Great start – then it all goes wrong
Woking 5 Horsham 4 South East Premier Division
After cruising into the break 3-0 ahead, Horsham are kicking themselves for allowing three points to evaporate at Woking, where the weather was crisper and sunnier than Horsham’s very disappointing second half display
Woking started in typically aggressive fashion, but Horsham easily absorbed the pressure, playing some of their best hockey of the season.
And, on eight minutes, a swift counterattack from the right found Horsham captain Sam MacDonald in space to tap in.
Five minutes later Horsham tore the home defence apart, coach Andy Blood passing to Freddie Campbell who beat a man to supply deep for Sam Bracken to centre to Sam Bugler to slot past the Woking keeper for a fabulous three-pass goal.
And Horsham finished the half in great fashion, Pete Neave swatting home off the keeper’s pads from a short corner.
Yet, Horsham paid dearly for ill-discipline, poor decision making and bad game management, a second half implosion allowing Woking to score five goals, during which cards aplenty were issued, mostly penalising Horsham, who played much of the second half with ten men, at times nine.
After Horsham’s champagne hockey, they took their eye off the ball.
Within five minutes Woking clawed back two goals.
Rattled, the Horsham defence soon collected green cards for poorly judged tackles and ‘back-chat’.
Fifteen minutes in Woking were level, and in five more minutes they were in front.
Rather than trying to take the heat out of the game with a quiet word, cards were upgraded to yellow, and, with Horsham depleted, rampant Woking closed out with a fifth goal. Horsham fought back but could only manage a consolation goal from a Sean Pearcy short corner in the dying seconds.
Horsham MoM Freddie Campbell told the County Times: “At half-time we knew Woking would throw everything at us in the second half – but they still caught us napping.
“Then they got in our heads, and the game got away from us. We played some great hockey but need to work on our discipline.”
Now fifth, Horsham return to Christ’s Hospital on Saturday 12th March to play bottom of the table Lewes.