Hopping The Hop

Horsham  2  AFC Totton  0

FA Trophy – Third Round

Admission / Programme – £13 / £3

Let’s be quite frank about it, December has been a weather related bag of absolute knackers!

I’m at the Alfreton Town v Walsall FA Cup tie up at North Street on the Tuesday night, chatting to my old pal Thorpey about the upcoming weekend, and between us we cooked up a plan. His club (Alfreton) hadn’t got a game, I was planning on heading South for some Isthmian League action, so we decided to travel together, Badshot Lea, with Merstham as a back up, what could possibly and all that??

Then of course, we get to Friday night, the weekly Armageddon gets itself into position, and our plans have to become fluid, no pun intended of course.

Badshot Lea went before 9.30am, and with various pitch inspections being called all over the Country, where we actually set off to, and where we ended up were likely to be two different places altogether.

So, having collected the Thorpester from his Alfreton homestead, we had a plan, we would head down the M1, and work on the principal that if the game at Merstham was to be on following an 11.45am inspection, then that would be the option, but, if that went tits, then we would head a bit further afield to West Sussex for the FA Trophy game between Horsham and AFC Totton on the failsafe plastic at the Hop Oast.

I knew that we would hit the first bit of traffic related shite at Luton, and it was while we were queueing for no apparent reason, it came to light Merstham had warthogs issues, so that was it, it was to be Horsham, and the technology was telling us that 2.20pm would be the arrival time, so we really didn’t need any motorway nonsense to hold us up any more that it was already suggesting.

The M25 was a crock, it usually is, with the roadworks and the A3 turn off being the current nightmare. That was negotiated, and then it was a case of traversing the edges of Leatherhead, heading through Dorking, and then finding ourselves on the dual carriageway that runs to the West of Horsham, before cutting back in towards the town and heading into the park and ride centre on Worthing Road.

Horsham have built a fine new stadium on the very outskirts of the town, but, they have no parking for spectators at the ground, so you have to head into the park and ride, and then walk over the road, and up a path to the Camping World Stadium (or Hop Oast as it was before sponsorship took over). The walk is a good five minutes, but it was well organised with plenty of stewards in place to direct and help where required.

So, this is Horsham FC, the club who have hit the headlines recently. A First Round FA Cup tie away to Barnsley ended 3-3, but the police kindly moving it to a Friday night went down like a sack of plop in Sussex for logistical reasons. The replay was lost in front of a record crowd of 3,000, and the ITV cameras at Hop Oast, but it wasn’t over, not just yet anyway.

Barnsley fielded an ineligible player, so were slung out, and Horsham had the pleasure of a Second Round trip to relatively near neighbours Sutton United. To be fair, having drawn very near neighbours, Dorking Wanderers, in the Fourth Qualifying Round and beating them 2-0, Sutton are one of the nearest ‘big’ clubs to them (Crawley are closer be fair). However, the game ended in a 3-0 defeat for Horsham, but certainly not in disgrace.

The Horsham story is quite an interesting one, post war they found themselves playing in the Sussex, Metropolitan & District, Corinthian, and Athenian Leagues, before moving into the Isthmian League in 1973. They kind of bumbled along for many seasons in the lower divisions until making it to the Premier Division in 2006. This lasted for six seasons before a rapid decline saw them drop into the Southern Combination (Step 5) for the 2015-16 season.

They won the championship at the first attempt, bouncing back to the Isthmian League, and within three seasons they were back into the Premier Division following a play-off final victory over Ashford United.

The FA Cup, this season notwithstanding, has not done the club too badly over the years. My Dad will remember a 9-1 defeat at Notts County in the First Round Proper during the 1947-48 season, while in the 1966-67 season they did it again, losing 3-0 at the then Queen Street ground to Swindon Town.

2007-08 was an exciting season, beating Maidenhead United 4-1 at home in the First Round, before holding Swansea City to a televised 1-1 draw, and then succumbing 6-2 in the replay at the Liberty Stadium. 2021-22 saw a 2-0 defeat at Carlisle United, this after a highly impressive 1-0 home victory over Woking in the Fourth Qualifying Round.

The Queen Street ground in the centre of the town was exited in 2008 after it was sold for housing, and for a number of years they shared at the likes of Lancing, Worthing and former door neighbours Horsham YMCA. Finally though after laborious planning issues that had to be resolved, they gained permission to build on the Southern edges of the town, in an area known as Hop Oast, which, is of course the un-sponsored name of the ground.

They moved in during the Summer of 2019, and that season was of course curtailed in March 2020. The following season was a write off, so the club only achieved it’s first full campaign at the venue in the 2021-22 season.

So what’s it like then?

I have to say, I was hugely impressed. Once you’ve taken the walk from the park and ride, the ground, set in a rural area with a golf course on two sides, has an impressive two storey building behind the South goal that houses the dressing rooms, offices, and a large bar area. In front of this is a raised standing area that is protected by netting, with further standing at pitch level below. Food is served from a hatch at one end of the building, and then if you walk round in an anti-clockwise direction you’ve got two outdoor bars flanking both ends of a good sized seated stand that straddles the half way line.

Moving round to the North side you’ve got some recently added covered terracing, while on the West side you’ve got an additional two areas of covered terracing either side of the dug outs. Impressively on this side is a raised TV / Press gantry, very professional looking, and as good as I’ve seen at any non-league ground, being fully enclosed and not exposed to the elements. This was no doubt something that ITV were more than happy with on their recent visit!

I have a feeling since it was opened, a few bits have been added, but right now it’s very impressive, and clearly it’s a case of, if you build it, they will come, with good sized crowds frequenting the Hop Oast since it opened it’s doors. 644 were in attendance today for the FA Trophy game, and remember this was an all pay game, so no season tickets. The feel around the place is a an excellent one, the support is loud and passionate, everyone seems to be wearing club colours of some sorts, and it did look as though plenty of money was being spent on fodder and liquid. The place and the people oozed professionalism, this is a club on the up, National League South cannot be too far away.

So, with that all being so good, something had to let it down, and that was the game, it was not the best by any means. Both sides seemed to be somewhat bereft of ideas in the final third, but it was the hosts from the Oast who had the edge and managed to score twice to make progress to the last 32 of the competition.

Jack Brivio opened the scoring in the 29^th minute when the ball found it’s way into the net, whether intentionally or not, after the skipper made contact with a cross that was driven to the far post. The second goal was without debate though and it came in injury time. Jack Mazzone headed home at the far post after great play on the left hand side from the dangerous substitute Daniel Ajakaiye. Peterborough Sports will be making a visit in the next round, my money would probably be on Horsham in that one,

A happy crowd left the Hop Oast, and fears that it would be carnage trying to get out of the park and ride were unfounded, it proved to be a doddle and before you know it the delights of Dorking and eventually the M25 were upon us. As is always the case, in comparison to the journey down, the one back was a breeze and I was dropping Thorpey off at the pub in Alfreton at 8.15pm.

Maybe next week, the weather will be a bit kinder, and I might end up at a game I actually set off for, but that's just too much to ask isn’t it? Having said that, in terms of Horsham Football Club, Plan B’s don’t come much better than that!