Ramsgate.
This first ever league
meeting between the two sides was a moment to savour for Andy Howard
who was making his 100th Horsham appearance and there was a return to first
team action for Lee Farrell after an absence of 5 games, albeit on the substitute's
bench, while Evan Archibald returned to the side after missing the
last two matches with a dead leg. A hamstring injury meant that Alex
Haddow was forced to watch from the sidelines. For Sutton, many
people's pre-season
title favourites, manager Paul Doswell gave a debut to loan signing
Karl Murray alongside the dangerous Chukki Eribenne in a side packed
with Blue Square South experience.
John Maggs had cited his side's failure to take a couple of early
chances as one of the reasons for last weekend's defeat against
Harlow Town and he would have been suffering from a case of
deja vu inside the opening seconds of this encounter when Sutton
skipper Chris Collins misread the flight of Sam Page's lofty clearance
to leave Knee with a run on goal. With a three on one advantage,
it looked for all the world that the Hornets would take the lead until
goalkeeper Paul Nicholls threw himself to his left to keep out Carey's first time shot and the ball was cleared.
The game settled down after that early chance until Gary Charman cut
in from the left and hit a thumping drive that took a slight
deflection away from the on-rushing Knee, and behind for a corner, and
excellent link up play between Carey and Jack Page saw the teenage
full-back tee up Knee but he scuffed his shot and another chance went
begging. Sutton were working hard to close down their opponents,
without creating much of a goalscoring threat themselves, and it was the home side who were playing the better football
and a superb crossfield pass from Charman sent Lee Carney scampering
away but, as was to become Horsham's downfall throughout the match,
the delivery in to the box was poor and Sutton countered when the ball
was played smartly out to Matt Hann on the right flank with Russell
Eldridge fortunate to receive just a yellow card after bringing
the Sutton man down on the edge of the penalty area.
Although his free-kick was wasted, the diminutive Hann was unlucky to
see an effort go just wide of the post soon after when a dazzling run
across the edge of the Hornets' box saw him trick his way past four
defenders. A strong challenge by Dean Palmer earned the defender a
caution and forced Knee out of the game on the half hour, the former
Worthing man having to be helped off the field by both physios,
leaving the way clear for Farrell to make his first appearance
since the opening day fixture at Canvey Island and it wasn't long before Farrell was involved in the
action, showing a neat flick to put Archibald in the clear from Charman's knock down but Nicholls was well placed to save the
striker's rising left-footed shot.
Charman was booked for a trip on Murray before Horsham's
long serving player was involved in the best move of the half.
Collecting a terrific pass from Farrell, Charman cut on to his
favoured right foot and picked out Carney whose fierce drive was
parried by Nicholls with the loose ball clearly headed behind by Alan
Bray, despite referee Austin's decision to award the visitors a
goal-kick. With the first half drawing to a close, a rare mistake from
Paul Seuke almost presented Sutton with a goalscoring opportunity when
he came for a high free-kick only for Eribenne to get there first and
direct his header wide of the open goal.
The home 'keeper showed his agility in the final seconds of the half
when Bray's deep cross was laid off by Hann and Palmer's first time
shot was turned round the post by Seuke to ensure that the half ended
goalless.
H/T Horsham 0 Sutton United 0
The players were greeted with heavy wind and rain as they made their
way back out after the interval and, with the floodlights now on, the
scene was more reminiscent of midwinter than the first week of
September. Sutton almost took immediate advantage of the conditions
when Seuke had to tip a dangerous cross on to the 'bar and then, five
minutes later, Bray almost embarrassed the
'keeper when his high, swerving 'up-and-under' curled worryingly towards
the far post before drifting harmlessly out of play.
A sharp turn by McCallum saw the ball whipped dangerously across the
face of goal as the visitors made light of having to play in to the
face of the gale but a sweeping move by the hosts showed the value of
keeping the ball on the deck as Carney's penetrative run and exchange
of passes with Carey created a shooting opportunity that Nicholls
touched wide. Mingle's shot was blocked from the resulting corner and,
five minutes later, the visitors went ahead. Collecting a flick on
from Murray, McCallum showed too much pace for Andy Howard and
attacked the box, drawing Jack Page across and leaving Adam
Wilde
unmarked
to receive his team-mate's pass before marking his return from injury
by clipping the ball over Seuke
for the game's opening goal.
Smart play between Farrell and Jack Page might have produced an almost
instant reply from the hosts but Charman's low shot was stopped by a
combination of Farrell and Nicholls and a good turn and cross by
Farrell was deflected behind for the first of two corners, the second
of which saw Carney drill his shot wide, as the Hornets strove hard to
get back in to the game. They were rewarded for their endeavours on 70
minutes and the goal, when it came, owed as much to the conditions as
it did the technique of the goalscorer when
Carey's inswinging corner
completely deceived Nicholls and dropped under the crossbar for a
deserved equaliser.
The goal revitalised Horsham and, in particular, Carey whose fierce
free-kick was parried skywards by the Sutton 'keeper but Liam Baitup
could only head the rebound over the top with his first touch since
replacing Archibald immediately following the Hornets' equaliser. The former
Hastings man followed that up with a confident run and shot that
Nicholls had to gather at the second attempt, with Baitup lurking, but
Eldridge was less accurate when he blazed an effort well wide of the
target.
Sutton's goalscorer was replaced with twelve minutes remaining, with
Delando Smith coming on in his place, but it was Horsham who continued
to make the running and Farrell should have done better than scuff his
shot when played in by Carney. At the other end, McCallum remained a
threat and, when he outpaced Sam Page, the skipper became the fourth
player to enter Mr Austin's notebook for hauling the playmaker to the
floor. From the free-kick, Seuke pulled off a fine save to keep
McCallum's goalbound strike from entering the bottom corner of the
net.
The bulky frame of Craig Dundas was introduced for the final ten
minutes, replacing the equally imposing figure of Palmer, and his was
almost the perfect introduction when Eldridge's mishit clearance fell
for the substitute who equally miscued, slicing his shot in to the
group of travelling fans behind the goal. A mistake by Nicholls almost
gifted Horsham a further goal, three minutes from time, when Carey's
shot was deflected behind and the resulting corner was dropped by the
experienced goalkeeper but Mingle could only put the ball over from
six yards. That was to be the Horsham man's final piece of the action
as he made way for Shane Graham but the substitute barely got a touch
of the ball as the visitors took the points in a devastating finale.
Dundas conceded a needless corner with the match poised to enter
injury time but, as the ball was cleared to the other end, Baitup
failed to gather a high bouncing ball and Dundas turned away from
Charman before swapping passes with Eribenne on the edge of the 'D'
and crossing low for
McCallum
to get in ahead of Jack Page for the
killer goal.
There was still time for Horsham to win themselves a corner but,
despite the added presence of Seuke in the Sutton penalty area, the
visitors held out and Maggs was left with the task of restoring
confidence to his side with their four match winning start to the
campaign already looking like a dim and distant memory.
NEXT MATCH: v Ramsgate (a)
Tuesday 9th September ko 7.45pm |
.jpg)