After the first round of the FA Cup, Horsham draw with Barnsley gearing up for an exciting replay. Chris Holt speaks to Horsham chairman Kevin Borrett about the action behind the scenes.
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00:00 Welcome to Everything But The Prem, the show that shies away from the top flight and places
00:10 the spotlight on the team below. I'm Chris Holden and this week we delve further down
00:14 the pyramid than we have ever done before as we celebrate, traditionally, one of the
00:18 best weekends of the football season, the FA Cup first round. As ever, there were shocks
00:22 and it all kicked off with one on Friday night when 7th tier Horsham went to Oakmeld for
00:27 his League One high flyers, Barnsley, and came away with an incredible draw. Here to
00:32 talk us through that and to relay some of the excitement of that historic night for
00:35 the Sussex side is currently Horsham's busiest man, club chairman Kevin Borat. I don't think
00:42 that's much of an overstatement to say that you're a busy man today, Kevin, is that right?
00:50 Yes, well very busy over the weekend and juggling a busy day job with lunchtime extra curriculum.
00:57 Regular activities, certainly, but it only happens once in a generation and therefore
01:02 I think we can manage our way around it.
01:04 Yeah, I think you'd probably rather be in this position, wouldn't you?
01:09 Absolutely, the whole town is buzzing. My wife and I popped into the local supermarket
01:16 and I'd made the mistake of wearing my Horsham FC puffer jacket and it took twice as long
01:22 to get down the aisles as a result of that with people offering their congratulations.
01:29 And this is what it's all about really, isn't it? It's become a cliche and a kind of trope
01:35 in itself of people saying there's no magic in the FA Cup anymore, but when you get results
01:42 like this and you get nights like Horsham had on Friday, this is what it's all about
01:47 really. This really shows off what the English football system is really all about, doesn't it?
01:55 Yeah, and look, for those perhaps not so familiar with it who just see a first round proper
02:02 and some non-league teams, you've got to remember we've gone through four rounds and in fact
02:08 there's five we've got to buy from the extra qualifying round. So we've had to win four
02:13 games to even get to the first round proper and to put that in context, it's not the first
02:21 time, it's the fifth time we've achieved it, but it's the fifth time since 1881.
02:28 I was going to say, this isn't a team that's sprung up, it's a very, very old club, isn't it?
02:36 It is, it's one of the oldest clubs in Sussex, although it's had its ups and downs.
02:42 When non-league football was the staple entertainment on a Saturday afternoon,
02:48 the old town centre ground would have crowds of seven, eight thousand. That ground is now housing
02:56 and modern grounds are far less than that. But Horsham fell on hard times,
03:05 the ground was sold, debts were paid off and we've had to claw our way back to where we are today,
03:12 which is why something like this is just so, so special.
03:18 Yeah, you often hear whenever teams like yourselves make it through into these stages,
03:27 everyone's had a kind of X, I don't mean to diminish it in any way, but a lot of teams have a kind of
03:34 X-factor sob story, not in a bad way, but it's just the way football is at that level, isn't it?
03:41 Teams kind of, they go under and then they come back and they fight their way through,
03:46 and with the help of the people in the town and local businesses and things like that,
03:51 there are a lot of teams who have had to drag themselves back into significance.
03:58 And like you say, these nights that you had on Friday make it all worthwhile, doesn't it?
04:05 Yeah, and look, we took over 500 fans up to Barnsley. There was a couple of coach loads,
04:12 some people drove, others took the train. Yeah, there was a little bit of controversy early on
04:18 because of course the game got scheduled for a Friday evening, which did mean a lower attendance
04:24 from both sides, and it did mean a number of people who were working just couldn't get time
04:30 off and couldn't attend, and children couldn't get out of school either. And whilst that doesn't
04:36 impact a full-time professional team in terms of players, it does for a non-league team when
04:42 your players have day jobs as well. So we had one individual who wasn't able to be in the squad for
04:50 selection, and so I think there was a feeling that we were a little bit hard done by by the decision
05:00 to schedule the game on a Friday evening. I was going to come on to that, actually.
05:05 I didn't want to talk too much about it in the sense that I didn't want to feel like it was
05:11 taken away from your night, but certainly in the run-up to it, it was controversial and it
05:17 seemed like a very odd decision. I was going to ask you, because your manager had made quite a few
05:25 kind of damning statements about how he felt the club hadn't got much support from the FA and from
05:35 South Yorkshire Police and from Barnsley themselves. Was this how all of the club felt
05:40 and how all the support felt going into Friday night? There was significant disappointment in
05:48 the club. I wouldn't say it was limited to us, there was significant disappointment
05:53 by the Barnsley fans as well. So at the end of the day, I appreciate difficult decisions have to be
06:03 made and not everyone is going to agree with every decision and at that point the relevant police
06:09 force and FA tend to be in the firing line for it. But I would prefer to dwell on the fact that we
06:15 went to Barnsley, David versus Goliath, and last Friday night we drew three all that we were leading
06:24 to one at one stage in the game. I think we were certainly worthy of the replay that we've now
06:32 achieved, which hopefully will be a week Tuesday. So talk us through your day then, what was like
06:40 on Friday for your entire experience? Yeah, well my trip to be honest started on Wednesday evening
06:47 because I was out of the UK. So for me it was a flight back on Wednesday to then work at home on
06:55 Thursday before I joined the team coach, which left at about half past five from Horsham with
07:02 another pickup en route. So that was the manager and his team, the players and a small number of
07:11 officials. We felt the players deserved a real treat so we booked an executive coach with tables,
07:20 kitchen, you know, coffee point, microwave, you name it, it seemed to have it. So that was a great
07:27 experience and then we stayed overnight on Thursday outside just in a hotel just outside Sheffield.
07:36 So that then took us to Friday itself. The players had a light training session
07:46 on Friday morning and then they assembled mid-afternoon for a meal, a pre-match meal,
07:53 and the managers obviously briefing and tactics. And I got the opportunity to address the players
08:01 as well before we left the hotel. And I asked for three things. I asked them to enjoy the experience
08:10 because for many of them this is probably, or that probably was going to be the high point
08:15 of their amateur playing career. So that was the first thing. The second thing,
08:20 I asked them to give 110 percent, you know, because they carried the pride of the club,
08:27 the community and every other well-wisher. And then thirdly, I said I'm the chairman and I have
08:34 unrealistic dreams. So I'd like you to come away with a tutu drawer so that those who couldn't
08:41 come up to Barnsley would at least be able to enjoy a replay. So that was my chairman's pep talk
08:48 at the hotel just before we boarded the coach to the ground. If I fast forward to a for a moment
08:56 to 98 minutes after the final whistle's gone, the players are celebrating in front of our supporters.
09:05 I come down to join them and our captain Jack Brivio comes up to me and says,
09:11 "Chairman, you told us to give 110 percent, so we thought a 3-3 draw was more appropriate."
09:18 Well, you did get everything you asked for there, really, didn't you?
09:23 Just about, didn't I? So, yeah. So what else did I get? I got a fabulous match. I'm sure you've
09:29 probably seen some of the highlights. It really was. Let's be honest, they had most of the
09:34 possession. They had an incredible number of shots and an incredible number of shots on target.
09:39 And if our goalkeeper Lewis Carey hadn't been playing at his best that day, the score could
09:46 have been very different. But at the end of the day, the match is determined by the number of
09:50 times you legitimately put the ball in the net. And there were three very good goals by Barnsley,
09:58 but equally we had arguably four chances in the whole game. The one we didn't take was a corner,
10:06 which was safely gathered by their goalkeeper. But the other three, one was a penalty, one was
10:12 a long-range shot, and one was a tapping after a marvellous cross by Lucas Rodriguez. So,
10:21 yeah, three opportunities to unpick Barnsley and we scored on every one of them. I think to their
10:28 surprise and maybe to the surprise of some of our fans, but I think for the effort that was put in,
10:34 the determination, I think we were worthy of a draw on the day.
10:38 Whenever you start this, as a chairman, is the FA Cup first round one of the things that you
10:45 look towards as a name in terms of just getting that little bit extra into the club? Because it
10:53 does mean a lot once you get to this stage. There's a few more great goals swirling around.
11:00 Yeah, and look, I would say Cup competitions, because the FA Trophy is actually reasonably
11:08 lucrative at the lower rounds as well for non-league teams. So, for a team like Horsham,
11:14 typically we've historically, and by that I mean the last 20 years, have wanted to get two or three
11:22 qualifying rounds under our belt to earn some money. Given where we're now playing, the investment
11:27 in the team, we hope to get a bit further than that. I'm not saying we would hope to get to the
11:34 first round proper. Every year, our best ever run was second round against Swansea in 2008.
11:41 Before that, it was 1962 against Swindon Town. I wasn't there for that one.
11:49 And I certainly wasn't there for 1947 against Notts County.
11:53 [Music]
12:06 It is once in a generation. And after Swansea, I was hoping I would see one FA Cup proper round.
12:13 We actually got there two years ago against Carlisle, and it was nil-nil coming up to the
12:21 80th minute there. And then they did score twice in the last 10 minutes or so. But this, to go up
12:28 against a team 100 places, 98 if I have to be precise, above us, a team up at the top of Division
12:37 One, who many are expecting to be in the playoffs or make it on automatic promotion up to the
12:45 championship. And a little old town from Sussex goes up to Oakwell Stadium and puts in the
12:53 performance it did. It is the stuff of dreams. And sometimes that happens in the FA Cup. And
12:58 that is why I think there still is Cup romance there. And I'm just so grateful for the players,
13:07 the supporters, all our voluntary helpers, and for the town that we are.
13:13 What does it mean for the town then as well? You kind of, you know, it's a nearly, very wrongly
13:20 said backwater there. I don't mean that at all. But in your surrounds, it's not a massive
13:28 footballing community in terms of the higher end of football. So what does it mean to put
13:36 football on the map there?
13:39 Yeah, no. So we're halfway between London and the South Coast. So you've got the London clubs
13:43 in London, and you've got Brighton sort of immediately below us and halfway down, fairly
13:49 close to Gatwick Airport, you've got Horsham. So, you know, if you want to watch top tier football,
13:55 you either go to Brighton or you go into London. You've got us in the middle. For the town,
14:01 you know, we're obviously expecting a lot of the town to want to turn out and celebrate this,
14:06 even if they can't get, you know, tickets. So I'm expecting restaurants that evening to be full.
14:12 We're expecting 450 to travel from Barnsley because that's the allocation of tickets that
14:22 they've been given. There'll be some unofficial coaches, but there'll be others making their own
14:27 way, which means, you know, the restaurants, tea houses and pubs and bars in Horsham should be able
14:36 to have quite a lucrative trade that evening. We're in the process of arranging additional
14:44 shuttle transport from the town centre to where the ground is, about a mile and a half away.
14:49 That'll be paid for by the club. And it will mean people will be able to go into the town
14:55 beforehand, enjoy what is a Sussex market town, and then immediately have good frequent public
15:02 transport to take them to the ground. And we mentioned it earlier, just how busy have you
15:08 been over the past couple of days? What's been the priority so far? Because I mean, obviously,
15:13 it's a huge game you have to put on. It's not one that you have to put on all the time.
15:22 No, today's been a few emails, you know, a conversation by email so far, but I'm hoping
15:31 for a call from the Chief Executive of the local district council here. And this interview,
15:36 the busiest time, to be honest, has been the weekend because we got back from Barnsley at
15:41 about half past four Saturday morning. And by 9.30, key officials, albeit somewhat tired, were up
15:49 starting to make the arrangements. There was quite a long planning session at the clubhouse yesterday,
15:56 which finished at 2.29pm. You'll understand the significance of that, because the second
16:03 round draw took place at 2.30. So we broke off to find out who we might have in the second round.
16:09 And then we went back and have undertaken more planning. So, you know, we know what our plans
16:16 are in terms of the ground itself. It's operated to capacity for other games. So we have arrangements
16:24 there that are well proven. You know, there is some speculation that we might be a televised game.
16:33 There's no information on that so far. We've obviously been in discussion over the weekend
16:40 with the police and the fire authorities to make sure that they're satisfied with our plans.
16:46 And with the council this morning, the main focus has been on making sure that we've got clarity
16:52 on extra areas where people can park vehicles if they're in the town, and then get in the shuttle
16:58 bus service out. I haven't spoken to the manager today, but I'm sure he's checking availabilities
17:04 of the players. And I can't think of a player who won't be available unless they're physically
17:09 unable to be. But the huge buzz, as I said, in the town is evident. You know, this is normally
17:17 a once in every 25 year activity for us. And we want to enjoy it as well as extend some marvellous
17:25 hospitality. These are all the things that people kind of forget about whenever you get a result as
17:32 you do. And it kind of lands on you a little bit. There's not a huge turnaround. People forget about
17:38 all the things in the background that have to go on for a club that doesn't necessarily have to do
17:42 this on a very regular basis. It's a lot to take on, isn't it? Yeah.
17:46 Yes. And I think yesterday we came to the realisation we needed to order another 100
17:55 bowls for soup. We needed some other equipment. It's basic things like that. Sitting down with
18:00 the stadium manager and saying, if we have this arrangement, what have you got? What are you short
18:07 of? Can we order it now so that it can arrive within a week? It's that sort of level of detailed
18:13 planning. And I think today he's been placing the food order as well. We're stocked over the weekend.
18:21 The club commercial director placed an order for additional merchandise, including a pin badge,
18:30 which is very popular, which will be, if we can get it, will commemorate both fixtures against
18:36 Barnsley. And I think that'll be a hot seller on the night as well.
18:40 Have you dared to dream further than this much?
18:43 Yes. I'm happy to be accused of being a dreamer than a realist on this. It's 90 minutes. Okay.
18:54 I don't think Barnsley in any way took us for granted when we went up to Oakwell. But this
19:00 is different. This is a 3G pitch. It's not grass. The overall dimensions are smaller.
19:07 I thought Barnsley made use of the space very well to try and drag us wide and tire us. So I think
19:14 this will be a little bit better. So you've got to say, with us having the majority of the
19:19 supporters there singing their hearts out, a different pitch. I think it's a brave man who
19:25 says we don't have a chance. It's 90 minutes. And who's to say that we won't be able to come away
19:33 with a victory? We know it would then be a local Surrey-Sussex derby, Horsham versus Sutton.
19:40 We'd travel to Sutton if we do win. So is it possible? Yes, it's possible.
19:47 I think you have to go into the game believing that that's the case. But obviously, the odds
19:54 massively favour a team like Barnsley on this. And for one of their players, the Horsham ground
20:01 is not unfamiliar to them either. So Max Watters, who loaned to Barnsley by Cardiff City, was bought
20:11 from Crawley Town just up the road here. And for a couple of years, Crawley used our facilities as
20:19 their weekday training pitch. So he's used to the pitch. No doubt he'll be talking about that to his
20:26 fellow players. But it's our home ground. And they've got to come and beat us. And just finally,
20:32 we've had a couple of other good results for non-league teams. For non-league generally,
20:43 you kind of hope and everybody prays that there's at least one or two every year,
20:48 just so that everybody remembers that there is life beyond the glitz and the glamour of
20:54 the Premier League and even in the EFL. Yeah, absolutely. I perhaps haven't followed the
21:03 progress of other teams over the weekend as closely as I might because I've been busy. But
21:10 yeah, Ramsgate are through. I think they beat Woking. I may have got that. Yeah. And ironically,
21:17 two years ago, we beat Woking in the fourth qualifying round to land their tie against
21:26 Carlisle. So that's an interesting just sort of connection point there. But Cray Valley Paper
21:34 Mills and their draw last night against Charlton. Take nothing away from it. I know it was 1-1 and
21:45 it was an own goal by a Charlton player. But I've seen the highlights of that. And yeah, again,
21:51 Cray Valley just, yeah, they left it all out there on the pitch. So you are going to get results
21:59 like this. I think you certainly will have a couple of non-league teams in the first round.
22:05 And then it's just, it's down to both how you play and a bit of luck as to whether any of them make
22:13 them through to the second round. And the answer is at the moment, Ramsgate have made it through
22:17 to the second round. And you've got Cray Valley and ourselves in replays. And I don't want them
22:23 to feel lonely. I'd love to join. Well, thanks very much for joining us, Kevin. We wish you
22:28 and the club all the best in the replay, which we believe is next Tuesday. Is that being absolutely
22:34 confirmed yet? Yeah, obviously, were it to be televised, there might be a slight shift. But
22:40 at the moment, my assumption is 7.45 at our ground in Horsham on Tuesday the 14th. And let's hope
22:49 this time David can indeed prevail over Goliath. Thanks very much, Kevin. Good luck in the replay.
22:56 Thanks so much indeed.
23:05 So
23:15 So
23:21 So
23:30 So
23:42 So