Horsham 'legend' and 'model pro' lauded after staggering 600th appearance for the club

Gary Charman made his 600th Horsham appearance against Merstham. Picture by John Lines

The Hornets re-signed Charman from Bognor Regis Town in September, marking a return to the club he made his debut with back in November 1998.

His illustrious career saw him rejoin his hometown club from Walton & Hersham in 2005/06 to help the club achieve promotion to the Isthmian Premier Division and reach the Sussex Senior Cup final.

Charman was part of the Hornets side that embarked on its famous run to the second round proper of the FA Cup a year later.

He left the club to join Eastbourne Borough in 2011/12 but returned to Horsham in the next season, before becoming the Hornets’ player manager in November 2012.

Charman is the club’s second-highest appearance holder. The defender needs to make just 14 more appearances to break Mark Stepney’s legendary record.

Di Paola said: “He’s been brilliant since he’s come back to the club.

“He was out for almost a year when he re-signed for us and we were thinking about getting him back around this time.

“It’s a credit to him that he’s managed to get a few extra appearances before that.

“He’s a model pro in my eyes. He’s not given me an ounce of problems.

“His commitment’s great. He’s a good example to some of our other players for what you need to do well have a career and win things.

“He’s been a great servant to Horsham over the years in various different spells.

“Hopefully he sees his career out with us. Nothing would give me more pleasure.

“It’d be great to see him finish up at Horsham because he’s a legend.”