Lee Wellings: Horsham have us buzzing for our new adventure

Journalist, broadcaster and author of new book Football Fables, LEE WELLINGS, pens his thoughts on his beloved Horsham’s forthcoming challenge in National League South

The release of fixtures is always exciting, wherever your team is in the league pyramid.

It’s even better if your team finds itself higher up the pyramid than ever before!

New grounds, new adventures and a new level of football.

That’s the case for my beloved Horsham FC, who won the Isthmian Premier division last season to reach National League South – the highest we’ve been in our 144-year history.

Historic

Our Hop Oast ground in West Sussex is a lovely place to watch football, it’s easy to forget we were homeless for a decade before the ground opened in 2019.

But things have also gone right on the pitch under Dom Di Paola, who has just celebrated his own successful decade in charge.

Horsham have won the Sussex Cup two years in a row (after a 48-year drought) and had historic runs in the FA Cup and FA Trophy in both seasons. The Isthmian League was sealed with a 5-1 final day win over Hashtag United, to pip Billericay by a single goal!

HAPPY DAYS: Horsham celebrate as Isthmian League champions and inset: Lee Wellings

PICTURE: John Lines

Village People

It’s been extraordinary.

Our excitement about the release of the fixtures has been barely contained.

I’ve exchanged daily texts and calls about it with fellow fans, at a time I used to be enjoying a summer break for football.

In our fans group I joked we’ll be the ‘Village People’ this season as the new league means we will need to frequently ‘go west’!

Torquay, Bath, Salisbury, Chippenham and Weston-super-Mare are amongst the new trips.

We kick-off (on August 9) in Essex at Chelmsford City, who have been linked with Andy Carroll of all people!

Our first home game a week later is the renewal of our friendly rivalry with Worthing.

The other ‘A24 derby’ against Marc White’s Dorking will be Christmas and Easter games.

Marc is a close friend of Dom’s, a friendship that survived Horsham beating Dorking in the past two years in the FA Cup.

Four wins in six games against National South level opposition in those cup runs gives encouragement we might belong there.

Off the pitch, it can’t have been easy for the Horsham board.

I’m not the only fan slightly concerned about the ‘s’ word that will be needed at times in the National South.

Segregation. We like to move and mingle.

Hopefully our usual matchday experience can be protected as much as possible while keeping fans safe.

We wondered if most of our title-winning squad could be retained.

The answer is yes.

Fifteen of the 18-man squad from last season are still Hornets.

But if there’s one thing we still need, it’s a prolific striker. Who doesn’t?!

Forty-year-old livewire Chris Dickson admirably filled the role last season, and it was sad to see him go.

Now Gianluca Botti, James Roberts and Rhys Murphy have been snapped up.

Botti’s goalscoring record is particularly striking, with 60 goals in two seasons.

The 24-year-old found his feet in the National South at Tonbridge Angels before Dom pounced.

Daftness

Also arriving is winger Lucas Pattenden, my favourite Non-League player outside of our club.

My brother-in-law is a Littlehampton Town fan and I saw Lucas play for them a few times on the south coast.

Great to watch.

Then he came to Horsham with Bognor and was electric.

Pace and ambition.

I wished we could sign him but you can’t just point and say: “I want that one.”

Imagine my shock when Lucas suddenly signed out of nowhere!

Though he’ll start the season back at Littlehampton to get his fitness up after injury.

We know it will be far from easy for a semi-pro club against full-time and hybrid teams in the National South.

As a starting point, mid-table would be an achievement.

But we’ll dare to dream and what fun we’ll have.

Our ‘Lardy Army’ fans have developed a reputation for humour, noise and daftness that I hope wins us new friends.

We’re thirsty too so please bear that in mind!

To leave a ground, win, lose or draw, with opposition fans shaking your hands.

That’s surely what it’s all about. Bring it on!

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