Di Paola relishing ‘tough batch’ of upcoming fixtures as Bowers & Pitsea win keeps Horsham FC in play-off picture

Saturday’s win moved the Hornets within four points of the play-off zone as they gear up for games against four of the division’s top six in the next month.

Horsham are off to sixth-placed Cray Wanderers this Saturday, before back-to-back home games against leaders Hornchurch and Enfield Town, in fifth.

The Hornets visit Hastings United - in ninth but level on 59 points with Horsham - on Easter Monday, before travelling to third-placed Aveley in their penultimate league game.

Di Paola said: “We want to win every game, and sometimes your points come from places you don’t think they’re going to come from.

"They’re a tough batch of games, but I prefer playing the better sides. I always have done. I like the challenge of it. I like what they bring to the table as well.

“I feel sometimes some of the teams down the bottom, they don’t come to play. Against Bowers & Pitsea, it was good that we scored early. I think if we hadn’t scored early, because they sat so deep, they would’ve been very hard to take down.

“You look at that batch of games: you’ve got Cray who are very dynamic and have lots of athletic footballers and are fast on the transition; Hornchurch are a big, powerful, physical side with unbelievable strikers; Hastings are a Sussex team but with many different shapes, so that’ll be a good tactical one; Aveley are quite a physical, direct side; and Enfield are direct and hit the big men.

“There’s all sorts of different challenges there, and they’re all on alright surfaces, which for us is massive. We struggle when we’re on difficult pitches, because of the football we like to try and play.

“It’s only our second season in this league, and we’ve surpassed our record points total against some tough odds this year.

“Hopefully we can have a couple more good moments before the end of the season. We’ll see what comes about in these next six games, and see where we end up.”

Daniel Ajakaiye bagged a first half hat-trick as the Hornets recorded a convincing win over Bowers in front of a four-figure crowd.

The returning Jack Mazzone needed less than a minute to make an impact off the bench, netting Horsham’s fourth.

Di Paola added: “I’ve got to be happy! I can’t be too critical. It was good to have Mazz [Mazzone] back on the pitch. I do think we’ve missed him in the last month away from home where you play on those hard pitches.

“We were really comfortable - probably a bit too comfortable at times. We were maybe a bit complacent at times, too.

“We could have scored more goals, we could have really kicked on in the game, but it was a really good win in front of 1,000 people.

“We must have had 70 per cent of the ball. We had two or three really good chances which we didn’t take, so probably ten good chances over the course of the game.

“The squad for this Saturday is the first time this season that we’ve got everyone back and fit, which is mad.

“We’ve just got Kadell [Daniel] on international duty in Bermuda.”

Daniel has been named in Guyana’s squad for this month’s CONCACAF Nations League games against Bermuda and Montserrat.

And Di Paola said: “It’s an amazing thing. He’s from a small country, but the opportunity to play with them is pretty amazing. It’s brilliant.”