Horsham boss fears plug may have to be pulled on football season

Horsham celebrate as they move into an early 2-0 lead v Carshalton on Tuesday night / Picture: John Lines

The Hornets, like all clubs at their level and below, are out of action for the next four weeks under new nationwide restrictions imposed by the government.

Di Paola says trying to judge whether football will restart in the first week of December – and working out if any new lead-in period before games will be allowed – is pure guesswork.

But he says it won’t take much more of a delay in fixtures resuming before league and FA bosses will have to seriously consider whether the season will be able to finish.

Horsham at least go into the enforced break in a decent position – Tuesday night’s 2-1 home win over Carshalton left them eighth in the Isthmian premier. But when they will be back is an unknown.

Di Paola told the County Times: “It does feel like we have not too many issues (with Covid-19) and we’re being punished for what’s happened other parts of the country.

“If we come back in December, we will have missed something like six games, and even that’s quite a few more to fit in somewhere. If you have games called off because of the weather in mid-winter, that makes it worse, as it does if the lockdown goes on longer.

“If you then have clubs who can afford to make their squads bigger to cope with the fixture congestion, it affects the integrity of the league.

“They may have to pull the plug (on the season) if this carries on much longer.”

Di Paola called for an FA task force to be set up to plan responses to potential future lockdowns – saying contingency plans should have been put in place before this season began so league rules didn’t have to be changed mid-campaign.

The upside of the month off is that Di Paola expects to get most if not all his squad members fit.

He was without Harvey Sparks, Lewis Taylor, Eddie D’Sane Jack Brivio and Charlie Coppola for a Corinthian win that delighted him, but said the treatment room could be empty in a month.

The Hornets bowed out of the FA Trophy on Saturday, losing on penalties at Welwyn Garden City.