Match Report
Ryman League: Division One South
 Horsham YMCA 1Lawley 19 |  Folkstone Invicta 1 |
Match Ball Sponsor: Y M Vets Team | Source: West Sussex County Times |
HORSHAM YMCA made it five games unbeaten in the league as their early season blues are being firmly consigned to memory.
A trimmed down squad and a positive attitude are combining to produce some highly respectable results, the latest of which saw Chris White's men earn a point at home to leaders Folkestone Invicta.
Subsitute Matt Geard cancelled out Michael Everitt's 72nd minute opener in tough conditions at Gorings Mead - the wet weather could have ramifications for both YM and their tenants Horsham in the coming months.
And if Tom Manton's strike late on had been allowed to stand, YM would have celebrated a famous win.
"We were the better side no question about it," manager White declared. "We worked really hard and dictated the tempo of the game."
Shaheen Sadough led the line bullishly, and had two good early chances. The first, he might have done better with when he drive across the face of goal and another when he sidefooted straight into the keeper's arms.
Winger John Westcott also went close when sent through, only to be denied by a superb saving tackle.
There was a scare, albeit self inflicted, when YM defender Charlie Cook's backpass took a bobble and bounced over Tony Di-Bernardo's foot before he scrambled it away.
With 14 minutes to play, YM went behind. Everitt peeled . away to the back post from a corner and fired back across goal, his shot took a slight deflection and nestled in the net.
Far from allowing their heads to drop, YM took the game to Folkestone. Two minutes later, neat work from man of the match Mike Huckett teed up Geard on his favoured left foot to smash in the leveller.
And the hosts could easily have had a winner late on, Manton poked in at the far post when a deep cross missed everyone out, but the whistle blew for an infringement in the air
YMCA: (4-4-2):Di-Bernardo; Watts, Cooney, Cooke, Brake; Westcott, Gedling, Huckett, Lawley (Manton 65); Sadough, (Geard 55) Dodd (Geddes 80).