Match report by Liam GoodleyA game of two halves was seen as Bognor were defeated narrowly in a goal thriller away to Horsham. The result ending in 5-4 to the hosts.
Jasper Mather dragged a long range effort wide of the left post soon after, sparking ironic cheers from the home support.
Joe Rabbetts made a nice run from defence to get Bognor on the attack but his ball through to Mather rolled out of touch.
Then Harvey Sparks took an inswinging corner from the right which was headed away by Robson in the box.
Bognor got their first goal of the afternoon as Lucas Pattenden burst down the right before firing in a cross and it was Dan Gifford who slid in the earliest at the near post to steer it into the net off the post on 12 minutes.
Lucas Rodrigues found Daniel Ajakaiye who won a freekick after being tripped by Whyte after his winding run. Whyte went into the book. James Hammond curled the freekick over the wall and it dipped into the net beyond a diving Hall.
Shamir Fenelon got the Hornets second goal after lobbing Hall on 18 minutes as Bognor making serious errors at the back.
But the lead wasn’t for long as Bognor got their equaliser on 20 minutes as Jasper Mather had a low shot denied by Lewis Carey. The ball ricocheted out for Gifford who was blocked before Tommy-Lee Higgs found the net with a half volley from the bouncing loose ball.
Hammond then picked out Jack Strange with his corner on 25 minutes. The defender rose highest to power it into the net with his header retaining the hosts lead.
Joe Briffa went into the book for a foul and conceded another freekick in front of the penalty area. Hammond again stepped up and only just missed the far post.
Rabbetts combined with Mather on the left before firing it along the deck and into the box and Higgs went to ground, but the referee ignored the claims for a penalty.
Briffa got Bognor on the attack again. Pattenden and Seung-Woo Yang partnered up before Higgs smashed a chance at goal but it was always rising just over the crossbar.
Charlie Hester-Cook went into the book as he tripped Matt Burgess in Bognor’s half soon after.
Ajakaiye responded well to a forward ball over the defence to time his run well. He then diverted it over Hall and into the net for Horsham’s fourth on 38 minutes as Bognor’s back line were beaten again.
Fenelon hit the crossbar as another long ball over the top saw him beat the offside trap, but despite beating Hall again the ball bounced out again off the crossbar.
Lee Harding went into the book for a foul. The ball was swung in and it was Whyte who met it in the air under pressure from the defence. But Carey saved it.
Ajakaiye committed Hall into another save. But soon after, Whyte was deemed to haveo brought his attacker down in the box and a penalty was awarded straight away. Hammond stepped up to power into the net from the spot inside first half stoppage time, ending a miserable half for the Rocks.
HT 5-2
More bad news greeted the Rocks fans as Hall had to be replaced by under 18s goalkeeper Archie Bennett at half time, due to injury.
Burgess got Bognor on the attack as an improvement was needed in the second half from the visitors. Gifford won a freekick just outside the box. However, Higgs hit the freekick straight into the wall.
Higgs had a cross flash across the box and had a shot rising over the bar soon after from outside the box.
Harding responded with another Horsham attack. He squared the ball to Chester-Cook who curled his effort from 20 yards out high over the bar.
A quick move saw Harvey Sparks shoot at goal. But Bennett did well to get a glove at it to divert it away.
Mather glanced a header wide of the right post following Burgess’s corner. Briffa was replaced by Charlie Osborne soon after on 60 minutes.
Sparks swung in a neat freekick ball straight into the box and Fenelon headed it into the net. Fortunately for Bognor, he was flagged for offside and so the goal didnt count.
Then Yang hit a volley direct from another corner by Burgess and then Gifford’s ball across the goal was cut out by Carey.
Mather was deemed to have been tripped up in the box. The referee didn’t hesitate in giving the penalty. Higgs stepped up to slam the ball into the net to make it 5-3 on 72 minutes, giving Rocks some hope of a battle back into the game.
Then Horsham hit a freekick from their own area and it only just flew over Bognor’s goal on 79 minutes.
Bognor amazingly got their fourth goal on 84 minutes as Pattenden was again the provider down the right with a wonderful ball across the box for Gifford to divert it in again.
Soon after, Mather, on the turn, shot it wide after a forward ball by Burgess in a much better second half from the Rocks.
Then Reece Myles-Meekums went into the book for a clear foul on Rabbetts.
Mather went down in the box again as he wound his way into the box the heart of the Hornets area but the referee ignored his claims for a penalty.
Then Burgess played it out wide to Pattenden who ran with speed but he tumbled over the guardrail and landed on his head on the concrete surround. But miraculously he was able to return to the action after being checked on by the club’s physio, Leah Ilsley.
Bognor had a superb second half and it ended with a neat ball through to Burgess in acres of space before he let fly with a long range effort, but it hit was high over the bar.
Rocks will take some courage knowing they never gave up here and take on Hastings United next on Saturday 6th April with kick off at the MKM Arena at 3pm.
FT 5-4
Rocks: Hall (Bennett 45), Yang (Bridgman 79), Rabbetts, Briffa (Osborne 60), Whyte, Robson, Pattenden, Burgess (c), Higgs, Gifford, Mather
Subs not Used: Downs, Holland
