Match Report
Ryman League: Division One South
 Horsham YMCA 2Dudley 65 M Cumberbatch 699 |  Whitehawk 2Hurley 38 Gargan 771 |
Match Ball Sponsor: GORDON HEAD | Words by Tom Norris |
WOODWORK DENIES YM DESERVED LAST HOME WIN OF THE SEASON
A resilient Horsham YMCA continued to show that they would at least be leaving the Ryman Football League with some pride intact, as they held promotion chasing Whitehawk to a well-deserved home draw at Gorings Mead on Monday.
|
Match Stats |
||
|
Horsham YMCA |
V |
Whitehawk |
|
5 |
Shots On Target |
7 |
|
3 |
Shots Off Target |
6 |
|
0 |
Offsides |
5 |
|
2 |
Corners |
7 |
|
12 |
Fouls |
10 |
|
0 |
Yellow Cards |
0 |
|
0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
And the hosts could have easily taken all three points from the encounter, had it not been for the woodwork, which auspiciously came to the Hawks rescue in what was a truly gripping second half of football. Twice YM struck Whitehawk ‘keeper, Lloyd Anderson’s crossbar in a manic two minutes of football that would have surely put the game well and truly beyond the visitors and handed YM only their sixth win of the season.
In a week where Horsham YMCA has decided not to reinstate John Cumberbatch as the manager of the club for next season, his players turned in a performance of a side seemingly much higher up the league table.
Cumberbatch said, ‘I don’t think a draw was a fair result. They put a lot of pressure on us at times. They play very good football and especially in the first ten to fifteen minutes we had to work our socks off to keep them out. But I thought like a lot of good teams, we worked hard and defended well, and we slowly started coming into the game.’
And it took an early scare from the visitors for YM to find a foot hold in the game, as the Hawks almost went a goal up inside the first five minutes. Some great work from Ben Godfrey and Wes Tate down the Whitehawk right teed up Jerahi Hughes, but the tricky winger’s effort was ruled out for offside.
The Hawks always looked a danger on the break and just minutes later Hughes saw a second opportunity go to waste. This time his pace proved too much for the YM defence, but when Godfrey delightfully played in the midfielder, he could only manage to drag his shot wide of the far post.
Stefan Cox returned for the home side after his three match suspension, and it was the lively winger who had YM’s best chances of the half. Some great work from Gavin Gordon to keep the ball in down the YM right, first allowed Cox to cut inside, jinking past two Whitehawk defenders, before unleashing a swerving shot that was hit straight at ‘keeper Anderson. The nifty playmaker then saw a curled free kick from just outside the box bend just wide of the upright, although he probably felt he should have done better.
Darren Budd continued to run the show in the Whitehawk midfield and at times only some last ditch defending from the YM back four was keeping the scores level. Godfrey wasted a glorious opportunity of his own on the half hour mark for the visitors, before moments later a great block from YM defender Hugh Samuels was enough to keep ex-Horsham striker Pat Harding’s powerful strike from finding the back of the net.
It seemed as though YM might get to half time with the score all square, but with just over five minutes left of the first period, the Hawks finally broke through YM’s resilient defensive barrier. An out swinging Harding corner was met by the towering head of centre back Matthew Hurley, who made no mistake in leaping above everyone in the box and guiding the ball into the corner of the net from eight yards.
Cumberbatch added, ‘I felt that the first half was very even. For their goal we’ve just let the guy go at their set piece and they’ve scored. But that wasn’t too worrying because I felt that we were doing well. And that is something I told the players at half time because I didn’t feel we deserved to be one-nil down.’
And the second half surely lived up to expectations of the first forty five, as both sides took the bit between their teeth and were lively from the off.
Hughes rifled a fierce shot over the YM crossbar early on, before ten minutes of relentless pressure from the hosts followed. Whitehawk were on the rack and much like the home side had done in the first half, somehow survived a wave of YM attacks. Marc Cumberbatch, who adopted an unfamiliar role up front for YM, first fed in Cox, who beat his man and smashed the ball against the bar with his right boot. Then just a minute later Cox cropped up again, this time on the left flank. Cutting inside, he unleashed a driven cross come shot that found its way to Cumberbatch, only for the gangly frontman to cannon the ball onto the crossbar for the second time in sixty seconds.
YM were enjoying the possession, and it was inevitable that the breakthrough would eventually come. Full back Dan Dudley’s mazy run and lay off found Cumberbatch again, whose shot this time was deflected wide. And it was from the resulting corner that YM finally found their equaliser. Scott Harris’ whipped ball in at the near post, caught the foot of a Whitehawk defender before looping up onto the crossbar. And as the ball fell, ‘keeper Anderson tried to claw it away, but right back Dudley was on hand to head home from close range.
And it wasn’t long before Cumberbatch’s men had taken the lead for the first time in the game. Cox was again involved in the build up, beating his man down the left and crossing for an unmarked Cumberbatch whose sliced effort found its way into the bottom corner of the net.
Cumberbatch later praised his son’s performance and impact that he had on the game playing up front. ‘Marc has played up front on occasions before and he has played up front at this level. He holds the ball up very, very well and he’s got a superb touch for a centre half. On Saturday we brought him on up front and it made a big difference, and although we were two-nil down at the time, he hit the bar twice and his hold-up play was good. He is still carrying the injury and although he isn’t running freely, he has a lot of presence up there and I felt that made a difference.’
Tom Youle and youngster Charlie Abrehart, who impressed last week, provided fresh legs for YM, but the balance of the game soon switched again, as Whitehawk brought the scores level eight minutes later. A superb ball into the box from Tate on the Hawks right caught the faintest of touches from substitute Sam Gargan at the near post, which was just enough to send the ball past YM ‘keeper Fox, and into the far corner of the net.
And it was the visitors who would have one last chance to take all three points for themselves in a gripping end to the contest. Tate was fed clean through on goal and although halted by Fox on the edge of the YM area, was able to find Gargan, only for the striker to blast the ball high over from twelve yards.
Cumberbatch concluded, ‘In the second half, I felt that we created enough chances to get another two goals. The two that hit the bar I felt were unfortunate not to go in.’
Cumberbatch will see out YM’s final game of the season away to Whyteleafe on Saturday, but after that the club will begin their search for his replacement.
YM (4-4-2): Fox (c), Dudley, Samuels, Reid, Plummer, Cox, Harris, Gradielski, Mercer (Abrehart 55), Gordon (Youle 75), M Cumberbatch
Unused Subs: Fitzgerald
