Friday night saw seventh tier Horsham travel a mammoth 430-mile round trip to high-flying League One outfit Barnsley. A thrilling game, ending 3-3, which resulted in a historic night for the West Sussex outfit.
In a game largely dominated by the hosts, Horsham shot-stopper Lewis Carey performed heroically to earn his side a well-deserved replay and another chance to progress into round two. Most notably, he made a triple save to deny Luca Connell, then John McAtee and then Luca Connell again whilst his side were 3-2 down, keeping them in the game.
Barnsley took the lead in the 14th minute via a Max Watters header after a sweeping cross from Jamie McCart. This was quickly cancelled out however by Shamir Fenelon after some good work on the left by Daniel Ajakaiye.
In the 38th minute, The Lard Army were rewarded for their hard-work and resilience after a penalty was awarded following a mistimed challenge from full-back Corey O’Keefee. James Hammond converted the resulting spot-kick sending the Isthmian Premier Division side into delirium.
Portuguese youngster Fabio Jalo then levelled proceedings with a beautiful curling effort on the stroke of half-time. Chances came for the Yorkshire side in the second half, and Frenchman Meal de Gevigney nodded home from a corner to restore the League One side’s lead. However, one last push from the away side saw them equalise in the 81st minute when Jack Strange squared the ball brilliantly to Tom Richards, who had the goal gaping at his mercy.
Commenting on the result, via official club media, Barnsley boss Neill Collins stated;
“This is what cup competitions are all about. You drop off from a mentality standpoint, for me, that’s what it was.
“You look at the chances we created. The goalkeeper made some fantastic saves, you’ve got to take them. You look at the goals we lost, basic. Basic mistakes. The players have been really, really good up to this point. Their attitude has been good, I think their mentality and temparement has been very good.
“I know how tough these games are. But I think it was a stark reminder for a few individuals that you cannot take a minute off. I don’t think enough of them were in the right frame of mind tonight.”
Writer’s View
Horsham will be looking forward to the resulting replay. This is another classic case of the ‘magic of the cup’. Other non-league sides will be looking at this fixture for inspiration as they prepare for their upcoming ties over the weekend.
Barnsley on the other hand will be looking to avoid embarrassment and will surely pull all the strings to ensure their path into the second round.
