Isthmian South Central 26 April 2025
Hanworth Villa 5
- Sam Merson (54’, 57’)
- Abdullah Javaid (62’)
- Lucas Defise (65’)
- Rayan Djouadj (88’)
Horndean 2
- Daniel Sibley (51’)
- Aaron O’Brien (88’)
Match Report
Stressful. Enjoyable. Frustrating.
Those were the three words Hanworth Villa manager Simon Haughney used to sum up our historic 2024/25 league season as we secured a promotion play-off berth after a 5-2 win over Horndean.
While Villa needed only a point to confirm our spot in the play-offs, a 24th league win of the season meant we secured third spot which is the highest ever league finish in our history.
We also secured a home tie against Ascot United on Wednesday (April 30), which means we will host our first-ever play-off game at Rectory Meadow.
This will be our second appearance in the Isthmian League Division One South Central play-offs, after our maiden 2022/23 season where we beat Marlow 2-1 in the semi-finals but lost 3-1 to Walton & Hersham FC despite scoring first.
Despite conceding an early second-half goal, Villa went on a nine-minute rampage where Sam Merson netted twice, followed quickly by goals from Abdullah Javaid and Lucas Defise. Substitute Rayan Djouadj then added a late goal to cap off a five-star performance, before Horndean added a late consolation.
Haughney said: “We showed today we belong with the big boys. This is our third year now (in the division). One year might be lucky, but three years most certainly not.
“It’s been a really difficult three weeks. We’ve had broken ribs, broken legs and a broken collarbone, but that’s what squads are for. We’ve kept going and we knew today a win or a point would secure it. We did that.
“I said to the boys, do we want a pat on the back or do we want to go win Wednesday and get to the final and get promoted? Because I think there’s a lot said about making the play-offs, but people don’t remember the teams who don’t get promoted.
“You’ll always remember the team that got promoted. It’s now all about Wednesday against Ascot, one game at a time like I’ve been telling you the whole season.”
The visitors got off to the brighter start, with striker Brandon Chebby firing over the bar before Mark Smith was forced to claw away Daniel Sibley’s goalbound volley in the eighth minute.
After a nervy start, we settled into the game and had a great chance to open the scoring in the 22nd minute, although Sam Mead headed narrowly wide from Javaid’s whipped cross.
Six minutes later, Mead had another gilt-edged opportunity to fire Villa ahead, but somehow miscued his volley right in front of goal after a Sam Merson long throw kindly fell his way.
Horndean had the final chance of the first half, as Sibley broke free down the left flank and cut inside, but thankfully curled an effort just wide of Smith’s goal.
Disaster struck for Villa in the 51st minute, when Sibley fired Horndean in front from Chebby’s cross. But the away side’s joy lasted merely three minutes.
Haughney said: “I don’t know what it is, but I’ve lost count how many times we’ve been a goal down and ended up winning the game. So I knew that would spark a response and nothing-to-lose attitude.”
Jolted awake by the setback, Villa responded almost instantaneously. George Wells chipped a cross into the box, and Merson sent the 401-strong crowd into cheers with a sublime first-time volley which cannoned in off the crossbar.
The equaliser was just the start of a nine-minute scoring frenzy where Villa netted a further three goals.
Merson put Villa ahead in the 57th minute with a coolly tucked finish past Scott, before Javaid tapped in a cutback from Lucas Defise two minutes later. Defise then netted his first-ever Villa goal in the 65th minute with another clean strike from close range.
Substitute Rayan Djouadj added a fifth in the 87th minute after a fantastic solo dribble from Javaid down the right flank, before Horndean scored a late consolation from a spectacular long-range strike by Aaron O’Brien.
The full-time whistle went and fans and kids rushed onto the pitch to celebrate a historic season.
Ahead of a huge home play-off semi-final against Ascot, Haughney added: “We know they are a physical and aggressive side, and they’ve got quality too.
“So we’ll have a plan and they’ll have a plan and it’s just about who shows up on the day. We’ve got to make sure at the right moment that we turn up and then if we do that, we go to the final.”