Horsham v Newhaven
Tuesday 29th September 2026
7:45pm kick off
Fusion Aviation Community Stadium
The fixtures keep on coming for Dom Di Paola’s side, who play their third match in ten days when they welcome a Newhaven side sitting in eleventh place in the Southern Combination Football League Premier Division, a league three tiers below Horsham.
The Hornets will need to hold their nerve as the opposition will look to cause one of the upsets of the season so far. The Dockers have a free hit and will look to act on the feeling that knockout competitions like this provide, whereas the Hornets have everything to lose in a contest which on paper they should win comfortably.
Newhaven have had a mixed start to the season that has seen them beat Westfield and Forest Row, but also suffer heavy defeats to the likes of Haywards Heath and Whitstable Town, leaving them firmly in mid-table.
Although the Hornets have lost only two of their opening nine league games, they have also won only two, with the last victory coming over a month ago. A contest against a lower-ranked side gives an opportunity to rotate fresh legs into a depleted squad, get back to winning ways and gain some momentum to push up the National League South table and improve on last season’s fifteenth-place finish.
The opposition
After two successive eighth-place finishes, manager Sean Breach would have been hoping for better than the mixed start the Dockers have had, which has seen them win four, draw one and lose four of their nine matches. That said, there are some shining lights in the team, as attackers Billy Oliver and Ezra Roeg are in superb scoring form, with respectively 5 and 6 goals so far. Scoring is not one of their problems, as they boast a respectable 19 goals in all competitions, including four in the previous round versus Westfield.
The club is one of the oldest in the county, having been formed in December 1887 at the local Bridge Hotel, and has won honours at Divisions One, Two and Three of the Sussex County Football League.
Horsham latest – DDLWD
There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for the Hornets as things have started to return to normal after an extended period of bad luck with injuries – including three in one game at Folkestone – which has made the last few weeks extremely difficult for manager Dom Di Paola. Goalkeeper Michael Dike has come in on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion as Will Heater and Sam Howes are still recovering from injury, while Harry Hedges, who fans will remember for his loan spell towards the end of last season, has also returned to the club on a month’s loan to add attacking depth. Although Lee Harding and Reece Meekums have been able to return after recovering from injuries sustained on that fateful evening in Kent, Greg Luer is still suffering from an injury picked up in training and is unlikely to feature.
Despite generally playing well, Horsham are in a poor run of results at the moment by Di Paola’s high standards and a lack of depth and clinical finishing have cost them in recent matches.Although they have lost only one of their last five games in all competitions, which is an admirable feat for such a depleted team, a win in this match is vital to set the tone for their trip to Plymouth Parkway in the FA Cup and future league matches.
So, in a competition that has produced upsets, such as Three Bridges shocking last season’s National League South champions Worthing, there really is all to play for as the Hornets look to avoid any complacency and prevent another famous cup upset.
Ticketing information
Tickets for the match can be purchased HERE, with admission prices significantly reduced compared to National League South matches.