Suburban League: Southern Division
Match Report
Suburban League: Southern Division
 Horsham YMCA 8 Mahadoo 12, 30 Brooker 20, 35, 51 Thomas 64, 86 Trussler 76 |  Horley Town 7 Coakley 24 Gallagher 26, 27 Elgar 29, 46, 69, 82 |
| Source: Tom Norris |
YM PREVAIL IN FIFTEEN GOAL THRILLER
Horsham YMCA Reserves must have taken note of their high-scoring first team counterparts, as a hatrick from Ben Brooker helped them to a quite unbelievable 8-7 triumph over Lingfield at Gorings Mead on Thursday night.
|
Match Stats |
||
|
Horsham YMCA |
V |
Lingfield |
|
12 |
Shots On Target |
11 |
|
7 |
Shots Off Target |
5 |
|
4 |
Offsides |
2 |
|
7 |
Corners |
4 |
|
6 |
Fouls |
9 |
|
1 |
Yellow Cards |
0 |
|
0 |
Red Cards |
1 |
Brooker then doubled YM's advantage mid way through the first half, when a swerving Martin Mutungi shot was parried by Lingfield goalkeeper Arron Gordon, and the striker was on hand to tap home the rebound from close range.
But then a quite bizarre turn of events unfolded, as the hosts went from being two goals in front, to two goals behind - and all in the space of five, frantic first half minutes. The visitor's Alex Coakley first halved the deficit when he slotted home at the far post, before striker Louis Gallagher drew the sides level two minutes later.
Sixty seconds after that, Gallagher then grabbed his second of the night to put Lingfield in front, before Dan Elgar completed the extraordinary turnaround two minutes later, skipping past three challenges before finding the far corner to make it 4-2.
But things were again all square shortly after, as YM responded brilliantly. Mahadoo first grabbed his second, unleashing a swerving twenty-five yard strike that left Gordon in the Lingfield goal flapping at thin air, before Ben Brooker then also doubled his tally for the evening to make it 4-4 at the break.
However, all of YM's good work at the end of the first period was undone just twenty nine seconds after the restart. A dreadful pass from Dan Skett gifted Lingfield the ball on the break, and Elgar made no mistake in punishing the hosts, jinking in from the left and coolly slotting home.
But YM again responded well, and Brooker completed his hatrick to make things all square five minutes later, sliding the ball home after intercepting another poor Lingfield back pass.
The visitors were then reduced to ten men, as James Garner was harshly shown red following a very tame challenge on YM's Lee Thomas.
And Paul Cooper's men immediately rubbed salt into a gaping Lingfield wound, when substitute Charlie Abrehart chased down a seemingly lost cause, before squaring for Thomas to poke home and put YM back in front.
But there was little to suggest from watching the encounter that the hosts were a man short, as five minutes later they had equalised, Elgar again latching onto a shocking YM pass in midfield, before finishing with aplomb.
A powerful left footed drive from midfielder Lee Trussler then regained the hosts advantage once more with fifteen minutes left to play, only for Lingfield to again respond through Elgar, this time levelling things at 7-7 with a deflected free kick eight minutes from time.
But YM saved their most fluent football of the night for their winner. With four minutes of normal time left on the clock, skipper Nathan Sleat skilfully played the ball out of defence to Abrehart, whose sharp turn and pass for substitute Ryan Taylor was then slotted across the box to find Thomas, who tucked home to secure all three points.
The win sends YM joint top of the Suburban League South, with their next fixture being a Suburban League Cup tie at home to Molesey on Tuesday night.
YM (4-2-3-1): Jones, Skett, Cobby, Sleat (c), Archer (Lovett 56), Shurmahi, Thomas, Mutungi (Abrehart 56), Trussler, Brooker (Taylor 63), Mahadoo
Unused Subs: Flack
