Di Paola predicts Hornets player exodus

The Hornets ended their campaign with a 5-0 thumping away at Tooting & Mitcham on Saturday to finish bottom of the Ryman League South Division table.

That final place will cost them any hopes of a reprieve and will mean they will almost certainly be playing at Step 5 for the first time in 42 years next season.

Di Paola, who took over just three weeks ago, can’t imagine any of his inherited squad will remain with him next season after such a dismal campaign, although he is keen to keep a small handful on.

Home grown winger Tony Nwachukwu has been offered another contract at the club, while Di Paola, although certain they will be playing at Step 5 is not sure it will definitely be in the County League.

He said: “At the moment I have zero players at the club. Realistically, I doubt anyone will stay given the season we have had, but maybe I will be proved wrong.

“There are two or three I want to keep, whether they will want to drop down I don’t know.

“It’s a big task ahead, but we knew that so that is fine. In a couple of weeks I will have some numbers and a good idea when we know what league we will be playing in.”

“It’s just a case of getting things ready for next season, planning for next season and getting the club back on track.”

The new Hornets boss admitted he cannot see any reason his side will get a reprieve and is currently unsure about which league they will drop into for the 2015-16 campaign.

He added: “Probably after the first 20 minutes against Ramsgate I could not see this group getting a result in the final three games. Some had given up and some were just not good enough and I cannot see any reason why we will stay up now.

“It’s written in the constitution that the bottom team goes down or else there is no credibility to the league. We must be down, but the question is what league do we go down into.

“I am planning for Step 5 and have got an idea of players I want to have together, hopefully that squad has the hunger and physicality required.

“Who knows where we will end up playing with the FA, they do what they want to do. Until we are in a league I cannot guarantee it and I wouldn’t want to.

“Logically with Dorking coming up and us going down, you’d think it would be a straight swap.”