Horsham, Athletic and Hastings our winners on Cup and Premier Tuesday

It was FA Cup Replay night, and Horsham welcomed Margate- the winner aware that they would face Pitching In Isthmian North side Gorleston in the final Qualifying Round. The Hornets had to start as favourites, on the basis of their home advantage and Premier Division status, but Margate had been magnificent this season, having lost only one of thirteen matches- and of course hammered the Hornets Sussex rivals Bognor away from home in the last round. The match waited only ten minutes for an opening goal, Olu Ogunwamide’s fourth of the season, and it had another on the half hour- and again it went to the Hornets, Charlie Hester Cook scoring from the edge of the box. 

The second half saw no further goals, and the Hornets will welcome the Greens in the next round. 

Image courtesy of the club- we suspect from John Lines. 

Pitching In Isthmian Premier

Chichester City and Dulwich Hamlet, eighth v seventh, met at Oaklands Park. City were buoyant after coming from behind to defeat Folkestone Invicta in added time on Saturday. Hamlet, conversely, had won three league matches in a row and travelled to Bowers and Pitsea full of confidence at the weekend, and then had somehow managed to concede four goals in the first half an hour. The visitors shored up their defence, and the City attack couldn’t find a way through- which the Hamlet attack was similarly thwarted, neither side managing a goal. 

Carshalton Athletic travelled to Hashtag United, both sides tied on nine points at kick off. The Robins were five unbeaten in all competitions- including three Cup wins- whilst the Tags had won three of their last four in all competitions, their only defeat in that run coming at the hands of National League South side Hornchurch. The Tags took four points from their meetings with the Robins last season, but they could have gone behind in this one, Jack Giddens making a fine penalty save on twenty seven minutes. Giddens was redeeming himself, as he conceded the spot kick in the first place. 

The Robins needed only two minutes of the second half to finally get their noses in front, Tommy Bradford making the breakthrough, and the Tags best efforts to respond came to naught. Deep into added time they saw substitute Camilo Restrepo sent off, just to deliver a disappointing end to a disappointing evening. Carshalton climb to ninth. 

Hastings United and Chatham Town had both suffered rather disappointing starts to the campaign, and were tied on eight points, eighteenth v sixteenth, as they met at Pilot Field. United were without a league win since August 13th- five matches, whilst the Chats had lost their last three in League, Kent Cup and FA Cup and were without a league win since 24th August. 

The home fans were given reason to cheer on a damp Sussex night when Freddie Legg put them ahead on twenty one minutes, and ten minutes into the second half we had a more familiar scorer, Davide Rodari getting his ninth of the season to double United’s lead. It was soon three-nil, Finley Chapman adding the third- and three, apparently, was the also the number of defenders he took the ball past before firing home! In added time the Chats got a goal back, Rowan Liburd the scorer, and then- with eleven added minutes already played- they got a second through Stuart O’Keefe, but that was where the story ended. United are up to thirteenth.