Horsham FC ‘ready to battle and fight hard’ in first-ever league meeting with AFC Totton

The Stags, who earned promotion via the Southern League Premier Division South play-offs last season, have enjoyed a positive start to their first-ever campaign at step two. They sit eighth after eight games, with just goals scored keeping them out of the play-off places.

Totton, like Horsham, are also through to the third qualifying round of the FA Cup. The Stags advanced courtesy of a fine 2-0 home win over National League South rivals Torquay United last weekend.

This will be the first-ever league meeting between the Hornets and AFC Totton, although the two sides faced off in the third round of the FA Trophy in December 2023. Goals from skipper Jack Brivio and Jack Mazzone saw Horsham advance to the last 32 of the competition for the first time in the club’s history.

The Stags made several big-name signings in the summer, including former Arsenal, Ipswich Town and Bristol City striker Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Northern Ireland international Lee Hodson.

And Hornets manager Dominic Di Paola admitted the calibre and experience of these players meant AFC Totton wouldn’t be ‘overawed’ by step two.

He said: “They’re a really good side. They’ve flown under the radar in pre-season. I think they’ll be very similar to Hornchurch last year, who came up and put together a really good side.

“They’ve got some Football League and National League experience, and they’re an upwardly mobile club. I know they’ve got financial backing and ambitions to kick on, so I don’t think they’ll be overawed by this level at all.

“They’ve got players who’ve played higher than this level, so I don’t think they’ll have too many problems. I think they’ll comfortably be in the top 10.

“Win, lose or draw, I’m enjoying the challenge of playing against good sides every week. You’re pitting your wits against teams who are probably better than you.

“But we’re in a good place. Morale is good, and we’re ready to battle and fight hard on Saturday as we have done all season.

“It’s another really tough game against a team that are geared up for this level, and have got aspirations of maybe reaching the play-offs and going up again.”

Rhys Murphy, Lee Harding and Brivio are all doubts for tomorrow’s clash with Totton, while Ola Ogunwamide is set to miss out through injury.

Both Murphy and Harding picked up knocks against Westfield in the FA Cup. Murphy sustained a hamstring injury after opening the scoring in Saturday’s 2-2 draw in Surrey, while Harding suffered bruising to his foot in Tuesday night’s 6-0 replay success.

Club captain Brivio, meanwhile, may be absent due to the impending birth of his first child.

Another player who will miss tomorrow’s match is young full-back Freddie Hammond.

The 18-year-old, who started at Westfield last weekend, has joined Isthmian South Central outfit Littlehampton Town on loan.

Di Paola said: “He did all right on Saturday, but we just need to give him some game time and experience of these levels of football. That’ll bring him on, I think.

“He’s going to dip in and out of the first team, and go and play for Littlehampton. He’s still very young. He’s literally just turned 18.

“I know [Littlehampton joint-managers] George [Gaskin] and Mitch [Hand] pretty well down there. It’ll be a different environment for him to experience, which is all part of the learning process.”