‘I’d give it six-and-a-half out of ten’ – Di Paola makes honest admission on Horsham FC’s first half of the campaign

The Hornets sit 12th in the Isthmian Premier, with 26 points from 19 games. The club have netted an impressive 35 league goals but have let in 31.

Horsham’s reign as Velocity Trophy holders was ended at the first hurdle by Whitehawk, and they couldn’t replicate last season’s fairytale FA Cup run, going out to Herne Bay.

The Hornets have also exited the FA Trophy, but have advanced to the Sussex Senior Cup quarter-finals.

Di Paola said: “It’s been really mixed. We’ve blown eight points and I think those points would have put us in a far better position. We’ve dropped points in games where we’ve been really unfortunate.

“We’ve massively missed key players again. We’ve still got [Dan] Ajakaiye, who’s scored seven in ten, injured. We’ve missed [Jack] Brivio for the first month, and we’ve missed [Charlie] Hester-Cook for four months. They’re arguably three of our best players.

“We had to replace our goalkeeper, which is never easy mid-season.

“It’s not been an easy first half of the season. There’s also a couple of areas we’ve identified where we need to strengthen, but it’s not been too bad. I’d give it six-and-a-half out of ten.”

Horsham’s away results have also been a cause for concern. The Hornets boast the league’s sixth-best home form, having only lost twice in ten, but have the sixth-worst away record, winning just once in nine trips away from Horsham.

Di Paola added: “The travelling for teams in Sussex has been really tough. Historically it’s not been, but we lost Leatherhead, Merstham and Worthing and gained teams north of Dartford.

“But there’s nothing you can do about that. We just have to attack those games the same way we attack the home games. We’ve got to have a mindset that allows us to get results. It’s as simple as that.

“We’ve played really well away from home and not got results. I thought we played well up at Hornchurch, they just pinched it … it’s fine margins, but it’s something that we’ve got to do better.”

Meanwhile, Horsham have provided a fixture update for two postponed Isthmian Premier games.

The Hornets’ trip to Corinthian-Casuals – which would have taken place on Tuesday but for the club’s Sussex Senior Cup commitments – will now be played on Tuesday, January 10.

Horsham’s visit to Brightlingsea Regent – which was called off on Saturday due to a frozen pitch – has been rearranged for Tuesday, January 24.

Both games will get underway at 7.45pm.

The Hornets entertain fourth-placed Canvey Island this Saturday.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​