Horsham and Littlehampton Town player ratings after a tense Sussex Transport Senior Cup final

James Hammond’s 95th minute was worthy of winning any game and it completed a memorable season for Dominic Di Paola’s Hornets – but it was cruel on the Marigolds, who had pushed their higher-division opponents all the way and had had chances to take the win themselves.

Lucas Michael and Ryan Aird were there to watch and these are their player ratings…

Lucas Michael’s Horsham ratings:

Lewis Carey – 7

Had very little to do throughout the game. Was solid when called upon.

Jake Elliot – 7

Played well at centre back. When called upon he dealt with it in a comfortable manner. Calm on the ball when in possession.

Harvey Sparks – 8

Started left back but looked at times he was playing left wing. Bombed forward when he could and should have got an assist in the first half, amongst creating other chances. Was on set piece duty, delivering in some brilliant balls.

Danny Barker – 7

Had a goal ruled offside early on. Played in a deep role in midfield and swept up a lot of Littlehampton attacks. Helped the defence put when their opponents threatened.

Jack Strange – 7

Did well to block a dangerous shot from Littlehampton captain Jordan Layton. Stepped out a number of times to win the ball and dominated in defence. Made an important block from Josh Short to keep the score level.

James Hammond – 9

The skipper led Horsham by example. Helped Horsham keep the ball and play their passing-based game. Scored the winner with a fantastic free kick late on for Horsham.

Charlie Hester-Cook – 7

Missed big chance in the first half after he was one-on-one with Chisholm but could not place the ball past the backup keeper. Ran up and down the pitch working hard for his team, creating attacking scenarios and winning the ball back.

Ola Ogunwamide – 8

Looked to get in behind the Littlehampton defence on the right-hand side. Threatened with a couple of dangerous runs which came to nothing. His work rate helped Horsham out massively, with him sprinting back and winning an important tackle. Was subbed off with 20 minutes left.

Lucas Rodrigues – 8

Looked dangerous coming forward, with some dangerous runs and brilliant piece of skill which almost ended in a great goal-scoring opportunity. Was unlucky not to score in the second half when his header hit the post. Had multiple head chances but failed to put any of them away. On another night he could have had a hat-trick but was not clinical enough on this occasion.

Reece Myles-Meekums – 8

Looked dangerous in the final third and had multiple chances through the game to score. Had an effort in the first half fired over the bar. He was unlucky not to score in the second half when Chisholm reacted quickly to his shot.

Lee Harding – 7

Had the freedom to roam forward more throughout the game but was solid defensively. Kept the ball well. Was booked for a dangerous challenge, with the Littlehampton fans protesting for a red.

Subs:

Shamir Fenelon – 7

Subbed on at right wing to give Horsham some fire power as they looked for a winner.

Chris Dickson – 7

Subbed on with 15 minutes left. Played as the main striker. Failed to make an impact.

Jack Brivio – 7

Had a great chance late on to win it but had his shot blocked. A minute later, should have scored with a close-range header.

Daniel Ajakaiye – 7

Another late attacking sub. Made little impact.

Montel Agyemang – 7

Came on late to help see out the voctory.

Ryan Aird’s Littlehampton Town ratings

James Binfield – 8

A sour end for the shot stopper who was forced off with an injury in the 23rd minute. On the positive side, he did make a brilliant diving save to deny Myles-Meekums’ curled effort at goal, which kept his clean sheet at the Amex intact.

Luis-Tijan Sparks – 8

Had a difficult task keeping Myles-Meekums quiet with both players having their fair share of successes. On the ball, he was calm and composed and tried to pick out his teammates with passes instead of smashing it long. The full-back seemed more aggressive in the second half and put in a number of strong challenges on Horsham’s attackers.

Ryan Yoro-Thomas – 6

Had a challenging battle against Ola Ogunwamide but kept him quiet for the majority of the first half. The defender was aggressive and made numerous strong challenges to halt Horsham’s attacking play. At points, he lacked composure and was almost caught out on one occasion by keeping Horsham’s players onside but overall it was a fairly good performance.

Marshall Ball – 9

The perfect player you would want in the centre of midfield. He won anything that came his way and put in strong challenges on Horsham’s players. My player of the match.

Thomas Butler – 7

A solid performance from the defender who did well to clean up any loose balls across the Littlehampton backline. He also made an incredible last ditch challenge to prevent an almost certain goalscoring opportunity.

Nic D’Arienzo – 8

Did really well in the centre of defence alongside Butler. As a pair, they both bailed each other out and worked really well. A very good performance.

Jordan Layton – 6

He did not have a huge involvement in the game and tried to link-up and start attacking moves. It was not a bad performance from the midfielder, but he did nothing to stand out.

Replaced in the 72nd minute.

Scott Faber – 7

He had a good outing at the Amex until his replacement in the 63rd minute. The midfielder looked comfortable on the ball, picked out his teammates with passes and was an aggressive figure in the centre of the pitch.

George Gaskin – 7

The forward dropped deep to win the ball back on numerous occasions to try and kickstart some Littlehampton attacks. However, he was unable to get a sight of goal.

Josh Short – 7

He was possibly Littlehampton’s biggest threat going forward. He looked confident and attempted to take on his man at any given opportunity. Without the ball, he was aggressive and did well to close down any backpasses that Horsham attempted.

Kieron Pamment – 7

Was quiet for long parts of the game but almost put the Marigolds ahead late on with a powerful strike that was blocked.

Subs

Mac Chisholm – 8

Came on to replace the Injured Binfield in the 23rd minute and controlled his box well. He somehow produced an incredible save to deny Rodrigues and a certain goal.

Scott Kirkwood – 7

Came on in the 63rd minute and gave his everything on the pitch. A strong and aggressive performance from the midfielder.

Kyle O’Brien – 7

A very good 20 minute cameo from the midfielder who intercepted lots of balls and was very aggressive.

Matthew Storm

Came on in the final few moments with the hope of keeping hold of the draw and sending the game to penalties.