Horsham FC boss lays down gauntlet after Carshalton draw extends unbeaten run

That’s the view of manager Dominic Di Paola after the Hornets extended their unbeaten run to six games with a 1-1 draw at play-off chasing Carshalton in the Isthmian Premier on Saturday.

Amid a torrential downpour, Femi Akinwande gave the hosts an eighth minute lead – before Jack Mazzone levelled on the stroke of half-time. Di Paola said: “It was a good point against a side that is doing really well. After the first ten minutes they were better than us, but I felt we were the better team.

“The storm in the second half came at a bad time because we were really good at the time. It’s a bit of a shame because we were looking quite dominant.

“It’s always nice to have a spell like we’re having. We’re looking like quite a good team at the moment.

“I’ve been pleased with the performances, but we’re just getting too many draws. If we’d just picked up an extra goal here or there, we would be doing even better.”

Just five points separate 13th-placed Horsham from Enfield Town, in fourth.

Di Paola said a ‘run of wins’ would boost the Hornets’ play-off credentials, but the boss admitted he wasn’t looking too far ahead.

He added: “It’s so tight at the moment. Everyone’s beating everyone. We’ve just got to hang in there and hopefully, if we get a run of wins, we’ll go up three or four places quite quickly.

“At some stage you’d expect it to spread out a little bit, but it just hasn’t. We looked at the fixtures on Saturday and most of the top teams lost. No one’s really pulling away. Maybe [league leaders] Hornchurch are beginning to get into their stride, but there’s not anyone who’s truly stood out

“I’m not really looking too far [ahead]. We’ve got some big games coming up, so we’ll get as many results as we can, and we’ll see where we end up.”

Horsham’s game at Corinthian-Casuals on Tuesday evening was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.

Chris Sessegnon, Bobby Price, Tom Day, and Eddie Dsane are doubts for Saturday’s home game against Margate, while Doug Tuck has been ruled out.