Hawks Suffer Heavy 5-0 Defeat at Horsham
Whitehawk Fall 5-0 to Horsham After Early Injury Setback
Whitehawk FC endured a difficult evening at the Fusion Aviation Stadium, suffering a 5-0 defeat against Horsham FC. The match was marked by an early injury to Tarik Moore-Azille, which heavily disrupted the Hawks’ momentum and allowed Horsham to dominate much of the game.
Early Injury and Horsham’s First Goal
The game was halted in just the 3rd minute when Emmanuel Mensah went down after a challenge but was able to continue. Moments later, in the 6th minute, Tarik Moore-Azille sustained a serious injury that led to a 16-minute stoppage while he was tended to and eventually removed from the field on a stretcher. Will Seager was brought on as Moore-Azille’s replacement in the 19th minute.
The game resumed, and just three minutes later, Lee Harding gave Horsham the lead in the 22nd minute with a deflected shot off Shamir Fenelon, putting the hosts 1-0 up.
Whitehawk’s Response and Horsham’s Pressure
Whitehawk managed to get forward in the 27th minute, earning their first corner, but were unable to convert. Horsham continued to apply pressure, winning a succession of 50/50 challenges and coming close through a superb cross by Harvey Sparks that just eluded Fenelon.
Despite some moments of possession, Whitehawk struggled to create significant chances, and the momentum remained firmly with Horsham. The Hawks went into halftime trailing after two further goals from the hosts during an extended period of added time.
Injury Time Chaos
Horsham doubled their lead in the 45th minute, capitalising on a mix-up between Jerry O’Sullivan and goalkeeper Foulkes. Whitehawk players appealed for a foul, but the referee allowed play to continue, and Meeky slotted the ball home to make it 2-0.
In the 45+10th minute, Seager was shown a yellow card for a foul on Meekums, and moments later, Shamir Fenelon added a third goal in the 45+13th minute. To compound Whitehawk’s woes, Ola curled in a strike in the 45+17th minute, leaving the Hawks 4-0 down at the break.
Second Half Struggles
Whitehawk came out in the second half with more possession but found it difficult to break through Horsham’s defence. Tyrese Sutherland had an effort go wide in the 61st minute, and a goalmouth scramble from a corner in the 62nd minute saw Henry Hawkins head over the bar.
Further substitutions were made, with KJ Osu replacing Emmanuel Mensah in the 58th minute and Charlie Lambert coming on for Jerry O’Sullivan in the 64th minute. Despite these changes, Whitehawk couldn’t create many clear-cut chances.
Horsham’s Final Blow
In the 71st minute, Horsham sealed the victory with a stunning long-range strike from James Hammond, making it 5-0. Whitehawk applied some late pressure, with Oscar Borg making a crucial goalline block in the 86th minute to deny Chris Dickson a sixth goal for Horsham.
KJ Osu was shown a yellow card for a challenge on Lucas Rodrigues, a former Whitehawk player, in the 89th minute, but Horsham comfortably saw out the match.
Full-Time: Horsham 5-0 Whitehawk
It was a night where everything went against Whitehawk. The early injury to Moore-Azille, coupled with Horsham’s relentless attack, left the Hawks with little chance of recovery. The team will look to regroup and come back stronger in their next fixture.
Next up: Whitehawk will be back at The Enclosed Ground on Saturday, 19th October 2024, when they face Cheshunt in the Pitching In Isthmian Premier at 15:00. Let’s get behind the team as they look to bounce back.
Starting XI:
- Foulkes
- O’Sullivan
- Borg
- Mensah
- Moore-Azille
- Hawkins
- Whelpdale
- Jennings
- Luer
- Walker
- Sutherland
Substitutes:
- Lambert
- Botti
- Seager
- Taggart
- Osu