TALKING POINTS

Dom Roman – @DomRoman

Dom looks ahead to the Trophy game

THE TROPHY

Whatever your thoughts on the FA Trophy and it’s importance during the football season, it’s still another game for the Gulls to tackle and a chance to keep the momentum rolling after two great results against WSM and Enfield. We’ve generally taken the Trophy quite seriously over the years, and with no fixture until the following Saturday, I’d expect Paul Wotton to treat this tie with the upmost respect. United have not yet been beaten at Plainmoor this season, and if they approach this with the right mindset, then this record should remain intact on Saturday.

THE LINE-UP

There’s a number of players who would love more playing time, namely the likes of Matt Carson, Dean Moxey, Brad Ash, Keke Jeffers, Finn Tonks, Ed Palmer and Oscar Threlkeld. With Lirak Hasani suspended, the captain will most likely slot back into midfield, whilst regular first team players with the most minutes on their 24/25 clock such as Jay Foulston and Cody Cooke could be rested. In an ideal world the Gulls win the game comfortably, provide minutes for those squad players to find some rhythm and form, whilst not incurring any injuries that disrupt matters heading towards Christmas – that would be perfect.

TESTING CONDITIONS

‘Storm Darragh’ is incoming this weekend, so there could be a slight concern that this match will be called off (and this blog will all be for nothing!). But if the game is given the go-ahead, the 60mph+ winds will certainly be testing for the players, and could well level up the playing field somewhat for the Horsham underdogs. Keeping the ball on the deck and finding more of the quality we saw against WSM and Enfield will be key, whilst not taken any undue risks in tough conditions that hand the visitors a goal. Meanwhile, safe travels to those who make the trip to Plainmoor!

THE OPPOSITION

Isthmian League Premier Horsham FC are not pulling up any trees in the league this season, currently sitting in 14th place with 23 points from 16 games. They did however beat Maidstone 2-1 in the 2nd Round of the FA Trophy, so that result should act as a warning for United this weekend. Shamir Fenelon is a familiar name in the Hornets’ line-up. The striker played for United under Chris Hargreaves in 2014, since then he has bounced around a number of clubs before joining Horsham in the 21/22 season.