‘I thought it was one of our best performances of the season’ – Horsham FC have play-offs in their sights after consummate win over Billericay Town

The Hornets took the lead on the stroke of half-time through Jack Brivio’s close-range strike.

Harvey Sparks rifled home off the post in the early stages of the second half before Daniel Ajakaiye produced a moment of magic.

The 25-year-old thumped home into the top corner following a lung-busting run from his own half, before Marvin Ekpiteta hit a late Billericay consolation.

The win moves 11th-placed Horsham to within six points of the play-offs.

Di Paola said: “I thought it was one of our best performances of the season. We played really well in possession, and we defended really well.

“We looked like a threat. In the first half we had three or four good opportunities to go further ahead after going two up, but we managed the game really well.

“They [Billericay] are a really good side, so I’m happy with that. The reason we won on Saturday was that we were very, very good out of possession.”

The Hornets have been in irresistible form in front of goal, netting seven in the past two games. But Horsham have improved immensely in defence. They have kept four clean sheets in their last six, conceding just twice in this period.

Di Paola continued: “Personally, for me, Taylor [Seymour], Jack Strange and Alex Malins, deserve a lot more credit. We were conceding mountains of goals, and that was killing everything we were doing in other areas of the pitch. The unsung ones deserve credit after our last three games.

“We’ve worked as a group, it’s not just the defenders. Midfield players have also taken it on board, and it starts at the front. I think [Jack] Mazzone has a new lease of life. He had a bit of a dip. But in the last six or seven games, what he’s doing from the front is making a real difference.

“At the moment, we’re having a good spell where the boys want to defend. Alex Malins and Jack Strange aren’t so worried about the prettier side of football, they want clean sheets and that’s important. If I look at teams at the top, like Enfield and Bishop’s Stortford, that’s what they’re about.”

Versatile midfielder Che Krabbendam made his Horsham debut on Saturday. The ex-Crystal Palace and Anderlecht man played the full 90 minutes at right-back, and Di Paola was impressed by what he saw from the 23-year-old.

He said: “He did really well. He doesn’t really know the boys, and he’s only had one or two training sessions with us. There are some things we need to work on with him, but he slotted in well. He’s another really comfortable footballer.

“He’s someone, again, that I tried to sign in the past, which is a common theme at Horsham. Players reject us, and eventually they have nowhere else to go so they come here, and then realise they should have come in the first place!”

Bobby Price is unlikely to feature for Horsham at Herne Bay this Saturday, while Chris Sessegnon will definitely miss the trip to Kent. The Hornets visit Corinthian-Casuals on Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, Horsham have been drawn away to either Midhurst & Easebourne, Eastbourne United or Hastings United in the quarter-finals of the Sussex Senior Cup.