WATCH Horsham lift Sussex Transport Senior Cup and celebrate final win over Littlehampton Town

It was 0-0 and looked nailed on to go to penalties before Hammond beat sub keeper Mac Chisholm from 25 yards with just a minute left.

This was a perfect end to a perfect season for the Hornets 12 days after they had won the Isthmian Premier crown – but for Littehampton Town, a cruel end to another big final they had reached against the odds.

Both sides had chances to break the deadock but Horsham looked the more likely to do so in the atter stages – but it seemed their chances had gone and the lottery of a shootout was ahead – until Hammond’s superb sign-off.

That sparked joyous scenes among players and staff and the hundreds of Hornets fans who were now able to toast a league and cup doube.

Horsham were taking on Littlehampton Town in the final, both desperate to end their season by winning the prestigious trophy.

The Hornets started as favourites just 12 days after a dramatic final day of the Isthmian Premier season on which they lifted the league title thanks to a 5-1 win over Hashtag.

Horsham, under long-serving boss Dominic Di Paola, won the cup a year ago, beating Hastings 3-0 in a one-sided final. That was the first time they’s won it in 48 years but Di Paola and his team wanted to make it a double-winning season by retaining it.

Littlehampton have been the surprise package of this season’s competition – though anyone who saw them beat Worthing and Bognor in the cup last season might not be that surp rised to see them at the Amex.

Three years after playing at Wembley in the FA Vase final, the Marigolds beat Eastbourne Borough in this season’s Sussex Senior semi-final to reach the showpiece game.

They were now up against a side who have just joined Eastbourne Borough at step two of the non-league pyramid – two levels above Town, who only stayed in the Isthmian South East division this season with a late run of wins.

Horsham had the ball in the net two minutes in from a corner but there was an offside and it was quickly chalked off.

Reece Myles-Meekums scored early in the 2024 final, in that win over Hastings, and might have done the same this year but fired over when a low ball from the right came to him on the edge of the box.

Then Ola Ogunwamide found James Hammond eight yards from goal but his attempt was well blocked by a Golds defender.

Golds defender Thomas Butler picked up the game’s first booking for impeding Lucas Rodrigues as he charged down the Hornets left.

Meekums tested Golds keeper James Binfield on 13 minutes with a curling shot but he got a hand on it to concede a coner. At the other end Josh Short was close to connecting with a high cross from the right but it jusr eluded him.

There was an injury scare for the Marigolds on 20 minutes when keeper Binfield went down, looking in some agony. He was fine after some brief treatment but soon went down again and had to limp off, to be replaced by Mac Chisholm.

Things got a bit scrappy after the mid-point as neither side was able to put their foot on the ball or find any fluency.

Littlehampton had grown into the game but Horsham did threaten in one attack that ended in a well-timed tackle denying Meekums an opening.

Then a sweeping move down the Hornets left ended with a Harvey Sparks cross for Charlie Hester-Cook and his goalbound shot was saved at close range by the sub keeper Chisholm. Minutes later a Meekums cross from the left was just too high for Ogunwimade.

As Horsham turned up the heat in the latter stages of the half, Rodriduges twisted and turned close to goal but was denied by Chisholm.

There were some neaty tackles flying in but still neither side was able to find clear sight of goal and they went at the interval at 0-0.

Horsham started the second half brightly, putting the Golds defence under sustained pressure. Meekums made space himself in the box and drew a sharp save out of Chisholm and from the corner the ball fell to Rodrigues, but his free header came back off the post – a let-off for the Isthmian south east side.

The first change of the night, just after rthe hour, was made by Littlehampton, who replaced Scott Faber with ex-Horsham midfielder Scott Kirkwood.

And Kirkwood was soon in the thick of the action, getting forward and drawing a foul that earned Danny Barker a yellow card.

Horsham made their first substution, Ogunwamide being replaced by Shamir Fenelon. A second Golds change brought Kyle O’Brien into the action in place of Jordan Layton.

The Hornets were asking most of the questions as the second half progressed. In the main, Golds were defending well and in numbers but one Lee Harding cross eluded their centre-halves, only for Meekums to fluff his header and allow Lewis Carey to gather.

Immediately at the other end, Gaskin should have put Golds ahead with a near post header from Pamment’s cross but misdirected it.

A second Horsham change saw Rodrigues replaced by Chris Dickson. Then with 11 minutes left, Jack Brivio entered the fray for the Hornets in a return froma spell out injured. Hester-Cook was the man to make way.

Harding was booked for going into a challenge with a high foot on 82 minutes as both sets of fans – all this year sat opposite the main stand and the techincla area – continued to make a din in the crowd of 3,055.

O’Brien was booked for halting a Hornets attack down their right.

As we entered the final five minutes Horsham won three corners in succession and the third fell to Brivio, but he headed too high when well-placed – before the Hornets introduced another striker, Dan Ajakaiye, in place of Jake Elliott.

Littlehampton were still having their moments in attack, with Gaskin an unsettling presence for the Isthmian champions’ defence, but we were edging towards penalties as six added minutes were indicated.

Ball was booked for a heavy challenge on Brivio that incensed the Horsham players and bench.

Still Horsham attacked and they won a free-kick 25 yards out as we entered the fifth minute of the extra six – and dead ball specialist Hammond stepped up to curl it past Chisholm.

There was barely time for Littlehampton to respond – and Horsham had done the double.

Line-ups

Horsham: Carey, Elliott, H Sparks, Barker, Strange, Hammond, Hester-Cook, Ogunwamide, Rodrigues, Myles-Meekums, Harding. Subs: FGenelon, Ajakaiye, Brivio, Agyemang, Dickson.

Littlehampton: Binfield, T Sparks, Yoro-Thomas, Ball, Butler, D’Arienzo, Layton, Faber, Gaskin, Short, Pamment. Subs: Kirkwood, Chisholm, O’Brien, Hoarty, Storm.