Match Report
Ryman League: Division One South
 Horsham YMCA 1Gordon 43(Pen) |  Worthing 1 Lansdale 54 Sent Off: Timms 64 |
Match Ball Sponsor: GORDON HEAD | Source: Stephen Pickthill, West Sussex County Times |
JOHN CUMBERBATCH’S newlook Horsham YMCA stopped the rot of eight straight league defeats with a well deserved 1-1 draw with local rivals Worthing on Chris White’s first return to Gorings Mead.
In an evenly fought match on a chilly Bank Holiday Monday YM’s top scorer Gavin Gordon put YM ahead a minute before half—time from the penalty spot only for John Lansdale’s superb free kick to level things up on 54 minutes.
White, who left at the start of the season to join the Rebels, named seven former YM players from last season in his starting XI, but for one of those, Tony Timms, it proved a return to forget. Having given away the earlier penalty the visiting skipper was handed his marching orders for tripping Kevin Lott when clean through with 20 minutes remaining.
Both. teams had further chances to win the game, and substitute Tony Reid had a 93rd minute header cleared off the line as the points were shared.
"It was a very good point, I’m pleased for the players the way they played and the way they stuck to their jobs and did what we planned to do but we’re all a bit disappointed as we think we deserved the three points," said Cumberbatch after watching his second game in charge.
"Even though it was a tight, even game we feel on the whole we were slightly the more adventurous team and that our chances were a bit more clearcut."
YM carved two chances in the opening two minutes, Gordon denied by Rebels keeper Tony Di-Bernardo and Lott then fired over when teed up by Gordon.
Mark Fox scrambled across his goal to keep out Lansdale’s dipping 25 yard free kick before Lott dragged a good chance wide when again picked out in the box by Gordon, and Spencer Sachies came even closer with a snap half-volley from range.
Worthing began to create chances of their own, Tom Lawley fired straight at Fox from just inside the box before the keeper made a line stop to claw away a Tony Timms’ header and a minute later Mike Hucket bent a shot just wide of the far post having combined well with Terry Dodd.
But it was YM who went into the break ahead. Worthing failed to clear a free kick and Timms body checked Daryl Plummer just inside the box, allowing Gordon to send Di-Bernardo the wrong way from the penalty spot.
YM took little time to draw level through Lansdale’s wonderfully struck free kick from the edge of the area and soon after Hucket poked inches wide as the visitors’ confidence grew.
Worthing were reduced to ten men when Timms was shown a straight red but both teamstcontinued to carve good chances. Reid struck wide when put through on goal and in the last minute of injury time Ryan Timms somehow denied him a winner.
Cumberbatch said: "What we can’t do as management and players is look back at what’s happened, we’ve just got to say we’re starting from a standpoint where we’re at the foot of the table and we have to assess ourselves from there".
"I’ve got one or two players I’ve earmarked to bring in and there will be others as well, there are two or three others that I’ve signed but haven’t come in yet because they’re injured, but the players who are here at the moment are in the driving seat."
Man of the match: Gavin Gordon — won nearly everything in the air and kept a cool head to score his penalty.
YM (4-4-2): Fox; Dudley, Adewumi, S Bowra, Cumberbatch; Simpson (Ramsey 80), B Bovvra, Sachies (Reid 80), Plummer; Gordon, Lott.
|
