Goalie for Horsham is hoping to upset Barnsley in the FA Cup and make amends for what happened ten years ago.
Exclusive: One of the biggest games in Horsham’s history will pit them against League One Barnsley in the FA Cup, and it promises to be a moving time in one of their stars’ careers.
When Horsham plays League One’s top scorers and previous cup winners Barnsley on Friday night, they could pull off one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history.
After advancing through four rounds to get here, the Isthmian Premier League team is in the competition’s first round for the second time in three seasons. Daniel Ajakaiye and Shamir Fenelon’s goals helped them defeat National League team Dorking Wanderers 2-0 to cap off their run to the first round.
They now have the opportunity to become part of FA Cup legend. The trip to Oakwell will, for one player in particular, finally put an end to a moment of “what could have been” in his career. Lewis Carey, 30, a goalkeeper for Horsham and a former Bristol City young player, exclusively told Daily Star Sport that he was close to making his professional debut for the Robins at Oakwell in a Championship game in 2012, but he never got the chance.
When Barnsley player and current Manchester United goalkeeper got into a brawl, Carey nearly got his big break. Heaton was on loan at Bristol City at the time. However, in a genuine sliding doors moment, his chance never materialized.
“I was on the bench when I was at Bristol City, so I have actually been there once,” Carey remarked. It’s amusing how it functions. I never imagined that I would return, but here I am, playing. That day, I almost witnessed the goalkeeper, Heaton, take out a player in the penalty box, and the player sidestepped him.
When the referee blew his whistle to signal a penalty, I thought, “Oh, red card,” but instead, he simply withdrew it and the game continued. I believed that would be my chance, but it was never my turn.
Carey never played for Bristol City and departed Ashton Gate in 2013. He went on to play for Bromley, Tonbridge Angels, and Eastbourne Borough, among other non-league teams, before becoming well-known in the non-league.
“I’ve been playing non-league for about ten years now,” he said. With Eastbourne Borough, I made it to the first round once, and in the fourth qualifying round, we easily defeated Aldershot Town. We therefore anticipated a strong draw. We lost 7-0 despite driving Braintree away!
“The BBC broadcast all of the highlights, and after that, it was goal after goal.” It struck me that there was no way I would make it back to the first round. However, Barnsley is our opponent in the first round right now. It would cap off my career, not to put too fine a point on it.
“Hopefully, we can hold our own when we return to playing on a true professional field against a professional squad. You’ve completed the full circle, so it’s almost like a fitting way for whatever comes next in football.
Unfortunately, South Yorkshire Police’s concerns about Rotherham United and Sheffield United playing at home on Saturday led to the frustrating change of Horsham’s big cup match in Yorkshire to a Friday night match even though it wasn’t televised.
Speaking about what appeared to be the ideal draw for Dom Di Paola’s side at the time, Carey stated: “That is, until it was shifted to a Friday night in Barnsley, where everyone works full-time.” Not on television. No, one of the Match of the Day programs has some extended highlights. You could get a few thousand for that, in my opinion.
“Everyone was eager to advance to the following round. “Yeah, go up on Friday, Friday night, play Saturday, have your team night out Saturday and come back Sunday – it was a perfect weekend,” was my initial thought when the draw was made.
“We’re currently leaving at 6 p.m. on Thursday and will likely arrive at our destination at 12 a.m. You just have to spend Friday waiting for the game all day, and on Saturday we’re taking a coach back home at four in the morning.
It’s not great the way things have turned out. However, there won’t be many more chances for many of us to visit a League One team and play without any pressure. It could work to our advantage. We could pull off the biggest upset in FA Cup history by defeating Barnsley, who are currently in third place in League One.
