Dorking Wanderers 3 Horley Town 2

Surrey Senior Cup - 1st Round November 23rd 2021

Dorking sealed their place in the second round of the Surrey Senior Cup after defeating Horley Town 3-2 under the lights at a chilly Meadowbank.

Callum Kealy's brace had put Wanderers two goals up inside the opening ten minutes. However, 'The Clarets' rallied to level the scores with a pair of great individual strikes from Josh Rapson and Ethan Ford, but Dan Gallagher would be the match winner for Wanderers, notching the decisive goal midway through the second half.

After ten days break following the last competitive fixture at Slough Town, Marc White was able to welcome back captain Barry Fuller and Jason Prior after injury lay off. They were joined in the starting line up by Nicky Wheeler and James McShane, also looking to up their respective minutes after recent absence, on a night where reserve team players David Ray and Ben Dyson were handed starts. Fellow squad members Nabeel Ghannam, Luca Ash-Brazier and Conan Torpey were named on the bench.

Horley's squad currently includes a couple of Wanderers players on loan for this season in goalkeeper Josh Barrett and striker George Membrillera. Barrett has been ruled out through injury in recent weeks and would not feature this evening, but Membrillera was named in 'The Clarets' starting eleven and fired the game's opening effort just wide of target after a good through ball down the left from Chad Goulter.

With five minutes on the clock, Wanderers managed to open the scoring with their first real venture forward. After good approach play down the right flank from Barry Fuller, the skipper played the ball into the path of Callum Kealy just inside the area, who dispatched an emphatic strike into the roof of the net.

And after another five minutes, Kealy doubled his tally for the evening and Wanderers advantage. This time it was Ben Dyson down the right who provided, cutting the ball back for the Australian in space inside the penalty area, his shot on target but sailing into the back of the net via a hefty deflection.

The returning Prior then had his first real involvement as Wanderers began to take command of possession; first dummying the ball to run through to Kealy who's strike from the edge of the area flew over the bar, before attempting to deftly head Fuller's deep cross towards the back post, but ultimately not getting enough contact to find the target.

'The Clarets' were well organised to counter quickly and efficiently when Wanderers lost possession, and midway through the half won a free kick just outside the D which they took full advantage of to half the deficit. Josh Rapson stepped up and struck a measured effort into the bottom right corner.

With Wanderers losing some of their early momentum, around the half-hour mark the visitors good work getting forward caused a few problems. Andy Hall's overhead kick had to be scrambled away in the six-yard box, as Josh Rapson was them denied a couple of times running into the area including via a well timed David Ray interception, and Gavin Quintyne struck a 25 yard effort over the bar.

Half-Time: Dorking 2 Horley 1

With 45 minutes under his belt, Jason Prior was replaced at the break by Niall McManus, the switch moving McShane to play in behind Kealy up top.

Dan Gallagher went close to restoring Wanderers two goal lead as he headed a Bobby-Joe Taylor corner over at the near post, and Marc White made his final two subs shortly after, Callum Kennedy and striker Conan Torpey replacing Barry Fuller and James McShane respectively.

Just past the hour, Horley levelled the scores with another individual effort of real quality. Ethan Ford carried the ball forward from central midfield and confidently drove the ball into the top left corner of goal.

Not long after the equaliser however, Wanderers got themselves back in front. Bobby-Joe Taylor again found Gallagher from a corner ball delivery towards the near post, and the midfielder this time made no mistake running on with a first time contact to direct the ball into the back of the net.

Activity in the final third was diminishing at both ends as the second half progressed, Wanderers looking the more likely in the latter stages; Dyson's cross-come-shot tipped over the bar by keeper George Hyde, the resulting corner headed wide by Torpey. The lively Dyson would be unlucky not to find Torpey in the air before providing a through ball for Kealy after bursting forward from deep, the striker's shot aimed straight down Hyde though after going through one on one.

Gavin Quintyne had an opportunity in space just outside the box a minute from time but fired the shot wide, Wanderers holding out to progress into the next round.

Tonight's game was the first part of a double bill of cup action for Marc White's side this week as they now turn attention to the FA Trophy on Saturday and a visit to Worthing FC.

Daniel Stobbart

Dorking Wanderers: 37 Stuart Nelson; 22 Barry Fuller (c) (12 Callum Kennedy 56'), 30 David Ray, 3 Bobby-Joe Taylor; 14 Ben Dyson, 20 Dan Gallagher, 15 Kane Wills, 11 James McShane (7 Conan Torpey 56'), 16 Nicky Wheeler; 9 Jason Prior (6 Niall McManus 46'), 29 Callum Kealy

Unused Subs: 5 Luca Ash-Brazier, 10 Nabeel Ghannam

Goals: Kealy 5', 10', Gallagher 67'

Assists: Fuller 5', Dyson 10', Taylor 67'

Horley Town: 1 George Hyde, 2 James McEllicott (c) (16 George Branton 80'), 3 Kevin Moreno-Gomez, 4 Jack Poplett, 5 Andy Hall, 6 Chad Goulter, 7 Lewis Perch, 8 Gavin Quintyne, 9 George Membrillera (14 Tommy Constable 69'), 10 Josh Rapson, 11 Ethan Ford (15 Matt Rapson 69')

Unused Subs: 12 Jamie Hard, 27 George Smith

Goals: Rapson 24', Ford 61'

Referee: Patrick Nixon

Att: 236

Sponsors Man Of The Match: Callum Kealy