FA Cup: Horsham FC not at their ‘vintage’ best – but progress is secured

Dan Ajakaiye and Reece Myles-Meekums both struck in the first half to give the Hornets a 2-0 half-time lead.

Albie Nolan-French put through his own net to make it 3-0 on the hour, before Chris Dickson wrapped up the win with three minutes remaining.

Di Paola said: “We didn’t get any injuries, which was good. I didn’t want to say too much last week, but most of the bench was injured.

“Joel [Daly], Harvey [Sparks], and Isaac [Philpot] were injured but we named them, because you can name more players on the bench, and Chris Dickson had the flu.

“But it was an all-round good day. It wasn’t vintage but Brivs [Jack Brivio] has only played 90 minutes since pre-season, so he’s quite behind, and Jake Elliott’s been out for quite a while. They were bonuses.

“We got Montel [Agyemang] some minutes in the game as well, which was great, so I think we’ve done alright.

“There were areas where we could have been better, but we got a couple of goals in each half - and we maybe should have had two or three more.

“They didn’t trouble us, although there was a corner I didn’t like the look of where they headed it straight at Lew [Carey].

“I was relatively happy with the performance. We were in the hat [for the next round] and that’s all that matters. Last year, we were playing terribly at Leatherhead and drawing 1-1.

“We played midweek against Leatherhead [in the replay] so that’s an upgrade on last season’s first qualifying round. You’ve got to be happy.

“It was a good result, let’s say that. Was it a vintage performance? No, but it wasn't vintage anything really.”

Two players made their competitive Hornets bows on Saturday. Jake Elliott made his first start for Horsham since singing from rivals Lewes in June.

Elliott, a full-back, has also played for other Sussex sides, Eastbourne Borough and Hastings United.

Di Paola said: “We were excited about getting Jake in, but we’ve not been able to play him. He’s a good player in our league, so hopefully now we can get him in the side.

“What it does do is free Lee Harding up to play higher. It just gives us another option in defence.

“We’ve been scrambling defensively so far this season. We’ve been playing a bit of a cobbled together back four, and I think that’s partly why we’ve let in some cheap goals.

“I’m hoping that once we get Brivs, Jake and Harvey out there we’ll start to get a settled defence, which makes a huge difference.”

Montel Agyemang, meanwhile, is a more recent Hornets addition.

Announced on Friday [August 30], the midfielder started his career in a scholarship at Leyton Orient, before dropping into non-league after unsuccessful trials at Charlton Athletic and QPR.

First at Maldon & Tiptree, Agyemang has since played for East Thurrock United, Welling United, Margate and Billericay Town before returning to Margate.

During his second spell at the Gate, he suffered a horror leg-break at the beginning of last season, ruling him out of competitive football for a year.

Reflecting on Agyemang’s debut, Di Paola said: “We’ve got to be mindful that Montel has been out for a year. He’ll be buzzing after playing but we’ve got to be a bit careful with him.

“He’s a good addition to what we’re trying to do. He’s got good experience in this league.

“He’s a strong, powerful holding player, and we didn’t really have anyone to compete with Barks [Danny Barker] because Tucky [Doug Tuck] moved on in the summer.

“It’s quite good that we’ve got someone in there that can do that role and give Barks a bit of a breather at times. He’s overworked for us, Barks. He always has been.”

In a repeat of last season's fourth qualifying round game, the Hornets will entertain Dorking in this year’s second qualifying round on Saturday week.

Horsham ran out 2-0 winners that day, with Ajakaiye and Shamir Fenelon grabbing the goals, but Di Paola said Wanderers would be ‘pleased in a lot of ways’ with the draw.

He added: “They’ll be pleased in lots of ways. They’ll want to get revenge, and we’re a league below which is good for them.

“We would have liked to have played a step four team, and I’m sure they would have liked to have played a step three team.

“It’s going to be another tough game. They’re a great side, they’ve got lots of quality. I think they’re a better team than they were last year when we played them.

“Secretly, I think Dorking will be pleased in lots of ways. It’s a winnable game for them, so it’s going to be a tough task so early in the competition.

“We had a great run last year but a lot of luck went into it, which it always does.”

The Hornets return to Isthmian Premier matters with a trip to play Cray Wanderers this Saturday.