Match Report
County League:Division One
 Shoreham 2 Annis 17,75 |  Horsham YMCA 2 Lawley 35 Geard 42 |
| Source: Steve Pickthall, West Sussex County Times |
HORSHAM YMCA moved joint top of Division 1 with a 2-2 draw at Shoreham on Saturday -. but were denied the chance to take all three points for breathing space at the summit by a blatant handball missed by the referee into added time.
On a solid pitch and in freezing conditions, The Musselmen took the lead through Darren Annis' header, but Tom Lawley's exquisite chip and a Matt Geard goal gave the visitors the half time lead.
In the second half YM were coasting towards their 12th league win until Tony Timms was adjudged to have fouled Annis on the edge of the box with 15 minutes to go, YM keeper Tom Rand pushed Grant Phillpot's free kick onto the bar and Annis tapped in the rebound.
Ryan Bradley should have scored from a free header and Timms had a chance from a corner, and on 90 minutes there was further controversy when Bradley's shot was tipped onto the post by the arm of left back Jamie Graves.
YM boss Chris White was unhappy that the game was allowed to go ahead despite what he called "dangerous conditions".
He said: "I've spoken to Tony Timms after the game and he said he didn't touch the player, Annis slipped over and brought him down with him.
"Having allowed the game to be played I thought the referee didn't allow for the conditions at all.
"Then at the end it was a ridiculous hand ball; the referee I think had spotted an altercation with Matt Geard, the left back was laughing about it afterwards in the bar."
Despite the cold YM started the game in red hot fashion, Matt Geard on the end of a nice move down the left and from a tight angle he drew a good save from Michael Hunter in the home goal.
It was The Musselmen who were first to find the back of the net, Timms causally gave the ball away inside his own half and from a break down the left the ball was crossed for Annis to head in at the near post.
The goal failed to break YM's stride and they were on level terms after 30 minutes following a slick team move.
Steve Metcalf picked out Tom Manton in the middle, his pass was helped on by Scott Marshall into the path of Lawley, who nonchalant-ly lifted the ball over Hunter and into the top corner.
The second came just before the break, Manton again heavily involved, surging through the middle and slipping Geard behind the defence, and his angled shot found the far corner.
Apart from a Luke Mighall header and an early penalty shout, YM were comfortable for most of the second half and Metcalf had two chances to score from a corner but both were charged down, and Paul Elliott headed a Lawley corner just over on the stretch.
Rand did tip a Graves free kick over but when the referee blew for a foul on Annis, the stopper did well to push the set piece onto the woodwork, but he could do nothing to prevent Annis prodding in his second.
Good chances fell to ' Bradley and Timms and
with the game spilling into added time, Geard danced around two players, played a clever exchange with Elliott and instead of shooting opted to lay the ball across goal for Bradley to strike, only to be denied by Graves on the line with his arm.
"Shoreham have been on a good run 'so we would have settled for a draw before the game," White said.
"But having seen the game I thought we were the better side and I think we deserved the win."
Magic moment: The lovely piece of football by Geard and Elliott to open up the Shoreham back line at the end and would have resulted in the winner for Bradley had it not been for a handball.
Man of the match: Tom Manton - caused Shoreham all sorts of problems with his purposeful running down the left in difficult conditions and had a hand in both goals.
YMCA: (4-2-2):Rand; Williams, Metcalf, Timms, Virgo; Marshall, Lawley, Geard, Manton; Elliott, Bradley.
