West Sussex League

Division 2 North

Monday 15th May 2023

Kick Off 18.00 Actual 18.13

Horsham Baptists & Ambassadors 4 Barns Green Reserves 5, attendance 33

2’ 1-0

29’ 1-1

33’ 1-2

42’ 1-3

49’ 2-3

63’ 3-3

69’ 3-4

84’ 3-5

90’ + 3, 4-5

@ Bennetts Field Recreation Ground

Higgins Way

Brighton Road

Horsham

RH13 5DE

No Admission or Programme.

This was 3rd versus 7th in the league table and was the final game of the season for both clubs. It was a simply must win game for Horsham Baptists & Ambassadors, as only the top two get promoted and they trailed second in the table Capel Reserves by a point, and had a worse goal difference. Capel Reserves have the advantage of not playing their last game until Thursday, although as it is at home to unbeaten league champions Holbrook Olympic, then it certainly wouldn’t be easy for them.

I had been a bit concerned as to whether Barns Green would actually turn up for this (such is the poor reputation of this league) as they are comfortably going to finish mid table, whatever the result, but turn up they did and they even had four substitutes!

All seemed to be going to plan for Horsham Baptists when they opened the scoring just two minutes in and it was pretty much one way traffic in the opening exchanges. A break down the right, which saw a square ball finished from 15 yards, levelled the scores just before the half hour mark and two more long range efforts saw Barns Green go 1-3 up minutes before halftime. Shortly after the hour mark Baptists had got it back to 3-3. It just seemed a matter of time until they went on to get a winner, but Barns Green went back in front six minutes later and when a long range shot was scrambled in, following a fumble by the ‘keeper, to make it 3-5 with six minutes left, it was game over. A late stoppage time goal did pull it back to 4-5, but it was far too late to affect the outcome.