'He can play at a higher level' - Former Reading and West Ham United star praises standout Horsham player in FA Cup defeat to Barnsley

The Hornets were 3-0 down after just 27 minutes and the game effectively over. But they caused their League One opponents some difficulty in the second half and should have scored in front of the 3,000+ crowd at the Camping World Community Stadium.

And one player who stood out was Daniel Ajakaiye and he caught the eye of Jobi McAnuff, who was pundit for ITV4 who showed the game live.

The former Crystal Palace and West Ham midfielder said: “He was fantastic. Both games. At Oakwell he got an assist and a penalty and today he got himself a few opportunities.

“Even in the first half when they weren’t at their best he was the one who looked like he could make something happen.

He can come off the pitch with a lot of credit. He’s gone toe-to-toe with a League One team two games in a row now and shown he can play at a higher level.”

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And substitute Kadell Daniel also impressed. Fellow pundit Aaron McLean said: “Daniel He made a huge impact. He was direct, he was on the front foot and he and Ajakaiye all of sudden were asking plenty of questions and were probably unfortunate not to get a goal for the home fans to celebrate. They have done themselves proud today and they can all go home with their heads held high.”

And McLean said the cup run could do a lot for club. “They would have won a lot more fans today,” he said. “For this run they have been on, young kids in and around the town want to come back see Horsham. They are doing brilliantly in their league, if they win all their games in hand, they go joint top.

“They need to take the confidence from the cup run and take it into their league form.”