FA Cup clash at Carlisle United will be magic, says Horsham boss Di Paola

Horsham’s much-anticipated FA Cup clash away at Football League side Carlisle United will be magic, according to manager Dominic Di Paola.
Horsham’s much-anticipated FA Cup clash away at Football League side Carlisle United will be magic, according to manager Dominic Di Paola. Picture by John LinesHorsham’s much-anticipated FA Cup clash away at Football League side Carlisle United will be magic, according to manager Dominic Di Paola. Picture by John Lines
Horsham’s much-anticipated FA Cup clash away at Football League side Carlisle United will be magic, according to manager Dominic Di Paola. Picture by John Lines

Having seen off Haywards Heath Town, Kingstonian, Eastbourne Borough and Woking in the previous rounds, the Hornets will make the 686.4 mile round trip to the League Two outfit in the first round proper of the grand old competition.

Horsham have not reached the first round since their historic Cup run during the 2007-08 campaign.

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Maidenhead United were the Hornets’ first round opponents on Saturday, November 10, 2007.

And, in front of a bumper Queen Street crowd of 3,379, a 35-yard screamer from Nigel Brake, a Lee Carney double, and a Lee Farrell strike helped Horsham to a famous 4-1 win, and fired them into the second round for the first time in the club’s history.

With the Hornets just one win away from matching their historic run, Di Paola couldn’t wait to take on Carlisle.

He said: “We’re really excited. It’s a really big game and you can’t hide away from that.

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“Say what you want, but it’s probably all the club have spoken about for about two weeks.

“A lot of planning has gone into it. You’ve got to give a lot of credit to the committee. They’ve pulled out a lot of work in a short space of time.

“And for the boys, it’s all they’ve thought about really. It’s a massive thing for us. We can go up and really enjoy the day now.

“We’re almost there in terms of planning and now we can go up there and have a good go at it.

“It’s a really, really big thing for the football club.

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“For the players, it’s a chance to do something that not many footballers get to do.

“Everything about the game is huge. You get squad numbers, you get your FA Cup badges, all of those sorts of things. It’s magic.

“It’s a testament and credit to Adam Westwood, Jimmy Punter and the guys behind the scenes from a coaching point of view, to get the club to this game.

“It really is great for everyone.”

You can follow live updates from Horsham’s huge FA Cup clash online at wscountytimes.co.uk and via our Sport Sussex Facebook and Twitter pages.