Flu-hit Horsham delight Di Paola with win at Bognor

Goals at the end of each half by Jack Mazzone and Daniel Ajakaiye earned the Hornets their first victory at Nyewood Lane in many years – despite many of the squad being unfit or under the weather.

Mazzone gave them an interval lead by chasing a lost cause and robbing home keeper Toby Steward as he tried to shepherd the ball out for a goal kick then scoring from the acutest of angles.

Sub Ajakaiye celebrated his return to the team after three months out by racing away and finishing powerfully to make it 2-0 in injury time as Bognor pressed for an equaliser.

It means Di Paola’s team have lost only once in their past eight games and sit 11th, just four points off the play-off zone.

The delighted manager said: “With all the challenges we were facing in getting a team out I was delighted with the win, which I thought we deserved.

"Most of the boys have been quite ill and our midfield three have all been injured. We had to look at who could play and work out the best team we could put out.

"The back four who played at Bognor had never played together before – Jack Strange had only trained with the boys at the end of last week – and Tom Day hadn’t played for two or three weeks after his wedding and honeymoon.

"Bognor is a tough place to go but I thought we played really well, especially in the first half.

"Taylor Seymour in our goal made the three best saves of the game but didn’t have much else to do.”

Di Poala said Mazzone and Ajakaiye were both typical strikers’ goals – in that other players might not have gone for goal when they did. “Strikers think differently to everyone else and sometimes it pays off,” he said.

Horsham hope a few days’ rest will enable some to recover from illness and injury and Di Paola should have greater numbers to pick from in Monday’s home clash with in-form Hastings United.

"I tipped Hastings at the start to have a good season – they came up with a settled squad. But we like playing at home and there should be a big crowd, so we’ll relish it.”