Sandhurst Sapphires 2

Horley Town Girls 5

HORLEY faced a long away-day to Sandhurst for their second league game of the season and, after a battling performance came away with all three points.

The visitors started in their usual manner, moving the ball around, stretching the home defence, waiting for the gaps to appear but to no avail, as first the woodwork and then the keeper denied this season's top scorer Millie Spencer.

Sandhurst were up for this game, challenging ferociously in midfield for every ball, but Hattie Robinson and skipper Alicia Benn were more than a match for them.

It was Gina Johnson who opened the scoring for Horley, pouncing on a defensive error, and stinging the keeper's hands as the ball passed her.

Still the home side battled and the long legs of Jo Sadler and Nat Gollop winning everything in the air meant Jen Nagel in the visitors' goal had little to do in the first half. The second goal came from a Courtney Smith corner as Loz Hutchinson bundled the ball in to give Horley a 2-0 advantage at half-time.

Sandhurst started the second half with real purpose, and Nagel was forced to pull off a couple of great saves before a quick break forced another corner for Horley.

This time it was Charlotte Hutchinson who met the ball with her head to give the visitors a three-goal cushion, and score her first goal since returning from serious illness.

This, however, did not stop the home side who got a goal back when a forward pounced on an error by the full back, drove forward and calmly slotted the ball past the advancing Nagel.

Conceding a goal got Horley's backs up, and Spencer must have thought everything was against her, as time after time she was thwarted by the woodwork, the keeper and the occasional offside flag. Eventually she was released by Hutchinson C. and got her just rewards thumping the ball home for Horley's fourth.

Any thoughts of the game being over were dispelled when yet again a Sandhurst forward pounced on an error, this time a misjudged bounce by a Horley centre back, and repeated her earlier feat, to bring a glimmer of hope for the home side. The lights finally went out for Sandhurst when Johnson doubled her tally, after cutting in from the right, for one of her trademark goals.

Horley Town Girls: Jen Nagel, Ellie Brown, Jo Sadler, Nat Gollop, Kay Edwards, Gina Johnson, Hattie Robinson, Alicia Benn (c), Lucy Burks, Millie Spencer, Courtney Smith, Alex Rose, Charlotte Hutchinson, Loz Hutchinson, Chris Walsh, Beth Ashfield-Murphy.

This Sunday Horley Girls are at home to Roundshaw Girls - kick-off 2pm at The New Defence, Horley.