Not quite the Valentine’s Day massacre that some might have predicted, but in the end Horsham’s higher status counted as Pagham bowed out of the Brighton Charity Cup. With the first game having been called off due to frost, this game saw a sparse crowd watching a game which only livened up in the second half. These two sides had previously met in the semi-final of this competition, with the Hornets also victors on that occasion. Pagham gave a debut to new signing Jake Hawker , whilst Horsham made enforced changes themselves. The visitors were hoping to arrest a series of results that had seen them lose six of their last eight games, whilst the Lions were looking to win their first home game of 2012. The game started at a good pace, with both teams looking to make their mark. James Temple was looking lively for the home side, combining well with Howard Neighbour. James Binsted was kept busy in the Lions goal as Kerry Kedse’s speed on the wings allowed Horsham time on the ball to keep the pressure up. George Landais had the best chance of the half as his shot was well saved by Binsted in the dying minutes of the half.

Horsham began the second half much the brighter, with a shot just wide of Binsted’s upright. James Temple did the same at the other end, before heading the ball straight at Hunter in the Horsham goal ten minutes in. The opening goal on the hour saw Dan Morris’ build up give George Landais the chance to strike home past Binsted. Straight from the kick-off Pagham attacked, Temple running hard at Horsham. A cross to Neighbour whose shot was charged down. 2-0 to the Hornets with around twenty minutes left. A superb long-range strike from Landais secured his and Horsham’s second goal of the game. Bikram Singh squeezed a shot at Hunter, and Temple forced a corner as the Lions looked to get back into the game. A flurry of substitutions on both sides, including Luke Rose making his first team debut for the Lions. Dan Simmonds almost made an immediate impact on his appearance on the pitch. Collecting the ball inside Horsham’s half, he ran toward goal and then hit a shot high and wide. The last meaningful action saw James Binsted pull off an incredible save to deny the visitors a third goal.

Pagham;J.Binfield, B.Buckland, G.Robinson, D.Pearce, J.Booker, J.Hawker, L.Hyde, D.Sackman, J.Temple, H.Neighbour, B.Singh;K.Urquhart, D.Simmonds, S.Boston, L.Rose, H.Williams
Horsham; M.Hunter, Y.Salami, L.Flanigan, C.Dunne, C.McGeehan, I.Varley, K.Kedse, W.Peauroux, D.Morris, G.Landais, T.Nwachukwa; A.Hutchins, J.Jacobs, J.Surlis, R.Hallett