Saturday 20 December 2014. Ryman League, Division One South.
Horsham 1 Walton & Hersham 1.
Swans were on their way to picking up a deserved three points as they led 1-0 five minutes into stoppage-time, only for the home side’s substitute Jack Page to get his foot to a right-side cross to hook the ball over his shoulder. The ball could have gone anywhere, but it looped out of the reach of goalkeeper Gary Ross and into the top, left corner.
Swans had played out the previous twenty minutes with ten men after Andrew Mensah had been sent off for retaliation following a poor challenge on the striker. The referee seemed to have little option than to show the red card, but Swans will feel aggrieved that if there had been less leniency and a couple of yellow cards had been shown earlier in the first-half to certain home defenders it would have curbed the persistent fouling by them throughout the match.
With André Scarlett starting a suspension Swans had to make a change, with Jack Battie coming into the side, while Dylan Cascoe was injured and could not make the squad.
Swans failed to settle early, and after five minutes Horsham’s Tony Nwachukwu got down the right to get in a dangerous cross to the left of the box, and when the ball was played in low it was just cleared away. There was a bigger scare two minutes later when Anthony Storey swung over a corner from the left and Ross clutched the ball under his crossbar before stumbling back, but the home side’s claims that the ball had crossed the line were denied.
Swans soon mounted their first attack, but Dominic Ogun’s teasing cross from the left went across the six-yard box and wide of the far-post.
Horsham had a chance when they won a free-kick 30 yards out, but Storey’s effort on goal was weak and the ball went well wide of the left-post.
Swans had begun to settle, and there seemed to be more than a little validity in a claim for a penalty when Anthony Oaks’ neat ball put Tarome Hemmings into the left of the box and a clumsy tackle sent him sprawling. But just before the quarter of an hour Battie started a move and Oaks’ excellent through pass put Gareth Chendlik clear, and he neatly slotted the ball just inside the right-post past the advancing former Swans’ keeper Gareth Williams.
Midway through the half it could have been 2-0 when Mensah’s strength took him past the last defender, but Williams came out to make a fine block from the striker’s low shot.
Horsham threatened when Max Miller played Nwachukwu down the right, but his low cross was well taken by Ross.
Swans built up a clever move down the left, and when Hemmings laid the ball back to Battie five yards outside the box he struck a fine shot that Williams got well behind. Battie went even closer on the half hour when Swans were awarded a free-kick 40 yards out. Ogun laid the ball off to Battie on his right, and he strode forward a few paces before unleashing a terrific shot that Williams tipped over superbly. Swans were now well on top, and when Mensah was played down the left he cut inside past right-back Lewis Hamilton and drove in a shot that Williams saved at his near-post. Hemmings then played a free-kick short to Ogun just outside the right corner of the box, and when he whipped the ball in Mensah put a header over.
There was fewer than five minutes left of the half when the referee belatedly showed his first yellow card, but it was ironically for dissent against The Hornets’ best player Nwachukwu.
There was still time left for Swans to have another effort on goal, but when the ball came to Battie 25 yards out his shot dipped over.
Horsham started the second-half strongly, and just two minutes in they broke down the right to cross to the far-post, where Jamie Ampleford struck a volley that Ross did well to keep out.
Swans quickly replied with Vernon Francis sending Chendlik away on the right with a fine pass, only for him to be fouled right on the edge of the box, the transgressor this time being Tom Gilbert. Ogun sent a fine free-kick to the far-post, but Mensah just failed to get a touch.
Swans then rather lost their composure and shape for a spell, and when Hemmings lost the ball to Byron Napper by the halfway line he found Nwachukwu inside the right of the box, and he brought a terrific save from Ross. There was little the Swans’ keeper could do immediately after as this time Nwachukwu’s shot from the right of the box rattled the near-post.
Swans however went close just before the hour when Chendlik nodded the ball on to Hemmings just outside the box, and he turned neatly to strike a fine, low shot just inches wide of the left-post.
Nwachukwu continued to be the home side’s main threat, and when he again did well on the right before laying the ball inside, Napper drove a shot several yards over the bar.
Swans settled again, and with a quarter of the game remaining Battie was put down the right to send over a fine cross, but the unmarked Chendlik just failed to get his head to the ball on the edge of the six-yard box.
But with just over a quarter of an hour of normal-time remaining Mensah’s strong run was predictably ended by Ryan Woodford’s crude challenge, and when the Swans’ striker struck out he was shown a straight red card, the Horsham defender picking up a booking, having surprisingly lasted 74 minutes before doing so.
Battie’s free-kick from the left picked out Harry Mills inside the right of the box, but his half-volley went wide of the near-post.
Kwabena Osei soon replaced the tiring Battie, but soon after coming on he suffered a cut lip and was ordered by the referee to leave the pitch, picking up a booking at the same time for his protestations. This left Swans defending a corner with nine men, the officials then ignoring Osei’s shouts to return for some time.
Six minutes of stoppage-time were indicated and Swans looked like seeing those out until five had been played. Then Horsham crossed into the box from the right, Page swung his foot at the ball, and it looped into the top, left corner past a stranded Ross.
Swans’ Team: Gary Ross, Nathan Daly, Dominic Ogun, Anthony Oaks, Jahmahl King, Harry Mills, Tarome Hemmings, Vernon Francis, Gareth Chendlik, Andrew Mensah, Jack Battie (Kwabena Osei 81’). Subs. not used: Kadeem Ajeon, Daniel Ranger, Martin Beard, Tony Reid. Scorer: Chendlik (14′). Cautions: Francis (61’), Osei (83’), Chendlik (90+6’). Dismissal: Mensah (74’).
Horsham Team: Williams, Hamilton, King, Storey, Gilbert, Woodford, Nwachukwu, Morley, Miller, Ampleford (Page 76’), Smith (Napper 31’). Subs. not used: Akande, Bidgood, Blaney. Scorer: Page (90+5’). Cautions: Nwachukwu (41’), Woodford (74’).
