Horsham Take Two as Dulwich Hamlet look to keep up the pressure on the Stones whilst their hosts are after vital points in their relegation dogfight..

Having missed the chance on Saturday to close the gap on Maidstone United to a single win after being thwarted by Hythe, Dulwich Hamlet will be looking to maximise their returns from a trip into the Hornets’ nest tonight.

The original attempt to play this fixture fell afoul of the elements back at the start of February, an errant damp patch on the Goring’s Mead pitch leaving an apologetic official with little alternative to call the game off late.

With Maidstone not in action, it is imperative that Gavin Rose’s men get back to winning ways at the top of their game this evenings against a side that can proved stubborn opponents on their day, not least on the undulating surface of Goring’s Mead where earlier this year the Stones came unstuck. But for better finishing, Horsham might have been celebrating their first home win since the start of December, centre forward Ryan Marriott cancelling out Shaun Welford’s opener within 6 minutes. A hard-fought point gathered on the road at Walton & Hersham might have seemed more precious in the dark days of early October when the Hornets hit rock bottom. Yet having climbed into the top half of the table for the first time at the turn of the year with the obligatory win at Worthing on Boxing Day before shocking highfalutin’ Tooting three days later at Imperial Fields, that must have felt more like two points lost than one won for Simon Colbran and his men.

The Hornets continued to prove themselves irksome opponents and though they emerged pointless from the visit of Herne Bay, many of the faithful started to see a chink of light at the end of a long dark tunnel. However, a heavy defeat away to Sussex rivals Burgess Hill Town signalled a slump in fortunes, defeats to fellow strugglers Walton Casuals and Three Bridges exacerbating the agony for the loyal fans. A scoreless stalemate away to the Corinthian-Casuals steadied the ship as Horsham welcomed on board tough tackling no-nonsense midfielder Karly Akehurst and, from the other end of the experience spectrum, striker Trevor McCreadie. The former needs no introduction having regularly engraved his reputation on several Hamlet shins down the years in his days with Worthing, Whitehawk and more recently Burgess Hill Town. The latter had a promising career at Crawley Town ended by injury but has steadfastly battled his way back to fitness.

Narrowly beaten by promotion contenders Faversham Town in midweek, the Hornets went into Saturday’s trip to Ramsgate full of renewed hope only to emerge shell-shocked from a 4-0 thumping at the hands of the Rams. Suddenly Horsham find themselves in the danger zone, third bottom, three points above Three Bridges in last spot, and two points clear of Walton Casuals occupying the penultimate place.

Three games in hand might offer a security blanket of sorts but, without a win since the turn of the year and two points from their last nine outings, need to find some form grows ever more urgent.

With former Scotland and Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty among the spectators before speaking at a Ramsgate club function later in the evening, the Hornets held out almost until half-time before Ian Pulman rounded the ‘keeper to break the deadlock. James Sherman added another on the hour, announcers’ favourite Jon Ibarrondo Eguileor made it 3-0, and Sherman scored again in the last minute.

Yet if the Hornets are to prove the party-poopers, they need no stronger stimulant that their trip to Champion Hill back in early December. Coming into that game on the back of a decent run of form including their first win on the road for over a year, Horsham found themselves roundly beaten. A defeat much of their own making as goalkeeper Michael Hunter helped the ball into his own net before Daniel Carr went on to bag a hat trick.

However, despite everything Horsham manager Colbran remains upbeat. Backed by a forward-looking club board whose ambitious plans for a new ground including a 3G pitch have gathered speed of late, he has expressed frustration at his side’s failure to get a return from recent games.

Gary Charman's hopes of a return to action at Ramsgate were dashed by a virus having shaken off the injury that kept the veteran wingman turned defender out of the previous five matches. Forward Jordan Clarke will also be out as he continues his three-match ban for a dismissal against Eastbourne Town. James Brockhurst (hip) and Eddie Koboah (groin) missed the trip to Ramsgate with injury through fellow casualty Tony Nwachukwu passed a fitness test to put in a full 90-minute shift.

This evening's game kicks off at 7.30 pm at Goring's Mead, Brighton Road, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 5BP.

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• £9 for Adults
• £5 for Seniors and Students
• £1 for Under 16s

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