Confidence-lacking Horsham expecting tough cup clash at Bognor

Horsham manager Dominic Di Paola says it is a far from ideal time to tackle Ryman League Premier Division promotion chasers Bognor Regis in the Sussex Senior Cup tonight.
By The Newsroom
Published 20th Dec 2016, 11:56 BST
Updated 29th Dec 2016, 15:02 BST

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Former Horsham player-manager Gary Charman is set to feature for Bognor tonight -photo by Steve CobbFormer Horsham player-manager Gary Charman is set to feature for Bognor tonight -photo by Steve Cobb
Former Horsham player-manager Gary Charman is set to feature for Bognor tonight -photo by Steve Cobb

A place against Shoreham in the quarter-final is at stake as the Hornets travel to Nyewood Lane bidding to overturn their division-higher hosts.

The Rocks are flying high, occupying second place in their league as they bid to seal a return to the National League South.

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And with Horsham on the back of a long overdue league victory in Kent as they beat Herne Bay 1-0 on Saturday, Di Paola is hoping any newly-built confidence doesn’t take a hit in the third-round clash.

He said: “We will have a couple (of players) back, but we are still not as we can be. We are lacking a bit of confidence and belief, so it is probably not the best time to play a Bognor side that are second in the Ryman Premier.

“I want to boys to go out and play. We are a little bit rigid at times and look nervous and I do not know why. We are relatively comfortable in the table.

“It’s not the best time to go there as they are a really good team and I have massive respect for Jamie Howell and Dabba (Darin Kilpartrick - Bognor managers) down there for what they do.

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“They always take this competition seriously, so it will be tough for us.

“You do never know in football though. After the Ramsgate game (2-1 defeat), I was thinking ‘where are we going to get a win from?’ after not playing well against a team we should be beating.

“Then we go to Herne Bay on Saturday with the players lacking a bit of confidence, feeling a bit sorry for themselves and you looking down the team-sheet and we had two subs, but pull out a win.

“Football is a weird game. Sometimes when you are thinking you have cracked it, you get slapped in the face and when you are thinking the world is about to end, you pull out a win!”

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Former Horsham player-manager Gary Charman is set to feature for Bognor as he continues his comeback from a broken leg. Kick-off is 7.45pm.

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Related topics:HornetsShoreham