Horshams fa cup run 2011/2012

Only just made it through last night




FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round replay sponsored by Budweiser


Goalscorers:

LINGFIELD: Forster (1,25)
HORSHAM: Nwachukwu (pen,38,115), Luchford (90+5,94)




Horsham secured their first FA Cup victory since October 2008, and their first Gorings Mead success of the season, but were made to fight every inch of the way against County League Lingfield in this dramatic FA Cup tie.

The 'home' side stunned Horsham by taking the lead in the first minute and, when Nicky Forster grabbed his and Lingfield's second midway through the half, it looked as though the Hornets were heading out of the competition at the first stage for the third season running. But the first half dismissal of Lee Sidwell handed the initiative back to Horsham and they were able to half the deficit before the break through Tony Nwachukwu's penalty.

Yet, despite the numerical imbalance, the scoreline remained unchanged until the fifth minute of added time when Dane Luchford pounced to level things up and Horsham's 11 men made their superior fitness tell in extra-time, Luchford and Nwachukwu each netting again with Lingfield ending the match with just 9 fit players after Daryl Coleman was unable to continue after all 3 substitutions had been made.

Both sides made changes from Saturday's first tie, with Luchford and Ray Freeman rewarded for their weekend displays with a place in the starting XI, while Bernard Asante was dropped to the bench with Williams Peauroux filling in at full-back. There were also places in the squad for the U18s' Dean O'Keefe and Connor Breivik as manager Justin Luchford remained true to his promise of giving the youth players the chance to experience being part of the first team. Lingfield were without the experienced Ian Pearce, whose place in the heart of the defence was taken by Tom Hughes.

With the car park unusually full before kick-off, most of an expectant crowd were still finding their spot when Lingfield stunned the Hornets with an early goal. Timed at just 23 seconds, former Reading sharpshooter Forster raced on to a long ball out of defence before finishing with aplomb, lashing the ball left footed past Matt Armstrong-Ford. Coming so quickly after the first whistle, its hard to tell if the Hornets were in shock at falling behind but it took them 10 minutes before fashioning a chance of their own when Luchford was denied first by Sayce Holmes-Lewis' defensive header and then seeing a glancing header go wide of the post.

Nwachukwu's pace was clearly going to be one of Horsham's biggest threats and Sidwell was caught out as early as the 16th minute for bringing down the speedy winger, an indiscretion he would later regret. From Russell Eldridge's free-kick, Nwachukwu should have done better than to put a free header wide. Lingfield remained a threat and, from Daryl Coleman's corner, Forster turned sharply in the box and crashed a shot off the barriers at the side of the goal.

Forster tried to double his tally with a speculative 25 yarder that went well wide but he collected his brace on 25 minutes when Calum McGeehan sliced his clearance, fellow centre-back Jake Jacobs fared little better, and Coleman threaded the ball through for Forster to skip past Armstrong-Ford before slipping the ball inside the near post despite the best efforts of two defenders on the line.

Almost immediately Sidwell felled Nwachukwu once more and was shown a second yellow, his gesture towards those seated in the stands as he left the pitch doing nothing to endear him or his side to anyone in what was becoming a fractious affair. But Horsham needed to do more than rely on refereeing decisions to get them back in the game and they put together a decent move that culminated in a low shot from Luchford that was well saved by goalkeeper Joe White.

The Hornets would have been delighted to see the back of Forster when he left the field on 27 minutes, apparently holding his hamstring, but Lingfield ignored the departure of their talismanic striker by creating another opening that Dean Roye sliced wildly off target. Horsham needed to take something in to the break with them to give them any hope of salvaging the game and they got the break they needed on 38 minutes when Freeman was impeded by Holmes-Lewis when competing for Luchford's cross and Nwachukwu converted his third successful spot-kick of the season.

White's excellent handling kept the score to 2-1 at half-time when he got down well to stop a 20 yard effort from Kane Rice.

H/T Lingfield 2 Horsham 1

The second period began as it would continue for the next 45 minutes, with the ball almost exclusively in the Lingfield half with Nwachukwu curling the first chance after the interval just over the crossbar. An even greater chance came Horsham's way when Eldridge's ball over the top saw White save from Nwachukwu and the 'keeper did well to smother an effort from Freeman after Callum Dunne had combined well with Luchford down the right.

The goalkeeper needed treatment for his bravery but was soon back on his feet and pushing away Luchford's stinging left-footer. From the throw, Rice attempted to catch White off his line with a cross-come-shot but the 'keeper's fine handling saw him pluck the ball out of the air with ease.

Lingfield's constant attempts at slowing the game weren't going down well with the Hornets' bench nor supporters and Hughes was rightly cautioned when he manhandled Armstrong-Ford to delay him from making a quick clearance. Such was Horsham's dominance that the second half was nearly half an hour old before Lingfield had their first shot but Coleman's snapshot didn't threaten the 'keeper.

Holmes-Lewis' clumsy challenge on Peauroux only intensified the on and off-field passions and, when Luchford clashed with White in the area, an ugly fracas unfolded with half a dozen Lingfield players surrounding the Horsham man to make their feelings known. The match was rapidly becoming a competition for who could appeal the loudest which, unfortunately, it appeared that Lingfield's 'Dixie' Dean was winning by a mile with referee Ian Fissenden's whistle perhaps the second most used feature of the game behind goalkeeper Joe White.

The Surrey side might have made the game safe, five minutes from the end, when Coleman clipped a delightful ball on to the chest of Coulson but the substitute couldn't repeat his goalscoring heroics of the first game as his overhead kick cleared the crossbar by some distance. Luchford replied a minute later when he darted through a hole in the defence only to be denied by a superbly timed tackle by Roye with the equalising goal looking on the cards.

Having surprisingly failed to add on any stoppage time at the end of the first half that produced 3 goals and a sending off, Mr Fissenden indicated 5 minutes of additional time to his assistant as Horsham threw the kitchen sink at their opponents in one last assault. But a late counter-attack should have finally put the tie to bed in the home side's favour but a wayward pass wasted a four v two attack to give Horsham one last chance.

A late corner saw Armstrong-Ford join his team-mates in the opposing penalty area but he had retreated back to his goal by the time Youle found Luchford inside the box and the man who claimed his first goal for his new side on Saturday kept a cool head to slide home a dramatic last-ditch equaliser after White had first blocked his well struck volley. The manager's brother was swamped by a sea of green shirts as he slid off to celebrate with the fans before the referee signalled the end of an exhausting 96 minutes' play to send the sides into an additional half an hour.

F/T Lingfield 2 Horsham 2

Horsham edged ahead for the first time on the night just 4 minutes into the first period when a neat triangle involving Youle, Luchford and Freeman ended with the latter's goalbound shot being diverted into the net by Luchford's outstretched boot, guiding the ball past 'keeper and defender on the line.

Armstrong-Ford and the linesman's flag prevented sub Arron Courtney from replying almost immediately as both sides were finding gaps all over the field and White, again, saved his side when Youle set up Luchford for another accurate first time shot. From Eldridge's corner, Rice became the next to be thwarted by the overworked stopper who kept out the winger's far post strike. White then repelled a shot from Eldridge, with Luchford's overhead kick signalling the end of the first period of extra-time.

H/T (E/T) Lingfield 2 Horsham 3

Horsham felt they might have had a penalty when Rice looked to have been taken out inside the box but play was allowed to continue, with Nwachukwu in possession, but his weak shot was comfortably blocked and, when Eldridge's follow-up was turned in by Freeman, the linesman's raised flag indicated no goal.

Next came a strong run and cross by Freeman but Eldridge's shot was too close to the 'keeper and White perhaps earned his piece of luck when he fumbled another shot from Eldridge only to recover well to kick the ball away from Luchford. As Youle fired in the loose ball, Luchford stuck out a foot to flick the ball over the 'keeper only for Hughes to be in the way, the ball smacking him full in the face and thus preventing Luchford's hat-trick.

The goalscoring was wrapped up, five minutes from time, when Lingfield ignored pleas to kick the ball in to touch for Peauroux to undergo treatment and they were to pay the price when White's scuffed clearance went straight to Luchford who picked out Nwachukwu to score with a tidy finish into the bottom corner. The match now lost, Coleman departed from the scene with Lingfield ending the contest with just nine men while O'Keefe was handed a brief cameo appearance in place of Luchford who received warm applause for his night's work.

Horsham can now look forward to a trip to Burnham in the next round on Saturday 1st October while their bank manager can expect to receive a cheque for £3,000 any day soon.

Hopeful we can make it to the the next round never heard of Burnham tbh, does anyone know when you can start betting ont he qualifying matches? I know the one that was on facebook you could.

Yep not sure if its the same one but i believe it to be

Must be getting on a bit now

Got beat 3-2 yesterday not good going into next week

Drew 2-2 on Saturday




Burnham 2 HORSHAM 2




Saturday 1st October 2011


FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round sponsored by Budweiser


Goalscorers:

BURNHAM: Duffy (62), Smith (82)
HORSHAM: Davies (66), Nwachukwu (pen,86)




Horsham have the width of the crossbar and a contentious refereeing decision to thank for keeping their FA Cup hopes intact after this hard fought 2nd Qualifying Round tie at the Gore.

After a goalless first half the home side twice took the lead, first through Alex Duffy and then a fluke from Ashley Smith, only to be pegged back by a strike from Hornets debutant Craig Davies and an 86th minute penalty by Tony Nwachukwu but it was the spot-kick award that incensed the home crowd. There were few complaints at the red card shown to goalkeeper Jamie Jackson, who had brought down Ray Freeman, but the offence looked to have taken place outside the box and the homesters' sense of injustice wasn't helped when, in stoppage time, Adam Dickens struck the crossbar from a free-kick to leave the sides facing a Tuesday night replay at Gorings Mead.

On a blisteringly hot day in South Buckinghamshire the travelling fans' commitment to wearing collar and tie in support of their side looked to have been ill-advised and most headed for what little shade there was beneath the tall trees that fringed the far side of the ground. The Gore is a tidy and functional arena with a decent sized grandstand on one side, and uncovered areas behind each goal, and no doubt the visiting officials would have taken note of the set-up with plans of Horsham's own ground still in the forefront of their minds.

Justin Luchford remained true to his word in shaking up the side in the wake of Tuesday's display against Harrow Borough, with Jake Jacobs returning to the defence and Tommy Youle making only his third start of the season. Former Leatherhead marksman Davies went straight into the side and Dane Luchford lined up in the midfield after missing the last two matches through injury but the biggest surprise came in the manager's decision to deploy wingman Tony Nwachukwu in a more defensive wing-back role. For Burnham, 16th in the Evo-Stick Central Division and playing their third successive FA Cup tie at the Gore this season, ex-Chelsea full-back Ben Hudell was back in the side on loan from Hayes & Yeading, having made 29 appearances for Burnham last season while Jordan Dowdican led the attack no doubt hoping to add to his hat-trick against Aylesbury last weekend.

The Hornets had been stunned by a first minute goal in their last FA cup tie, against Lingfield, and Burnham's Craig O'Connor attempted a repeat when he shot from 40 yards, more in hope than accuracy, after 35 seconds. A decent pass from Luchford then released Davies down the right but the new boy's cross was cleared for a corner and, Luchford fired wide from Youle's resulting cross.

Burnham were dealt a blow when O'Connor limped off with a suspected calf muscle tear but his replacement, Ben Gladwin looked a more than adequate deputy when he set up the game's first real chance, some fancy footwork helping shake off the attentions of Russell Eldridge on halfway before hitting a delightful pass to Dickens who brought a decent save out of Matt Armstrong-Ford. The substitute showed a less subtle side to his game, though, when he was fortunate to escape a booking for a rather crude and late challenge on Davies.

Such was the intensity of the heat that referee John Farris permitted both sets of players a 30 second water break, midway through the half, and the intake of refreshment seemed to sharpen the reactions of Dickens as he nipped in in front of Nwachukwu on the edge of the box and sent a strong shot just past the far post. Horsham's best chance of the half came on 33 minutes when Jackson flapped at an Eldridge corner, Freeman returned the ball to the near post and Louis Hollingsworth saw his low header blocked on the goal-line with Mr Farris blowing for a free-kick as the defender attempted to put away the rebound with an overhead kick.

A harsh award against Nwachukwu, who had worked hard to win the ball back from an opponent, then gave Hudell the chance to set his sights from a 20 yard free-kick but Armstrong-Ford was comfortably behind the ball, despite looking in to the fierce sun. The goalkeeper then had to use every inch of his giant frame to prevent Hollingsworth from putting through his own goal when the tall defender could only divert his attempted clearing header towards the top of the net on the stroke of half-time.

H/T Burnham 0 Horsham 0

With no let up in the sweltering conditions the second period took a while to get going, with bookings for Hollingsworth and Gladwin and a shot from Mitch Woodward that was deflected behind by Jacobs, the only noteworthy incidents.

But all that would change on 62 minutes when Burnham got their noses in front with the first of 4 goals scored in the final 28 minutes. Luchford will be frustrated that the move that led to the opener actually began with a Horsham throw, deep in the Burnham half. Nwachukwu lost out to Lee Togwell who picked out Gladwin in the centre circle and, with the visiting defence outnumbered, the substitute bided his time before laying the ball off for Duffy to slide the ball under Armstrong-Ford.

Nwachukwu had a sniff of goal, two minutes later, but he was caught unawares at the far post after Freeman and a defender had both missed Davies' cross and the ball hit the youngster of the knee and fell kindly for 'keeper Jackson. But the Hornets drew level from their next attack when Youle clipped a ball into the box, Will Dunlop misjudged his clearance and Davis finished in style, volleying the ball emphatically past Jackson from just inside the box.

After an opening 45 minutes of very little goalmouth action, the chances were now beginning to present themselves and Togwell really should have restored The Blues' lead when he found himself in space inside the Horsham penalty area but put his shot too close to Armstrong-Ford who produced a vital save. Togwell was equally as errant at the other end of the pitch when he made a hash of a clearance enabling Youle to pick out Davies who cut inside his marker and sent a shot against the outside of the post.

Mistakes were becoming commonplace in the energy sapping heat and another miscued clearance by Dunlop presented Luchford with a half chance that he mishit disappointingly straight at Jackson. Burnham made a double switch, with just under a quarter of an hour to go, and both would have a telling impact in the 5 minutes that followed. First, a long goal-kick from Jackson was well flicked on by Kieran Webb for Duffy who cut inside and shot straight at Armstrong-Ford.

Ashley Smith, on for Gladwin, had an even more telling effect on the game when he raced down the right to reach a long pass and sent in a deep cross that somehow eluded Armstrong-Ford before dropping under the crossbar and into the far corner for a highly fortuitous goal. Such a late, and dare we say flukey goal, might have knocked the stuffing out of the visitors but they hit hit back immediately when Freeman chased a long ball over the top only to be sent sprawling by Jackson.

Mr Farris had an easy decision in showing the 'keeper a red card and, with the linesman's flag held across his chest, Nwachukwu ignored the protestations of the home players that the foul had occurred outside the box to despatch the penalty-kick past stand-in goalkeeper Webb before celebrating in his own unique style.

The goalscorer picked up a booking for his part in a brief flare-up with Mudell, who also saw yellow, and Horsham looked to calm things down by replacing Nwachukwu with Callum Dunne while Kane Rice came on for Davies. And Rice almost made a spectacular entrance, although not in the way he might have hoped. A clumsy foul on Dickens, 25 yards out, gave Burnham one last chance to win the game but Dickens' excellent strike cannoned away off the crossbar and, when the ball was returned into the box, Duffy put his shot wide.

Very lucky to still be in it but we can get the job done tomorrow night hopefully. I cant stress how important it is for us to win tomorrow we need the money

Draw for the next round has been made

26 Burnham or Horsham v Bishop’s Stortford

There in the league above but there not doing well at all and have a poor away record so if we get through i think we can give them a good match

Yorkie, when I saw Bishop's Stortford, I said thats a club with a bit of a good record in the cup! I remember them playing a few league teams and doing alright............I checked it out, fuck me it was in the early eighties

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop's_Stortford_F.C.

Very true Punter but were in alot of debt for the league were in so we need a good cup run this season, Suirthing they will probably still hammer us Need to get through tomorrow night though

And were out 3-2 we started well but went 1-0 down and once again our lack of defence didnt help, we seem to be to nervous playing at home this season im not sure why. Anyway we started to get back into it and we looked to be upping it a little bit and then a massive error i have never seen anything like it before in my lifetime our keeper chested it to there striker who tapped into a empty net, truly unbelievable i could not believe it and neither could there fans. So 2-0 down at ht with a long way back if we were to get back into it. We managed tto get back to 2-1 and they were absolutely bricking it memories of Saturday perhaps?? But once again and i cant believe im saying this twice our keeper makes another huge error and its 3-1 to them, we pulled one back late on via a penalty but wasnt to be, I cant see us ever getting to the first round again and we need to sort out our home form big time. Well done to Burnham deserved winners through out the 2 matches and i wish them the best of luck for the next round and hope they do well, our dream is over and back to concentrate on trying to avoid relegation

Also Barnham were 4/1 tonight cracking value judging by our goalkeeper