Former Charlton, Gillingham and Bristol Rovers striker snapped up by Horsham FC

The 39-year-old has appeared in three of the Hornets’ four friendlies as a triallist.

He has already grabbed one assist - the fifth goal in the 5-1 romp over Haywards Heath Town - and came even closer to opening his account last Saturday against Gosport Borough when his strike was saved before Daniel Ajakaiye followed in the rebound.

Arriving with heaps of pedigree, the 39-year-old's glittering career includes Football League appearances for Charlton Athletic, Gillingham, Bristol Rovers and Dagenham & Redbridge, lifting the Cypriot First Division with AEL Limassol, where he also scored against Marseille in the Europa League, assisting two goals to help Hornchurch win the FA Trophy at Wembley in 2021, and most recently scoring in the penalty shoot-out for Chatham Town against Horsham in last season's Isthmian Premier play-off semi-final defeat.

He has also represented his country, Ghana, in two internationals – but with so many memorable moments, which stand out to him most?

Dickson said: “That's a real big question. Representing my country was massive. To get called up for Ghana was huge. Winning the league in Cyprus was the equivalent of winning the Premier League out there so that was massive too.

“But, in non-league, it was definitely the FA Trophy. That was unbelievable, what we achieved at Hornchurch in that year, but the past is the past, it's time to look to the future.

“For me, it's a case of using my experience to help other players as well as help the team as much as possible. Whether in the big pressure games or smaller games the mentality stays the same: win. I want to win, I'm a winner, and I want to be a winner here.”

And Dickson is certainly excited to get going.

He said: “I'm over the moon to get everything over the line. Me and Dom [Di Paola, Horsham manager] had a lot of chats over the summer and it was definitely something I was really interested in going through with.

“I always seem to score against you guys so I'm looking forward to scoring a few for you.

“I can see it's a good fanbase, it seems like a close-knit club and I'll be honest, every time I've played down here I've done well so as soon as Dom contacted me, my eyes lit up and for me it's a great project that I'm proud to be a part of.”

Having already featured in all but one of the Hornets’ pre-season friendlies, the forward has been quick to be put through his paces.

He said: “The first training session was a bit of a shock to the system but [Horsham coaches] Jim [Punter] and Sami [El-Abd] have been unbelievable getting us through pre-season.

"The boys have welcomed me in easily, obviously a few of them were looking at me and thinking 'hold on, didn't he just knock us out in the play-off semi-final?', but we're all one team now, and we all have the same objective which is obviously to get the club as high as possible in the league and secure promotion.”

About his playing style, he said: “Strangely, even at my age, I'm still a striker that goes in behind.

“I've still got an eye for goal, so I'm looking to get double figures again and excite the fans, get them up off their seat and let them have some fun.”

And he certainly only has one thing on his mind when it comes to end goals.

He added: “For me personally it's always about doing as much as I can for the team and contributing with goals. That's my 'why'.

“I live for scoring goals, my motto is 'goals never done' and if I can contribute in any sort of way for the club then we'll be in a good standing and it's all about being one step forward.

“I've been in two play-off finals now and I'd like to get Horsham to a play-off final as well and if it's not that, then it's automatic promotion, but the main thing is, and Dom said the same thing to me, we've got to get this club out of this division and hopefully I can help with doing that.”

Di Paola said: "He's obviously someone who's got good pedigree in this league, got lots of experience, and scores most times he's played against us.

“He's a different option. With [Jack] Mazzone not being here this year, we had an area that we had to try and bring someone in and he's someone we've really liked for a long time.

“He's going to help the other boys, he's got a good team ethic and brings a lot of energy to the group and we're looking forward to having that.

“He's a bit of an all-rounder but he'll bring power higher up the pitch. He's a hard runner, he's got good hold up play and once we get a few games in we'll start to see a little more from him in general.

“He's different to what we've got. I feel we have a bit more power and pace in the attacking areas this year and Dicko [Dickson] helps with that because he can bring that to the table.”

With a swathe of attacking talent now at his disposal, Di Paola is looking forward to the challenge of managing them all most effectively.

He said: “It was an area that we let ourselves down a little bit last year so hopefully we've added a bit in there.

“It's the hardest part of the pitch but we've got a good blend of players and we've just got to find a way of making it work really.

“Much like most of the time with us, it'll be about selecting different players for different games and now we've probably got the right size squad to take us into the start of the season.

“With Lee [Harding], Ola [Ogunwamide], Meeky [Reece Myles-Meekums], Dicko, Dan [Ajakaiye], Joe Turner and Sham [Fenelon], there's some variation in those three or four positions."

And finally, Dickson has given the fans one last message ahead of the new season.

He said: “Buckle up. It's going to be a long journey, but hopefully it's going to be a successful one, and if we can get the team promoted then happy days.

“Roll on the first game of the season because goals are never done.”