The final midweek game of the season for me was last Thursday evening, not your average midweek! And not your average stadium either, the one time of the year I step foot in a Premier League stadium, but not to watch the stale product the top level often dishes up.
County Senior Cups are widely seen as a hinderance to many, especially these top flight clubs who fail to even provide some kind of entry year each year. Brighton do enter their Under 21’s, two years running at least they’ve not made the final giving an opportunity for players from levels down to play one last time in a top stadium potentially or for some who might never get the chance again.
The Amex was the destination for Horsham and Littlehampton Town, a return visit for the Hornets to defend the cup they won last season for the first time in over 40 yrs, the Golds reaching the final for the first time in over 50 years, plenty to play for and for me, a half time cameo on the Your Instant Replay stream (link is here).
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As you would expect the game was played on a lush surface, allowing Horsham to play their typical pass and move game. Both sides though settled into the game well, until the Hornets pace down the wings began to become quite telling.
However, when Town tucked the full backs inside a little more, the route through became more difficult. Littlehampton were happy to sit off and not go toe to toe with their higher ranked opponents, they did grab a couple of breakaway moments but they couldn’t quite get the final touch on the ball to trouble Lewis Carey, the scoreline blank at half time.
Town had been forced into a goal keeping change around the half hour mark, James Binfield forced off with a knee injury and the Golds carrying Mac Chisholm on the bench ahead of Dave Herbert.
Horsham certainly upped the gears to begin the second half, chances were being created but not finished, a tight game like this you felt that it’s the type where it comes back to haunt you later on.
Sure enough, Town had two really good opportunities to take the lead themselves, George Gaskin meeting a whipped in Kieron Pamment cross but couldn’t direct his header on target whilst Tijan Sparkes headed over at the back post when well placed.
Playing sides of higher opposition chances you have to take because you are well aware of the one moment of quality they posses and hurt you with. Chisholm pulled off two fantastic saves in quick succession but with Horsham able to bring on plenty of firepower you sensed the moment was going to come.
And it did in the last couple of minutes of injury time. A free kick given away around 20 to 25 yards out, and James Hammond produced a superb free kick out of the reach of Chisholm and into the net.
Town had just about enough time to kick off before the final whistle went, Horsham completing a double for the season and back to back Sussex Senior Cup winners.
Littlehampton certainly made it hard for their opponents to carve out the win, despite conceding the midfield area was certainly the right way to go out things, had they gone toe to toe with Horsham there is a good chance more chances would have been created and something converted.
The Hornets did bide their time and got their reward in the end; a goal Hammond is more than capable of on a weekly basis too. A very decent attendance of over 3000 to watch, access getting in much better the last final I attended a couple of years ago, however, did hear they managed to run out of much food way before they should have done.
An experience at half time to leave the seats and make our way round the pitch up to the television gantry on the opposite side of the stadium, a little chaotic to begin with thanks to a stewarding operation that seemed incapable of communicating with each other.
A nice little 10-15 minute chat with Your Instant Replay’s Dean and Ollie alongside by my good mate Lee Wellings and also joined by Howard, an ex-editor of the Argus, not something you get to do every week.
