Di Paola delighted with season so far

MANAGER Dominic Di Paola admits that East Preston Football Club’s season is going better than even he expected.
East Preston manager Dom Di PaolaEast Preston manager Dom Di Paola
East Preston manager Dom Di Paola

EP sit top of the County League, undefeated, with 14 wins from 16 matches and are nine points clear of second-placed Littlehampton, with two games in hand. East Preston also have two games in hand on third-placed Horsham YMCA and fourth-placed Hassocks, who are a further point behind the leaders.

They have also progressed into the last 32 of the FA Vase, the semi-finals of the John O’Hara Cup, the quarter-finals of the Sussex RUR Cup and the third round of the Sussex Senior Cup.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Di Paola is hoping his side can now continue their excellent form and said: “Things are going far better than I expected. I didn’t really expect much out of the FA Vase and I didn’t expect to be where we are in the league table.

“I thought that we’d be challenging but we’ve made a really good start and we’ve just got to keep going now.

“All of the lads are enjoying it and the longer we can keep them all together, the better. One or two might slip away but, if that happens, I’ll look to bring one or two more in.

“A lot of players have contacted me but I’ve been reluctant to bring in anyone else at the moment, unless someone spectacular becomes available.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It’s all the old clichés but we’ve just got to keep taking one game at a time.”

EP’s last two games have been postponed – at Shoreham last week and at Worthing United on Saturday – although Di Paola is not too concerned about a fixture backlog just yet.

East Preston ended last season with four games a week at times but Di Paola said: “We’ve got a big squad and a better home pitch this season, so we should be all right.

“However, if we lose another three or four games, it could become a bit tougher.

“It is what it is, though, really. There’s not much we can do about it.

“We’ve got a lot of home games in January so, hopefully, we’ll be able to pick off quite a few games then.”

Related topics: