Hornets mark historic cup clash

Hastings couldn't have been more apt opponents, the fixture coming exactly half a century after the Hornets beat their Sussex rivals in the fourth qualifying round to book their place in the first round proper for only the second time in their history.

To help celebrate the day when a record crowd of 7,134 packed into their former Queen Street home to see the Hornets bow out after a 3-0 defeat, a number of former players were at Gorings Mead at the weekend to see their successors in action in the 1-1 draw and remember one of the greatest days in the club's proud history.

Horsham manager Dominic Di Paola said: “Like most clubs we like to mark the memories that have been created. It was nice to have a few of the former players at the game as it was big achievement in the club’s history."

After beating Pat Tobin’s side, Swindon manager Danny Williams hailed Horsham's Athenian League part-timers, saying: “They made us fight hard and it just shows that nothing is easy in football.”

Third Division Swindon went on to record their best FA Cup run for 42 years by reaching the fifth round, beating Ashford Town, West Ham United and Bury before bowing out 3-0 to Nottingham Forest after two drawn matches in front of 53,000 fans at Villa Park.

Images courtesy of www.horsham-fc.co.uk

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