Horsham YMCA 0 HORSHAM 4
Gorings Mead, Horsham
Thursday 17th July 2008
Pre-season friendly

         GOALSCORERS

         * * *
         Horsham YMCA
          -
         HORSHAM
         Savage (12,36)
        Georgiou OG (15)
       Knee (46)

          Attendance
         TBA

         Referee: Mick McCoy
           Assistants: Simon Griffiths
                          Kevin Dawson

1.Paul Seuke
2.Jack Page
3.Russell Eldridge
4.Eddie French
5.Sam Page
6.Lee Carney
7.Jacob Mingle
8.Lee Carey
9.Mark Knee
10.Reggie Savage 
11.Alex Haddow
Subs:
12.Lee Farrell
14.James Cant
15.Steve Cant
16.Andy Howard
17.Yinka Salaam
18.Ian Payne
19.Rob Frankland

reporter: Mark Wells

There were changes aplenty on both sides as Horsham's two senior clubs got their pre-season campaigns underway in front of a good sized crowd, played out in the shadow of the Queen Street floodlights. Just three players who had started last season's corresponding fixture were involved in this return meeting after both clubs had undergone major changes during the summer. With YM's long serving manager John Suter now departed, his newly installed replacement Chris White brought most of his former East Preston squad with him to Gorings Mead, many of whom had provided the opposition for Horsham's final match at Queen Street in last season's Brighton Charity Cup Final. But it was the new-look Hornets squad that most had come to see as boss John Maggs fielded seven newcomers in his starting XI, among them former Heybridge Swifts striker Reggie Savage who was hoping to stake a claim for a permanent deal with the club.

Savage it was who got the Ryman Premier Leaguers off to the perfect start when, with just 12 minutes on the clock, he stole in front of his marker to convert Jacob Mingle's cross from close range. Yet it was the hosts who might have drawn first blood, just minutes earlier, when James Rhodes skipped round Paul Seuke only to see his goalbound shot blocked on the line by Sam Page. With the cushion of the early goal, Horsham soon doubled their advantage thanks to the unfortunate Chris Georgiou who inadvertently put through his own goal under pressure from Savage, the goal the result of an excellent cross from Lee Carey. The former Hastings United midfielder enjoyed a lively opening spell, frequently involved in the action on the Horsham right in front of Jack Page who took time to settle into an unaccustomed full-back role. The youngster, though, showed plenty of promise and displayed a fine repertoire of passes and bags of energy that augers well for the new season.

Savage was a lively threat up front, despite the imposing Jay Head having a noticeable height advantage on his opponent, but the much travelled striker will know that he should have done better than glance a header wide of the post after a good move involving Lee Carney, Alex Haddow and Russell Eldridge. A rare sortie in to the Hornets' penalty area saw Haddow making an uncomfortable clearance to give YM a corner-kick but, from Eddie French's defensive header, the visitors went on the attack once more and Haddow and Carney combined to set up Carey whose swerving shot brought a good save from Tom Rand.

French was on hand to avert the danger again when Rhodes looked to latch on to a flick and, this time, the resulting corner found a white shirted player but Tom Manton's dipping volley failed to trouble Seuke. Mark Knee brought an easy save from Rand and the stretching Savage was off target from another accurate cross from Eldridge as the action continued to centre around the YM goal. The impressive Knee showed a good touch and turn of pace to beat Head but could only put the bobbling ball over the top from 10 yards before Horsham extended their lead further when Carey sent Savage clear and the man whose pace and skill sent the Hornets crashing to defeat against the Swifts last season made amends by clipping the ball expertly over the diving Rand to make the score 3-0.

The County League side created their best chance of the half, five minutes before the break. Jack Page had just produced an excellent hanging cross that was just too far beyond the far post to cause YM any danger before Rhodes picked out Wayne Joseph and, when his cross found Richard Carter unmarked inside the penalty box, Seuke was forced to tip his header over the crossbar. Mingle had the chance to add a fourth, in the few minutes remaining when, first, he shot too high from 25 yards and then sent a misdirected header in to Rand's arms from close range.

H/T Horsham YMCA 0 Horsham 3

The second half saw the introduction of Lee Farrell, for Savage, and Steve Cant for Carney and, within 60 seconds, both were celebrating when Cant won a corner and Knee swept home Haddow's cross from the penalty spot for a richly deserved goal. Mingle saw two efforts blocked in quick succession and Cant fired over after Knee had intelligently laid off Eldridge's low  cross as the Hornets threatened to run riot.

Farrell had claims for a penalty kick turned down when he was bundled over by Flack on the edge of the area and Haddow's free-kick was wild and off target. Mingle showed greater accuracy, minutes later, when he strode forward and sent in a fierce shot that was parried safely by Rand but it was YM's Steve Metcalf who came closest to claiming the next goal when Knee held the ball up well before releasing Eldridge to cross for the umpteenth time and the defender's volley was spectacularly saved by Rand to spare his team-mate's blushes. 

Mingle and French were next to depart, replaced by James Cant and Andy Howard, while the hosts made a triple substitution with Budge, Flack and Carter making way for James Virgo, Simon White and Michael Boutal. There was a scare for Maggs when Knee went down under a challenge from the blameless Jay Head but the former Bognor man recovered in time to watch Jack Page hit a first time volley that was saved low by Rand. Carey was next to threaten, shooting over the crossbar from Steve Cant's pass, and Knee ignored claims of handball against White to drag a shot wide of the far post.

Boutal tried his luck from range, a poor shot that failed to give Seuke a genuine test, before Knee made way for Yinka Salaam and YM tried to disrupt Horsham's rhythmn by sending on Jack Hayward and two players wearing numbers twelve and sixteen thus giving us two twelves, two sixteens and two number seventeens in the home colours to pose plenty of problems for referee Mick McCoy, not to mention your roving reporter !!

Boutal, or was it his numerical twin, sent over an inviting cross for Virgo - I think - but the number twelve could only direct a weak header apologetically towards goal. Farrell, for sure, showed admirable skill to control a long, probing forward pass, flicking it over a defender's head with his right foot only to fizz the ball narrowly over the top with his left in a moment reminiscent of Paul Gascoigne's famous goal against Scotland in 1996. A poor throw from Seuke put Howard under pressure but the 'keeper smartly made amends by turning the alert Metcalf's shot on to the frame of the goal and, somewhat fortuitously, comfortably claiming the rebound as YM tried in vain to register a consolation goal.

White curtailed Farrell's determined run with a fine block challenge and Carey almost marked his debut in sensational style when he saw Rand some distance off his goal line and tried an audacious chip from inside the centre-circle, the ball sailing agonisingly over the goal and the backpedalling goalkeeper.

Although the visitors were continuing to enjoy the lion's share of the possession, their goal threat had diminished following Knee's withdrawal although Salaam's fine run in to the heart of YM's penalty area deserved a better end product than Sam Page's sidefooted effort that went wide of the upright.

The hosts almost capitalised on some hesitancy in their opponents' defence in the closing stages when the two number twelves combined to create an opening that number twelve pulled wide after number twelve's cross was blocked by the one and only Sam Page, and a slide rule pass from Hayward saw Boutal - possibly, maybe - shooting wide.

So confusion on the pitch at the end, among the fans, and confusion for this reporter, but there was no denying that the Hornets had put in an assured display against the side that they could once call their 'neighbours'. Alas, for the time being, we must refer to the Gorings Mead outfit as 'our Horsham rivals' but as a new era begins in the history of Horsham Football Club, John Maggs' claims that his side will 'excite and entertain' look well founded and who would bet against them from bringing fame and pride to the town again next season, even if it is from a few miles down the A24 !

NEXT MATCH: v Herne Bay (a) Saturday 19th July ko 3.00pm