Horsham FC manager Di Paola: We’ve done so well to be in the Isthmian Premier play-off mix this season

​The Hornets ran out 3-1 winners at home to sixth-placed Enfield Town on Saturday before playing out a goalless draw at Hastings, in ninth, on Easter Monday.

Horsham, in eighth, are four points behind fifth-placed Cray, but a win for the Wands this Saturday against fourth-from-bottom Kingstonian will see the Hornets out of the play-off race.

Di Paola said: “In our past three games, we’ve got seven points out of nine. Any other stage in the season you’d be buzzing and really happy with that.

“But it’s the business end and there’s been periods of the season where we’ve dropped points when we should have picked up points. That’s going to be our downfall.

“We’ve gone very, very close to taking it [the play-off push] to three games before the end of the season. To fall out of it [the play-off race], we’ve done great.

“But for a missed chance by Dan [Ajakaiye] on Monday, we would have been two points off the play-offs with two games to go.

“The boys have done great. We’ve had a lot of setbacks injury-wise this year – in terms of five key players missing a third of the season – but to still be in the mix at this stage is good.

“We’ve wanted to do better, of course, but the aim is to finish as close to the play-offs as we possibly can.

“I think Cray just needs a win and we’re dead. They’ve got a couple of easy games to finish on, so I think it’ll be them that gets into the play-offs.”

Jack Mazzone’s penalty gave Horsham a half-time lead against Enfield. Jake Cass replied for Town on 53 minutes before Tom Kavanagh’s stunning free-kick restored the Hornets’ advantage five minutes later. Charlie Hester-Cook sealed the win with ten minutes to go.

Horsham’s best opportunity to break the deadlock at Hastings came when Mazzone and Ajakaiye inadvertently got in each other’s way, and the latter blazed over from close-range.

Di Paola added: “I thought we were excellent [against Enfield]. We were the better team and they didn’t really trouble us.

“They were quite direct – so we just needed to be alert – but other than that they didn’t hurt us

“It [the Hastings game] needed a goal. It was a really tight game. I saw a few people on Twitter say that the teams were playing for a draw, but I don’t think they were.

“Statistically there’s a proven thing where it’s very rare to win both games over Easter, just because it’s such a short turnaround.

“There was an element of that, because I thought in the last half-an-hour both teams were really leggy. It was a big, heavy pitch because of the rain.

“Mazzone had a good chance in the first half, and then we had a great chance in the second half. There was an open goal, but Dan and Mazzone kind of got in each other’s way and Dan put it wide.

“It was going to be a game that was settled by a little moment, but I thought we had the best two of the game. I don’t think Hastings really had a chance to do anything, but we fell a little short on the day.”

The Hornets visit fourth-placed Aveley this Saturday.