Horsham FC boss wants a reaction from his team as Bowers & Pitsea and Brighton tests loom
Horsham FC must produce a reaction to their defeat to Wingate & Finchley when they face Bowers & Pitsea and Brighton & Hove Albion under-21s in the league and cup this week, according to manager Dominic Di Paola.
The third-placed Hornets travel to bottom-of-the-table Bowers in the Isthmian Premier this Saturday looking to arrest a poor run of form that has seen them take just four points from their last four games, denting their automatic promotion hopes.
The Hornets then travel to Lancing FC’s Culver Road on Tuesday evening to take on Brighton’s under-21s in the semi-finals of the Sussex Senior Cup.
Should title-holders Horsham overcome the Seagulls, they will meet Littlehampton Town in the final.
Ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bowers & Pitsea, Di Paola wanted to see a much-improved Hornets performance after their disappointing showing against ninth-placed Wingate last weekend.
He said: “At Bowers we need a reaction from the boys one way or another. We have to get a reaction from what’s been a dismal four games.
“Four points from 12 is a poor return, so we need to get back on track.
“We’ve been in such a good vein of form, we just seem to have dipped slightly. We need to get an upturn again.
“This league isn’t easy. They are fighting for their lives.
“In the three full seasons [Horsham have been in the Isthmian Premier], I’ve yet to play anyone in this league that isn’t bang up for it, so it’s going to be another tough challenge.
“The boys have just got to forget about everything else and just go and perform how they have done for almost the last three months.”
Horsham’s Senior Cup opponents Brighton reached the final four after dismantling Whitehawk 7-0 in February.
But the young Seagulls haven’t been as all-conquering as their quarter-final scoreline might suggest.
Albion scraped past SCFL Premier outfit AFC Varndeanians 1-0 in the second round, before needing penalties to see off Isthmian South East side Burgess Hill Town in the third round.
Horsham are seeking to reach the county cup final for a second successive season - but Di Paola has predicted that Brighton will ‘go strong’ with a home final up for grabs.
He said: “I expect Brighton to go strong. It’s a semi-final and the final is at their ground.
“I went and watched them against Whitehawk and they were unbelievable. They absolutely destroyed Whitehawk, so we know it’s going to be a really tough game.
“But I’ve done no prep on it. We’re taking it a game at a time.”
Di Paola also revealed the Hornets had some injury concerns going into their trip to Bowers & Pitsea - and hinted he may look to ‘inject some freshness’ into his depleted squad.
He said: “We’ve got some concerns. [Jack] Brivio is still out, [Charlie] Hester-Cook is still out, and we’ve got two or three nursing injuries.
“The squad’s not massive now so that’s another area where we need to inject some freshness into the group, one way or another.”
The club will be running a coach to the Sussex Senior Cup semi-final at Lancing.
Transport will leave the Hop Oast Park & Ride at 5.30pm sharp, returning to the same location at the end of the match.
The cost will be £15 per person.
You can book your space on the coach online here.