Horsham FC told to punish teams after Dulwich draw and Whitehawk defeat

Dominic Di Paola admitted luck deserted Horsham FC in their Isthmian Premier games against Dulwich and Whitehawk.
By Matt Pole
Published 4th Jan 2024, 10:24 BST
Updated 4th Jan 2024, 12:21 BST
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The Hornets were held to a 1-1 draw at Hamlet on Saturday before former fan favourite Charlie Harris came back to haunt them in a 1-0 win for the Hawks on New Year’s Day.

The Hornets are now seven points and five places adrift of the play-offs in tenth - although they still have games in hand on all the teams above them, bar Lewes in ninth.

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Di Paola said: “We created a lot of chances [against Whitehawk] but we didn’t take them. We couldn’t put them to bed and it came back to bite us.

Shamir Fenelon in action for Horsham against Whitehawk. Picture by Natalie Mayhew, ButterflyFootieShamir Fenelon in action for Horsham against Whitehawk. Picture by Natalie Mayhew, ButterflyFootie
Shamir Fenelon in action for Horsham against Whitehawk. Picture by Natalie Mayhew, ButterflyFootie

“We had four or five good opportunities to score and we didn’t take them - which was similar to Dulwich on Saturday.

“We played really well at Dulwich. We were by far the better team over 90 minutes but again we didn’t capitalise on that.

“We’re aware of some of things that aren’t going well but we’ve just got to keep plugging away.

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“Luck has deserted us a little bit. The boys are now desperate for a goal and I’m sure if we get an opportunity and we take it, that will breed a bit of confidence.”

The Christmas period saw Horsham take just a solitary point from three games.

Di Paola said the Hornets should have taken ‘six points from nine’ but conceded his team weren’t ruthless enough and were leaving ‘too much to chance’.

He added: “One point from nine should have been six points from nine - but that’s football.

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“If we’d won against Whitehawk everything would have felt rosy.

“At Bognor, we weren’t quite at the races but if Strangey [Jack Strange] scores his header in the first half and [Craig] Robson gets sent off [for Bognor] it could have been a different game.

“At the moment, we’re leaving too much to chance. Because we’re not killing teams off, we’re leaving too much on the table for them - and if you leave too much on the table, people pick stuff up and eat it.

“We’re not punishing teams. It keeps them dreaming of winning.”

Horsham visit league leaders Hornchurch this Saturday before travelling to Eastbourne United for a Sussex Senior Cup quarter-final on Tuesday evening.

Related topics:HornetsHorsham FC