Despite the weather getting that much colder in the evenings but with no interest at all in the World Cup for me there was still plenty of non-league matches to be watching. I had already decided on Horsham vs Cray Wanderers earlier in the month and it also tied in with some work for our PNLP (Premier Non-League Podcast as well).
It was also a chance to catch up with the Cray gaffer Neil Smith who is a very good mate of mine and also the Horsham assistant manager Adam Westwood, plus a shorter journey home than usual!
The temperature might have dropped a fair bit but the evening stayed dry for those in attendance. Cray started the slightly brighter of the two sides and had an early penalty shout when Ben Krauhaus went down in the area under a challenge from Chris Sessegnon but nothing rightly given for that one.
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The visitors thought they had the lead on nine minutes, Jalon Jones’ header from a corner kept out by defender Harvey Sparks on the line and just minutes later they were behind.
Cray had a couple of chances to clear the ball but after Jack Mazzone managed to find a way through to Lee Harding, the Horsham man made no mistake and swept it home past Shaun Rowley in the visitors goal.
Joy for the home side came in two’s on 15 minutes, a lovely through ball from Sessegnon found Mazzone clear of the back line and he took advantage of Rowley’s indecision to come or not for the ball and lobbed the stranded keeper to double the lead, whilst the first had come a bit against the run of play, this finish was of pure quality.
The remainder of the half belonged to the Hornets with a fair few chances created but none managed to find the net, the only effort from the visitors came from Yahaya Bamba who also had an effort cleared off the line ten minutes before half time, but a comfortable interval lead for the home side.
The visitors needed to give it a good go in the second half to get anything from the game and within five minutes they were back in it, Tom Derry taken out in the area by Doug Tuck and Anthony Cook with a well struck penalty gave Amadou Tangara no chance in the Horsham goal.
The same player sent a free kick wide five minutes later as the visitors were on the front foot looking for an equaliser, Horsham making a couple of changes to try and re-assert themselves in the game and hunt for a third goal.
But the next goal went to Cray, as the Horsham defence failed to clear the ball, Danny Bassett slipped in substitute Nyren Clunis and he emphatically shot past Tangara for the equaliser.
Both sides weren’t content to settle for the draw and went after a winner, but with more half chances than clear cut, it was end to end action for the final ten minutes, settling for a point each however was the end result in what is a very, very hard league to call.
I have called the Isthmian League Premier Division the hardest one to predict this year, so many sides could either win it or finish in the play-off’s and some are doing much better than I expected.
Horsham will definitely feel two points dropped after an explosive first half, but credit to Cray for the battle back and at times could easily have won it in the second half, the same for the Hornets too.
Great to catch up with Smudger, been a couple of months since the last time and a lot of football water flows under the bridge in a week let alone a month, good to see Adam as well, someone who takes a keen interest in the blogging, always appreciate that.
