Horsham FC boss Dominic Di Paola: We’ve had an unbelievable league season

The 2023-24 campaign saw the Hornets record their highest-ever position and points tally at step three, surpassing last season’s benchmark totals.

Horsham finished fifth after taking 76 points from 42 games, beating 2022-23’s seventh-placed finish and points haul of 72.

The Hornets’ marvellous campaign came to a cruel end at Chatham in the play-off semi-finals on Wednesday - but Di Paola could look back with pride on a historic league season for the club.

He said: “Statistically it is [the best season ever], but it also is in terms of what we’ve done. Just look at our performances and the way we’ve played.

“We’ve been a good side this year. The boys have been amazing, but if we had 15 less games I think we would have been in a very different position today.

“It’s not been easy for us to crawl those games back. We lost a lot of points during the FA Cup run where we had to juggle the squad, and players were thinking about those ‘big moment’ games.

“You look back now and that Hashtag game at home, the Concord game away, and I think it was Wingate away, where we were just out on our feet after the Dorking game – they were games where we could, and should, have gotten more out of them. Then you get your home advantage which gives you a better chance of doing well in the play-offs - but it’s ‘if, buts, maybes’.

“The boys have been amazing. It’s been an unbelievable season for the club. We’ll look back on it in six months and reflect on how good a season it’s been.

“We’ve got a couple of components that we need to look at in the summer. Now we need to reflect on what we need to do.”

Horsham face Hastings United at Brighton’s Amex Stadium on Wednesday [May 8] bidding to end a fine and long season by lifting the Sussex Senior Cup.

The Hornets have been in imperious form in this season’s Senior Cup run. They have plundered 18 goals in four games and conceded just twice.

Horsham have seen off Midhurst, Chichester, Eastbourne Town and Steyning to reach the final.

Victory over Hastings would see the Hornets lift the cup for the first time since 1976 where, in a strange twist of fate, Horsham defeated the old Hastings 2-1 at the Goldstone Ground.

The Hornets’ last Senior Cup final appearance came in 2006, where Lewes needed extra-time to beat them 3-1 at Priory Lane.

But Horsham’s hectic run of league games and the success which led them to the Isthmian Premier play-offs mean thoughts of the Sussex showpiece have had to be put to one side.

Di Paola said: “I will look forward to it, but maybe I won’t. I’m a bit jaded now to be honest!

“To be honest, I’ve had a bit of a breather. The 10 days going into the Chatham game was a lot of pressure.

“We had Cheshunt on the Tuesday and then Concord. We had been planning flat out for the Chatham game after the Concord game.

“We didn’t get back [from Chatham] until half 1 in the morning, and I had to be up really early for work, so Thursday was a bit of a decompress.

“We just need to see where the boys are physically. We need to make sure we have enough fitness in the group for the game on Wednesday.

“Hopefully it’s a good game, a good spectacle, and we put in a good performance.

“We’ll just get ourselves set over the next few days and attack that game.

“Our boys never let us down. Win, lose or draw they never let the club down. It’s very unusual we have an off performance, so hopefully the boys can give it one last push for 90-odd minutes and we can all have a breather over the summer.”