Herne Bay (0) 0
Horsham (0) 1
Lewis Hyde 59
Ryman Isthmian League Division One (South)
Saturday 17th January 2016
at The Altira Park Stadium, Winch's Field
Att: 161
(photo credit: Peter Guise)
With matches at Faversham postponed and Ramsgate abandoned it was perhaps a surprise that this match sandwiched geographically between the other two was completed. Fog descended some three hours before kick off, lifted, descended, lifted and referee Jack Packman decided to give it a chance.
Chances, themselves though, were few and far between in the opening 45 minutes as, indeed, were glimpses of either end of the pitch viewed from afar. Ben Gorham went close for Bay but the teams slipped in under the fog all square at the break. The home side started sluggishly after the turnaround and were duly punished just before the hour mark when Lewis Hyde emerged through the mist to power home a near post free header.
Stung into action, Herne Bay pushed the murky gloom and Horsham aside as they laid seige to Josh Pelling's goal. Connor Sanders hit the beleagured 'keeper's right hand upright and Danny Williams struck the crossbar after cutting in from the right. Horsham had been reduced to ten men ten minutes before the close when Alex Duncan collected his second yellow of the match but they hung on to collect all three points in a county where their exploits have not, of late, been renowned. Bay slipped to one place above the drop zone and will need to make the most of their future chances to effect the escape plan.
Herne Bay: Jack Delo, Michael Turner (Josh Algar 89), Nathan Eastwood, Chris Elliott, Ben Gorham, Connor Sanders, Danny Walder (Joe Nelder 42), James Turner, Mark Lovell, Danny Williams, Kane Phillip (Taser Hassan 54)
Subs not used: Gary Sayer, Toby Wood.
HBFCSA Man of the Match: Ben Gorham