Horsham ground out a hard fought victory over a stubborn, and not untalented, Bognor Regis side who will wonder how they failed to take any reward from a match in which they dominated long periods of the first half.

With matches against 2 of the division’s bottom 3 teams coming in the space of 48 hours, John Maggs knew that this would provide the perfect opportunity for his side to break into the top 5 ahead of potentially more challenging meetings with Tooting, Sutton and Hornchurch in the week ahead. But the manager’s pre-match suggestion that the Rocks are a stronger side than their lowly position might indicate was soon in evidence when they took control of the first half and, with better luck, might have led by more than Jason Prior’s 10th league goal of the season at the break. It must be said, though, that the visitors’ cause was aided hugely by a wretched display from the Hornets who lacked any kind of fluency on a bobbling, sticky surface.

To their credit, they emerged after the interval determined to make amends and their efforts bore fruit with 2 goals inside 4 minutes, from Pat Harding and Ben Andrews, to finally break the Rocks’ resistance and, although they had to withstand some late pressure, it was Horsham who would take all 3 points with a 3rd successive victory.

Bognor came in to the match in decent form. Just 2 defeats in their last 10 was hardly the form of relegation candidates but 5 draws had left them just a point ahead of Waltham Abbey at the foot of the table and they took to the field without 2 of their more influential players in Luke Nightingale and skipper Michael Birmingham, both of whom were injured. Jacob Walcott and Lewis Dunk were also absent, called up to play for Reading and Brighton’s reserve sides respectively, so there was a call up for Reading loanees Tom Browne and striker Gozie Ugwu. A one match suspension robbed Alex Haddow of a reunion with his former side but ex-Rocks duo Mark Knee and Sam Tucknott took their place in Maggs’ bold attacking line-up that included forwards Harding, Andrews and Claude Seanla.

The game was just 2 minutes old when the visitors carved out their first sight of goal when Prior and Ugwu combined to set up Matt Wood whose shot was blocked in a goalmouth scramble. Harding ought to have put the home side ahead just a minute later when he raced on to Jack Page’s long pass but, with goalkeeper Anthony Ender some way off his line, the striker elected not to try the lob and took a touch too many enabling the ball to be cleared in to touch.

Tucknott showed terrific pace to attack down the right flank and cross in to the box where Steve Davies’ cushioned header was played in to the path of Andrews by Harding but his first time shot brought a comfortable save from Ender. But that was as good as it got for the Hornets during the opening 40 minutes as Bognor began to take control. They were ahead on 11 minutes when Richard Hudson won, and took, a free-kick on the right edge of Horsham’s penalty area, swinging a cross towards the near post where it was flicked on by Wood for Prior to head home at the far post. The same combination almost undid the hosts again, 4 minutes later, when Prior headed another Hudson free-kick past the post before Davies made a mess of an overhead kick at the other end after Knee, Seanla and Steve Sargent had set up Tucknott to cross in to the box.

The Rocks ought to have extended their lead on 25 minutes when Anthony Acheampong was dispossessed on the halfway line and Ugwu was sent through on goal only to see his shot blocked by the retreating Knee. The full-back was in the right place again to prevent Ugwu from pulling the trigger, a minute later, as Horsham’s play became ragged. Tucknott looked to remove some of the pressure on the back four with a superb crossfield pass to Seanla but the striker shot wide of the target from 25 yards and Andrews’ miscued volley went high and wide as Ender remained virtually untroubled.

Ugwu outjumped Acheampong and Sam Page to send a header narrowly past the upright before Andrews was rightly cautioned for an challenge on James Crane on the far touchline, so late that the ball had already gone out of play for a throw. The lively Dan Beck sent a long range shot straight at Josh Pelling but the ‘keeper was almost caught out by an effort from Prior, 5 minutes before the break, and was grateful that Acheampong was on hand to clear after the young goalkeeper had spilled the ball back in to the danger zone.

Prior remained Bognor’s biggest threat but he should have done better after being picked out by a great cross and could only put a poor header wide. A mix-up between Knee and Pelling almost gifted Bognor a second goal, just before the break, but the visitors struggled to bring the ball under control on the inconsistent pitch and were unable to profit further from their hosts’ generosity.

H/T Horsham 0 Bognor Regis Town 1

Seanla signalled Horsham’s intent immediately after the restart when his strong run enabled Knee to pick out Andrews with a pinpoint cross but the former Worthing man powered his header over the crossbar when an equalising goal looked a certainty. Another direct run from Seanla then took him to the edge of the Bognor penalty area before slipping a pass to Harding who was frustrated to see his goalbound shot deflected wide. It was a far more positive start by Maggs’ men but Ugwu almost made them pay for some slack defending when he was allowed to cut in from the left touchline and charge some 20 yards before sending a shot wide of the goal.

With just over an hour played, Maggs replaced Davies with recent signing Robert Kasanga in a straight swap in the centre of the park and, within minutes, his midfield partner Sargent was cautioned for a strong tackle on Wood. Horsham suffered an anxious moment after 68 minutes when they were caught out by a long ball over the top and, when Pelling and Ugwu clashed, the loose ball was hooked high in to the air by Sam Page who was forced in to an acrobatic goal-saving clearance as Ugwu looked to capitalise.

The Hornets made the most of their fortuitous escape by drawing level just 2 minutes later. Sargent’s long range strike never looked like troubling Ender until the ball took a hefty deflection off a defender, diverting it in to the path of Harding who continued his good form in front of goal by firing across the ‘keeper and in to the far corner of the net for his 17th of the season. Bognor seemed unfazed by this setback and might have restored their lead in the game’s next attack only for Pelling to push Ugwu’s shot round his near post.

A cheaply conceded free-kick was to prove the Rocks’ downfall when an unnecessary obstruction by Dan Joyce gave Sargent the chance to send in a low cross that seemed to be touched on at the near post by Sam Page for Andrews to guide the ball over the line from inside a crowded 6 yard box. Bognor made a couple of late substitutions to try and grab a late equaliser their earlier efforts deserved. Prior went close with another header, and Sam Page headed Hudson’s cross away from underneath his own crossbar, but it was the Hornets who went closest to finding the net in the closing moments when Harding’s terrific first time pass switched play from right to left where Seanla made the most of a slip by Browne to charge in to the area only for the uneven surface to ruin his chances of a first goal in 5 weeks.

NEXT MATCH: v Waltham Abbey (a) Thursday 4th March ko 7.45pm