HORSHAM SQUAD

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Goalscorers

HORSHAM 5 SPARTAN 0

Sunday 13th November 2011

Sussex Sunday Youth League Cup

Horsham got off to a flyer through Liam Clarke who put them one up after only one and a half minutes in this 3rd round cup tie at home to Spartan FC. The ball was picked up by Louis Lewis in defence, pushed out to Dan Cusdin at left back then to Ali Kerr who fed to Clarke and he calmly rounded the ‘keeper to finish from the left. It was soon 2-0 after a flicked on header from Clarke from a Horsham goal kick had reached Nick Bristow who beat his man and, with a clinical finish, drove the ball low and hard into the bottom of the net.

This was a great start for Horsham and always a good way to settle any early nerves in a cup tie. The Horsham midfield was working hard and committed to any 50/50 balls and this commitment meant they usually came off best. Half an hour gone and the Spartan penalty area was under siege and sometimes resembling a pin ball machine as Horsham searched for their third. Hugo Cowan came closest with a carefully measured volley with the outside of his foot on the edge of the penalty area which curled in towards goal but clattered the top of the post. Good runs from Bristow and Finn Bigg down the flanks failed to materialise into goals and the first half closed at 2-0.

H/T Horsham 2 Spartan 0

Horsham began the second half where they left off the first with an early corner and a half chance for Lewis Reeves who came in at the back post but his shot went wide as did a follow up effort shortly after from Alfie Carter now on for Cusdin at left back. However, it was only another four minutes before Horsham took a strangle hold on this game through Jack Reeves who followed up on a parried shot from Bigg after he had beaten his man.

With Bigg making it 4-0 on forty four minutes it was clear that Spartan were beaten. Horsham made further substitutions and were holding strong as Spartan pushed up now having nothing to lose. They made good progress down Horsham’s right and when the ball broke loose they had a good long range strike which hit the post. The game was becoming quite narrow now as Spartan concentrated on trying to push through Horsham but could not find a way past. Horsham turned things around with a nice through ball from Harry Batchelor on sixty three minutes finding Cowan bursting through from midfield but his shot was smothered by the ‘keeper.

It took Clarke to complete the scoring with three minutes to go after good work down the left by Batchelor finding Bigg whose curling cross was met with a clean header across goal for Clarke’s second of the match and to push his tally to eleven in eight starts.

This was a very good performance from the lads and a clean sheet against one of their main rivals in this League.