Horsham take Sussex derby honours with 2-0 win at Bognor Regis Town

Jack Mazzone put them ahead a couple of minutes before the break, scoring into an empty net from an almost impossible angle after dispossessing home keeper Toby Steward as he tried to shepherd the ball out of play on his own goal-line.

And as the Rocks threw everything at the Hornets late on, sub Daniel Ajakaiye broke and made sure of it with the second in the fifth minute of injury time.

Horsham deserved the win on the balance of play yet their keeper, Taylor Seymour, was the one who made some excellent saves, denying Nathan Odokonyero and Hani Berchiche with a top-class first-half double save then beating even that with a leaping save to push away a Matt Paterson header that seemed certain to go in eight minutes from the end.

The defeat leaves the Rocks 15th in the table and reflecting on five league games without a victory, while Horsham are up to11th, only four points off a spot in the play-off zone.

Bognor had the first couple of efforts at goal inside the first four minutes, Berchiche curling one wide from 20 yards then Odokonyero getting little power in a shot when he had more space and time than he seemed to realise.

But Horsham took charge and by the time ten minutes was up Eddie D’Sane, a threat all afternoon, had fired in three shots at goal, two saved, one wide.

Midfielder Sammie McLeod was looking sharp and creative on his Rocks debut but no-one could muster another clear opening for the home side in front of a Boxing Day crowd of 696 that included a good number who’d made their way down from Horsham.

Berchiche set up Odokonyero for a chance on 27 minutes and he beat Seymour but stabbed it just wide – then at the other end Lee Harding controlled a pass on the right, beat his man, cuty inside and curled a shot beyond Steward but against the bar.

It looked destined to stay goalless at the break but on 43 minutes as Steward tried to see a long ball out of play to the right of his goal and almost at the edge of the penalty area, Mazzone nipped in to rob him and keep it in – then finished from the most acute of angles to send his side in at the break 1-0 up.

Bognor were better after the break and had chances to draw level.

Berchiche, one of the Rocks’ best performers on the day, forced Seymour into a parried save, then sent over a dangerous cross that no Rocks head could connect with.

Josh McCormick came on for James Crane and helped Bognor put pressure on Dom Di Paola’s side as the game went on. For Horsham Shamir Fenelon replaced Mazzone, who’d picked up a knock.

Sam De St Croix replaced Tom Bragg 15 minutes from the end as Bognor tried to force an equaliser and as frustrations grew, left-back Joe Rabbetts was booked for throwing the ball to the turf as two questionable decisions went against the hosts in one passage of play down their left.

Paterson must have thought he had equalised when he got his head on a McCormick cross on 82 minutes but Seymour took off to push away brilliantly and the home fans just knew it wasn’t to be Robbie Blake’s side’s day.

Ajakaiye replaced D’Sane on 88 minutes and despite more Rocks pressure that saw McLeod force Seymour into an uncertain save with a piledriver from 25 yards, it was the late Hornets sub who had the last say breaking from his own half with only one defender in his path, then cutting in from the left and firing low past Steward to settle it.

Bognor will lick their wounds and know they need a big run of form in the new year if they’re to get back in the play-off race – starting at Lewes next Monday – while Horsham have the momentum that could put them in that play-off race very soon, and they start 2023 at home to ninth-placed Hastings on the same day.