Horsham FC have added good quality – but further signings appear unlikely
Dominic Di Paola says Horsham FC are done in the summer transfer market – but the boss is pleased with the players he has snared.
The Hornets have brought in six players during the off-season, while bidding farewell to three.
Horsham have brought in returning goalkeeper Sam Howes from Dagenham, defender Archy Taylor from Eastbourne Borough, midfielders Niall McManus, Ronan Silva and Jamie Yila from Dorking, Hampton & Richmond and Maidstone respectively, and forward Ashley Nadesan from Sutton.
But three popular members of the Hornets’ 2024-25 double-winning squad have moved on. Lewis Carey has joined Eastbourne Borough, Isaac Philpot has gone back to Dorking, and Shamir Fenelon has moved to Burgess Hill.
Di Paola said: “Last year, if we’re really honest, we weren’t geared up for the league. I don’t think we had enough quality in the squad. We definitely didn’t have enough quality coming off the bench.
“We’ve gone and got a few more established National League South players. Nadders [Nadesan], Ronan and Jamie Yila are all boys who have played at this level.
“I feel like we’ve plugged loads of gaps. Would I like a bigger squad? One hundred per cent. Is squad size my biggest concern? It is my biggest concern.
“But in terms of what we’ve got in the building, those boys are easily good enough. We’ve just got to pray to the football gods that we don’t get any injuries.
“I feel we’ve got a better fit for the league, but as I said we’re very, very light on the ground.”
Di Paola confirmed Horsham were talking to a ‘couple of triallists’ but any further business looked unlikely.
He added: “To all intents and purposes, we’re done. We’re just not able to increase the squad size really.
“We’ve got a couple of triallists with us, but it’s going to be a squad of 16 unless anything changes.
“We’ve got a couple of triallists we’re talking to but it’s going to have to be one in, one out if we are going to change anything. That’s it for us.”
The Hornets kicked off pre-season with a 3-2 win over Eastleigh and a 6-3 success over AFC Wimbledon U18s, both at home. They now host Eastbourne Town on Saturday and Dulwich on Tuesday.