Horsham FC boss Di Paola: I want us to put on a performance against Hendon
Dominic Di Paola wants Horsham FC to ‘put on a performance’ when they entertain Isthmian Premier strugglers Hendon on Non-League Day.
A win tomorrow (March 22) over fourth-from-bottom Hendon - who the Hornets thumped 4-0 back in January - would see them strengthen their grip on third place.
Horsham recorded their first league victory in March at bottom-of-the-table Bowers & Pitsea last weekend - but their display left Di Paola decidedly unimpressed.
Ahead of Hendon’s visit, the boss stressed that the Hornets needed to be ‘much, much better’ than they were in Essex, admitting he wanted to his side ‘play with a bit of freedom’.
He said: “We’ve got to play much, much better than we did last Saturday at Bowers & Pitsea, so the challenge is on.
“Hendon are fighting for their lives. They’re probably the only team in the bottom four who could realistically get out of it. They’ll keep going to the bitter end.
“We’ve got seven games to go, six weeks to go, so we need to attack that game with the right mindset. We’re at home so I want us to put on a performance.
“I’d like to see us play with a bit of freedom on Saturday. I think it’s important we flip the switch a little bit.
“I think we’ve been a bit tense and scratchy in the last four or five games. I don’t know whether that’s tiredness because of the amount of games we’ve played, but it’s hard for us to keep going and going.
“I’d like to see us a little more fluid on Saturday, with a bit of pep in our step, because we’re a very good side when we do that. Hopefully that version of Horsham rocks up on Saturday.”
Di Paola also revealed the Hornets were struggling with injuries – and admitted the club may struggle for fit players on Saturday.
He added: “We’ve got a lot of niggles now - Jake Elliott, [Charlie] Hester-Cook, Jack Brivio, Sham Fenelon and Joel Daly.
“We currently don’t have a full 16 to put on the pitch. We’ll have to see how people recover in the next few days.”
Horsham will be celebrating Non-League Day tomorrow with a special offer to season ticket holders of all Premier League, Championship and EFL clubs at their home game against Hendon – 3pm kick-off.
Simply show your season ticket at the turnstiles at the Fusion Aviation Community Stadium for reduced entry – adults for £10 and concessions just £5.
Always scheduled to coincide with an international break, Non-League Day provides a platform for clubs to promote the importance of affordable volunteer-led community football while giving fans across the country the chance to show support for their local non-league side.