The Sussex Community Shield will see the Sussex Transport Senior Cup winners Horsham, face Steyning Town Community, the Premier Sports Southern Combination Football League champions.

Horsham vs. Steyning Town Community
Sussex Community Shield in aid of the NSPCC
Date: Wednesday 31 July 2024
Kick-off: 7:30pm 
Venue: Sussex County FA HQ, Culver Road, Lancing, West Sussex, BN15 9AX

For Dom Di Paola’s Horsham, last season was a campaign like no other, with a historic Emirates FA Cup run, a play-off run and a Sussex Transport Senior Cup triumph to cap it all off.

“It’s going to be so hard to match what we achieved last season, because when you have a record season, unless you end up playing Manchester United in the 5th round of The FA Cup, the next season just won’t be able to match those highs of last year,” said Di Paola.

“But of course, every season you want to have moments you can look back on in years to come, and last season was full of them, so we’re all focused on making many more for our supporters. But we can’t be too greedy because a lot of teams don’t even get one of the experiences we had.”

A major boost to Di Paola’s hopes for another memorable season was the news that so many of his key players from last season have put pen to paper on another campaign with the Hornets.

“It’s massive for us, because when I look back over my 10 seasons at the club, any time we’ve had to start almost from scratch, it’s been to our detriment because it’s the toss of a coin how it goes,” he said.

“In non-league it takes a long time to bed in players and styles of play, so the perfect example of this for us is someone like James Hammond, who was one of our key players last year, and played over 60 games for us, despite it being his first season.

“So, his commitment to the club for another year is huge because he gets what we need him to do now, and if we brought someone new in, that’s 250 sessions they’d have to do to get up his speed.

“Of course, we lost a couple that we didn’t want to lose because that’s the nature of this league, but overall, I’m really happy with the look of the team going into the season.”

The off-season has also seen a few new additions through the door, with the likes of Jake Elliott arriving from Lewes, Joe Paxman from Canvey Island and Joe Turner from Ramsgate.

“When we reflected on last season, one area we felt we could improve was our attack, as the feeling was we were a bit one dimensional going forward, so part of the thinking with our new signings was to just add a few more options for us in that department”, he said.

“They’re bringing with them some pace and power, which is key in our league, and they’re all players we’ve been admiring for a long time, and were able to pounce on this time, once their contracts ran out at their various clubs.

At the time of writing, pre-season is already well underway with things starting strongly, but for Di Paola, he’s not one to set too much store by pre-season games.

“Pre-season at every level is a bit of a shambles, and sometimes you’re not signing players until days before the season starts, so it’s a time of year I really don’t enjoy that’s for sure,” said Di Paola.

“In my experience, pre-season tells you very little about the direction you’re going in, as even just looking back to last season, if our friendlies were anything to go by, we were in for a shocking campaign, but thankfully history shows otherwise!

“So, the games we’ve played so far aren’t ones I’m dwelling on too much, seeing as a good chunk of our squad are either still on holiday, or just back from holidays, so naturally things are a bit disjointed at the moment.”

With the new season nearly upon them, is there a specific goal in mind for Di Paola and his coaching staff?

“Every season I’ve been a manager, we’ve finished higher than we did the season before, so that’s always the target for me,” he said.

“It goes without saying that is something that gets harder each year, as the standard of the teams around you go up. So, for me, I know it sounds like I’m being a bit of a politician, but as long as we’re improving and continuing to play exciting football and growing our supporter base, then you can have a good season, regardless of the result at the end.

“Since I arrived 10 years ago, it’s a completely different beast, both on and off the pitch, so we’ll continue to keep pushing on and seeing that growth.”

Looking ahead to the Community Shield, just what kind of test is Di Paola expecting from a Steyning Town Community side back under the management of Gerry Murphy.

“I haven’t got a clue what they’ll be like, such is the nature of this time of year, but they won the league last year and they were always my pick to win, such was the quality of the players in that side,” he said.

“So, I fully expect them to have another strong season; it’ll be a tough game, especially as we’ve got a good number of players not available for various reasons, but it’ll be one we’ll be trying to win for sure.

“I’ve lost this match twice, to Peacehaven and Eastbourne Borough, so I'm hoping it’ll be a case of third time’s the charm!” 

Entry prices for the final are as follows (cash and card accepted):

£10.00 Adult (17+)
£5.00 Concession (65+ and students with valid student ID card)
£3.00 Child (16 and under)
Official Match Day Programme will be available online
BUY TICKETS

For further details about the Sussex Community Shield please contact:

Competitions
T: 01903 753547
E: Competitions@SussexFA.com