'˜Fired up' Chips complete the double over '˜really poor' Horsham

A disappointing display in atrocious conditions meant the Hornets missed out on the chance to leapfrog their hosts in the Bostik League South Division table and instead slipped to 17th.

Goals from former Hornet Allan Tait and a Dylan Cascoe penalty gave Chips a 2-0 lead at the break.

A Jeremy Boakye stunner added to their tally, before substitute Toby House pulled a goal back, but it was to be the Surrey’s side evening as they added a fourth through Cascoe.

Di Paola said: “They were the better team and thoroughly deserved it. They were beaten comfortably on Saturday and were really fired up, they played really well and were much more keen to win a game of football. Hats off to them.

“We were really poor and just did not turn up. The damage was done in the first just minutes and they had a chance before they scored. Then we gave away a penalty which was just a mistake with the wet conditions after the keeper dropped the ball. It was a clear pen.

“In the second half, we gambled a bit playing four up top and were going to conceded chances. I was trying to make a sub when their third went in and wasn’t allowed which was annoying. We could have got it back to a flukey 3-2, but to be honest we did not deserve anything.

“They had a few chances at the end when we went two at the back and five up top, so we could have kept it down, but we tried to get back into it. We have to draw a line under it and go again. It was a disappointing and tough night, but they played well.”

Steve Metcalf headed off the line early on, before Chips took the lead in just the fifth minute as Tait stroked home.

The visitors’ best chance saw Liam MacDevitt, Saturday’s goalscoring hero, strike over from the edge of the box.

The lead was doubled on 25 minutes and it was a gift from the penalty spot. Brannon Daly dropped the ball and brought down Sam Bell when attempting to recover it, with Cascoe lashing home the resulting spot kick.

The home side almost added another before the break as a curling effort from Bell was just held by Daly.

Dean Bown came on at half-time, but it changed little and Chips made the points safe on 63 minutes through substitute Boakye’s 25 yarder.

House, having just come off the bench, gave Horsham a glimmer of hope and he scrambled home almost on the byline from a deflected effort by George Landais.

At the other end, Chips spurned more chances to extend their lead, before Bown had a shot well saved by Michael Sibley, before, with too much time and space, Cascoe put in the fourth.

Horsham: Daly, Hyde, Boiling, Shelley, Metcalf, Hartley (House 68), Harris (Bown 46), Kirkwood, MacDevitt (Thurgar 68), Adelakun, Landais. Unused: Duncan, Street.