Horsham’s three-month unbeaten away record ended the Fleet’s unbeaten run at home despite a late rally from the home side.
There was one change for the Fleet, Ben Coker replacing Lennon Peake in the first meeting of the sides for 50 years.
The visitors picked up the pace from the outset as Lucas Rodrigues rifled a shot towards goal which was palmed away by Matt Hall on to the frame of his goal. The Fleet reacted and began to up the pressure as Charlie Seaman saw plenty of the ball down the right but the Horsham defence was well organised and gave the red shirts very little room to create.
Horsham found the opener midway through the first half. An initial effort by Reece Meekums from the edge of the area ricocheted off the crossbar behind Hall and then bounced up nicely for Rodrigues who was there to head the ball home.
The Fleet looked for an instant reply with Kwesi Appiah trying to link up with Aaron Cosgrave while Jake Hessenthaler put one clear of the mark but the visitors weren’t too troubled as they gave litle space away in and around their box.
Horsham kept up their tempo for the initial minutes of the second-half and Hall was twice required to get in the way of efforts on goal. The Fleet keeper was also quick to deny a breakaway from the visitors while Mustapha Olagunju cleared the follow-up out of the six-yard box.
Gradually, the Fleet began to take more control of the ball and had Horsham pressed into their own half. Both Appiah and Chapman threatened but couldn’t find the target with their efforts before Horsham extended their lead 20 minutes from the end, a low shot by Rodrigues steered into the bottom right corner.
After that goal, the Fleet began to see more efforts in the final third and a number of substitutions turned the game, if not the score, in their favour. Josh Passley was just wide with a diving header from a free-kick and Dom Samuel came close when Toby Edser got up to win a header. Ronny Nelson skied a long-range shot and Olagunju tried to carry the ball forward before the Fleet did register on target. Edser was the supplier with a ball into the middle and Samuel applied the finish in added time. But an equaliser wouldn’t come, despite five minutes of pressure from the Fleet, Passley firing over a late opportunity.
EUFC: Hall, Passley, Coker (Peake 78), Olagunju, Nelson, Seaman (Edser 58), Hessenthaler, Chapman, Barnes (Moncur 58), Cosgrave (Samuel 73), Appiah (Coley 73). Subs: Dallison, Macaulay
HFC: Carey, Elliott, Brivio, Hester-Cook (Barker 82), Harding, Gravata, Hammond, Rodrigues, Meekums (Strange 78), Aguiar, Luer (Fenelon 87),. Subs: Sparks, Murphy, Roberts, Gorman
Attendance: 1,044 (91 away)
Photos: ©EUFC : Ed Miller, Tom Harris
