Horsham replaced Harrow Borough in the bottom four of the Ryman Premier Division after a  disappointing display that saw them concede 3 goals for the third league match in a row.

The game started brightly enough for the hosts, with Ray Freeman putting them ahead on just 18 minutes, but those with not so long memories pointed to Harrow's last visit to Gorings Mead in which Gary Charman's early strike served only to provoke the Reds into a seven goal blitz! Such a repeat scoreline was never going to be on the cards for a Harrow side undergoing a similar rebuilding to the Hornets but they did turn the match around, scoring twice in two first half minutes through Evandro Delgado and Jon-Jo Bates and, when visiting goalkeeper Nick Pope saved well from Freeman after the break in what proved to be the home side's best chance of a pitiful second half, Delgado struck again to secure only a second league win of the campaign for Dave Anderson's men.

Justin Luchford made just the one change to the side that started at Wingate & Finchley on Saturday, with Callum Dunne back in the side at the expense of Bernard Asante, whose place at full-back was surprisingly taken by midfielder Adam Hutchings.

The match kicked off in front of a sparse crowd, the attendance perhaps affected by the televised Champions League matches or maybe a reaction to Horsham's winless home run that stretched back to April, and it was the travelling fans who might have been cheering first had former Hornet Reggie Savage not missed a free header after just 6 minutes.

Man of the Match Bates showed his battling qualities to win the ball on the edge of the box and powered a right-foot shot too high while Horsham's best chance of the opening 10 minutes came by virtue of an optimistic shout for a penalty when Kane Rice's free-kick struck Bates inside the box. Freeman did have a brief sight of goal when he cut inside from Dunne's pass but shot straight at Pope.

However, Freeman had only a short while longer to wait before claiming his second goal in successive matches when Calum McGeehan broke up a Harrow attack and slipped the ball down the line for the striker to collect and run at goal, confidently knocking the ball past the 'keeper to make it 1-0. Savage almost struck an instant reply but his clever turn and shot saw the ball blocked by Louis Hollingsworth, making his home debut.

Horsham were putting their bodies on the line to defend their slender advantage and a Harrow attack, midway through the half, saw shots from Sebastian Schoburgh and Garry Jones blocked by Russell Eldridge and Williams Peauroux. But the backline was breached on 28 minutes when Delgado's shot deflected in to the path of Bates and, when he pushed the ball back towards the penalty spot, Delgado had continued his run to mishit the ball, unopposed, into the top corner of the net.

Worse was to follow when, just two minutes later, Savage and Bates cut through the Horsham defence with the latter slotting the ball low past Matt Armstrong-Ford to turn the match on its head. The Hornets tried to respond but a hopeful long range effort from Eldridge landed in the trees and Peauroux wasted Freeman's hard work in winning back possession by slicing the ball wide of the target. Horsham did, at least, end the half in the ascendancy and Dunne headed Eldridge's free-kick just over the crossbar after Jones had fouled Tony Nwachukwu on the far touchline.

H/T Horsham 1 Harrow Borough 2

Arguably the game's turning point came just four minutes after the restart when Dunne's terrific challenge won back possession on halfway and the midfielder was quickly on to his feet before sliding the perfect pass through for Freeman. In a near carbon copy of his earlier goal, Freeman raced into the area but, this time, was denied by the legs of Pope at the expense of a corner. A goal then might have given Horsham the boost they needed and, maybe, put a dent in to Harrow's own confidence.

But it was not to be and the visitors might have increased their lead immediately when some clever link up play between Savage and Jones saw the full-back send over a dangerous low cross that McGeehan sliced inches past his own post. From the resulting corner, Armstrong-Ford was helped out by the linesman's flag that signalled a foul on the 'keeper who looked to have misjudged the flight of the ball to leave Savage with a clear sight of goal.

Rice produced a decent full-length save from Pope, who did well to push the Horsham man's free-kick behind for a corner, but Hollingsworth's speculative bicycle kick  from Rice's cross was a long way off troubling the Charlton Athletic loanee. Armstrong-Ford had to keep a watchful eye on a more accomplished overhead attempt from Savage but he was beaten again on 66 minutes when Bates combined well with substitute Dean Fenton to cross low to the edge of the box where Delgado smashed home past the unsighted 'keeper.

By now, home fans were hoping that the low blanket of fog that had hung over the pitch for most of the match would develop into the proverbial pea-souper but, instead, they had to suffer Harrow enjoying sustained periods of possession that saw Joe Kelly's cross deflected into the side netting off Hutchings and then Scott Orphanou beat both Hollingsworth and Armstrong-Ford to a lofted pass only to have his hopes of rolling the ball into the empty net dashed by Hollingsworth who recovered well to steer the ball away from danger.

Dunne put a decent half chance on to the roof of the net, and the midfielder repeated the trick five minutes from time, following a cross from Yinka Salami, but the match ended perhaps symbolically given the Hornets' defensive misgivings this campaign, with chaotic scenes inside their own penalty area but Lee Wootton was unable to punish the hosts further, skying his shot from the edge of the box.