Horsham FC boss wants to get 'confidence back in the group' ahead of cup double-header

The Hornets host National League South side Maidstone United in the second round of the FA Trophy this Saturday, before entertaining Isthmian South East outfit Eastbourne Town in the third round of the Sussex Senior Cup on Tuesday.

Horsham have struggled for form since their FA Cup first round trip to Football League club Chesterfield on November 2.

The Hornets have draw once and lost twice in the Isthmian Premier since then – all away from home – and have fallen to 15th in the table albeit with games in hand on teams above them.

Di Paola admitted the clash at the Spireites had ‘sucked the life’ out of the Hornets, which culminated in consecutive league defeats at Cray Valley Paper Mills and Chatham Town this week.

The Hornets boss wanted his side to shake off the disappointment of their performances in Kent – and backed his players to ‘get back on track’, starting this Saturday at home to division-above Maidstone United.

He said: “I’m looking forward to it [the FA Trophy game against Maidstone United], but we’ve just got to focus on ourselves.

“On Saturday, we just need to get a performance out of the boys. There might be some changes.

“After Saturday and Tuesday [at Cray Valley Paper Mills and Chatham Town] we need to get a tune out of the boys. We’ve got to get a bit of confidence back in the group.

“I think the Chesterfield trip sucked the life out of us, and we’ve paid the price a little bit this week.

“Someone said to me we’re a bit like Aston Villa in the Champions League. [Our Cup run] has impacted us a little bit.

“We’re in that place where we need to shake it off a little bit and get ourselves back [on track].

“I know we’ve got good players, a great team, and an excellent group of people. They all want to do well, and they just want to get back on track.”

Di Paola also revealed that centre-forward Shamir Fenelon is ‘carrying a niggle’ and is a doubt for Saturday’s FA Trophy game against Maidstone United, while midfielder James Hammond will be out until Christmas due to injury.