Horsham 1 - Dagenham & Redbridge 1

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Horsham dug in to earn a hard-earned point against league leaders and bookies’ favourites Dagenham & Redbridge in an intense encounter which saw a red card for manager Dom Di Paola in unorthodox fashion and last-minute drama to boot. A twelfth-minute opener from Reece Meekums had Hornets fans dreaming of an upset, before an own goal from Harvey Sparks levelled things up before half-time. The visitors tightened their grip on the game thereafter, but heroic defending from Jake Elliott helped the Hornets to hang on.

Horsham already knew that they were in for a tough challenge, facing a table-topping team filled with pedigree at football league level and above, including former Newcastle, Liverpool and England man, Andy Carroll. Manager Lee Allinson made two changes from the side that narrowly beat Slough Town on Bank Holiday Monday, as Kymani Thomas and the suspended Henry Hawkins dropped out, with Jack Bateson and former Crawley Town winger Antony Papadapolous coming in, while joint top scorers Noah Coppin and Davide Rodari remained on the bench.

Meanwhile, the solitary change to the Hornets side that lost to Farnham Town was captain Jack Brivio being rested, with Jake Elliott being given a chance to cement a starting spot at centre back.

The first opportunity of the afternoon came the way of the visitors as Carroll showed his class, flicking on a lofted clearance to send his captain, Harry Beautyman, away down the left wing. The football league veteran’s low delivery caused problems before Sparks beat Kayden Harrack to the ball and turned it behind for a corner. Despite the celebrity-owned team having all of the momentum in the opening ten minutes, a ball over the top to Jamie Yila unlocked the visiting defence. After shrugging off his defender, the Hornets’ summer signing whipped in a tantalising delivery which found the unmarked Meekums, who coolly tapped in to give the Hornets the lead. At the other end, Elliott made a series of sensational blocks to deny Carroll, who continued to be a thorn in the Hornets’ side in the first half.

Sam Howes’ goal came under threat again after twenty-six minutes, when Timothee Dieng fired just over after a jostle for possession in the box. There was no peace for either goalkeeper, with the Hornets looking dangerous on the break and forcing Nathan Ashmore to bail out his defence numerous times as the hosts pushed for a second. Just as a second Horsham goal seemed minutes away, a bizarre own goal in the 31st minute levelled the match when Sparks got the final touch on a cross to take the ball past Howes.

HALF-TIME:  Horsham 1 – 1 Dagenham & Redbridge

The game settled down as the second half began, with both sides content to build from the back and neither creating any major chances. The highlight of the opening fifteen minutes was an uncharacteristic miss from Carroll, as the striker who has scored at the highest level scuffed his shot wide. Sparks then looked to make amends for his own goal, hitting a slick volley just over the bar from the edge of the box after yet another Yila delivery.

The Hornets were keen to regain the lead and began to cause Ashmore real trouble. Substitute Greg Luer immediately made an impact after coming on, forcing the 2022-23 National League South Goalkeeper of the Year to make several saves. Allinson also reshuffled his attack as he looked to turn the momentum his side’s way, bringing on Kymani Thomas to cause havoc on the right and former Spurs midfielder George Marsh in place of Beautyman. Meanwhile, Horsham looked to keep Carroll in check by subbing on midfielder Ronan Silva for Yila. As the game edged into its final fifteen minutes, both sides looked as though they could score every time they went forward. Although the Daggers had the majority of possession, with Horsham often having to put five or six men behind the ball to soak up the pressure, Meekums still looked a threat down the left wing.

Horsham’s midfield dynamo Charlie Hester-Cook was withdrawn for Marco Haigh with five minutes to play, and shortly afterwards the Hornets survived another near miss when Carroll latched onto a through ball and rounded former teammate Howes, but the goalkeeper did enough to put the striker off, forcing him to fire agonisingly wide. Minutes later, Carroll’s match was over, as Stan Leech looked to make the difference in the eight minutes of added time. Meanwhile, Di Paola looked to secure a hard-earned point by bringing on defenders Archy Taylor and Jack Strange.

Tempers flared in the dying embers of the match as the Horsham boss was given a second yellow card for delaying a restart, but despite facing a barrage of attacks, his side dug in and earned a well-deserved point. The result sees them drop to eleventh place, but with a game in hand over most of the teams in close proximity to them.

A trip to Kent awaits for the Hornets, who will look to get back to winning ways against bogey club Folkestone Invicta.

Report by Eddie Hufford