Former boss Colbran haunts Hornets as Chips take the points

New Chips manager Colbran was returning to face the Hornets for the first time since quitting the club in November 2013 after a 21-month spell in charge in which time the side were relegated from the Premier Division.

And it was a moment of magic from Will Turl which gave the former Horsham manager his second consecutive win since taking over at the Surrey-based side.

Turl’s 59th-minute winner came from a sweetly-struck long-range shot which beat Gareth Williams to leave the Hornets winless in three games and just one place off the bottom of the South Division table.

Horsham were without the injured Tom Gilbert and Lewis Hamilton, while Jack Page replaced Joe Obersteller in defence alongside Richie Welch, whose inclusion meant Tom Hughes dropped to the bench, and there was a place in the starting line-up for Gregg Berry.

After a silence was held to pay respects to supporter Roy Wells, who had passed away earlier in the week, there was little to lift the subdued atmosphere for the first quarter of the match.

Chipstead’s Derek Tieku pounced on Welch’s weak clearance and hit a strong shot that appeared to go through Williams, who recovered to prevent the ball from trickling over the line.

Williams pushed aside Tre Metford’s first-time strike, but the goalkeeper was culpable when Chips took the lead, just two minutes later, when his poor goal-kick was returned in to the path of Dalehouse who finished well.

Richie Byrne met a Nwachukwu corner and headed goalwards, only for Stojsavelvic to tip the ball over the crossbar although a goal-kick was awarded by referee Chris Felton.

Felton was involved in another controversial decision when he awarded Horsham a penalty to the dismay of the visitors.

Welch did well to recover a wayward pass by Trevor McCreadie and trick his way past his marker before playing the ball back in to the feet of McCreadie who went to ground under a challenge, just inside the box, and Nwachukwu stepped up to send the ball past Stojsavlevic from 12 yards.

McCreadie almost secured the lead when Berry and then Bailo Camara helped on Tom Vickers’ free-kick but the striker, on the stretch, could only blaze the ball over the crossbar.

There was a chance for Horsham inside the opening minute of the second half when Nwachukwu’s attempt was blocked and cleared.

Just before the hour mark, the hosts found themselves behind for a second time when Mark McLeod picked out Turl’s run and the striker hit a superb shot that sailed over Williams’ head before dropping beneath the crossbar.

McCreadie headed straight at the keeper and then crashed a header against the crossbar from Welch’s first-time cross.

Another Vickers’ free-kick offered a glimmer of a chance when Nwachukwu returned the ball into the box, but Page blasted wastefully over the top and, after Nwachukwu headed a late corner wide.

Horsham: Williams, Welch, Hope, Page, Byrne, Berry (Lockyer 90), Branford (Izokun 55), Vickers, Nwachukwu, Camara (Otobo 68), McCreadie. Unused subs: Hughes, Akande.