Non-league Horsham have defied the odds and made it through to the second round of the FA Cup. On Saturday December 2nd they face Sutton United at Gander Green Lane.

The Isthmian League Premier Division side beat Dorking Wanderers 2-0 in the final qualifying round to progress to the first round proper where they took on Barnsley, who are four tiers higher than their inexperienced opponents. The Tykes won the competition back in 1912, but Horsham held their own at Oakwell, earning an impressive 3-3 draw in front of 600 travelling fans.

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The replay at The Camping World Community Stadium didn’t go the way Horsham wanted it to, John McAtee inspired his side to a 3-0 victory. The Tykes celebrations were short lived though, as just eight days later Horsham released a club statement saying they had been reinstated into the FA Cup.

This statement followed the confirmation from Barnsley that due to an “administrative error” they fielded an ineligible player in the replay. The player has not been named, although it is believed to be striker Aiden Marsh. When Barnsley faced Horsham at home, Marsh was on loan at York; for the replay in West-Sussex, Barnsley recalled the striker who then played 71 minutes and got an assist. FA Cup rules only allow players who featured in the original tie can play in the replay.

Through unlikely circumstances, the Hornets have reached the second round for just the second time in their 152 year history. After Horsham’s 3-3 draw, cultured midfielder Charlie Hester-Cook said: “It was unreal, a great performance from the lads and we got a memorable draw” during his interview with Isabelle Newnham via INMR Podcast.

Hester-Cook joined the club on loan in August 2021, before signing a permanent contract at the end of that year. When speaking about his time with the club so far, he said: “I’m really enjoying it, we are a club on the up.” In this calendar year, the midfielder is currently the 3rd top goalscorer, behind Jack Mazzone and Daniel Ajakaiye.

Horsham have been allocated 1265 tickets at Sutton, and have sold out that allocation. Hester-Cook praised the fans at Oakwell for giving him and his teammates “extra fight to go and get a result” and even admitted if they weren’t there then the Hornets “may not have been spurred on as much”. With double the amount of travelling fans, Horsham will surely be even more inspired than they were in the previous round.

Sutton United progressed to the second round after beating AFC Fylde 2-1, Harry Smith’s five minute brace secured the victory. The 28 year old has seven goals and two assists in League Two this season and two goals in the FA Cup, therefore the Hornets’ back line will need to keep a close eye on him on Saturday afternoon.

Sutton are unbeaten in their last four away games so it will take something special to end that run, however Horsham are also unbeaten in their last four away games, setting this tie up to be an FA Cup classic.

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Written by Isabelle Newnham