- Colbran (19')
- Rodrigues (69')
Chris Agutter’s side come into the contest off the back of a fantastic performance in the FA Trophy at the weekend, which saw them beat the National League South leaders Torquay United 5-1 at home.
Mo Faal netted a 26-minute hat-trick in the first half that saw the Rebels go 4-0 up against their Devon counterparts, with Joel Colbran heading home the other. Jordan Young struck a fine free-kick to get a goal back for the Gulls in the second half, but the Rebels had the last laugh, with Danny Cashman firing in a fifth to take Worthing into the last sixteen of the competition for just the second time in their history.
The result extended the team’s unbeaten run to five matches, with Agutter’s side in a strong position in the league in 7th and just four points off top spot in a highly congested top half of the table.
Team News
Chris Agutter admitted that he will heavily rotate his squad for tonight’s match, with “a lot of lads that are itching to get on the pitch and play”.
Two players who remain unavailable are Tommy Willard (thigh) and Alfie Young (knee).
View from the Camp – Chris Agutter
“It’s going to be a tough game. Obviously, Horsham knocked Maidstone out of the FA Trophy and they are a good side. I think they could easily compete at National League South level with the players they’ve got.
“It’s a cup Quarter Final and we want to get to the Semi Final. We’ve got a very good squad and the expectation for us is to go and win the game.
“We’ve just got to keep working hard and look to be more consistent to find the ruthless edge on a more regular basis.”
The Opposition
The Hornets have continued to build on last season’s success into 2024/25, with the side currently placed 5th in the Isthmian Premier Division having played 23 games. They have games in hand over each of four teams above them, too.
They recently went away to the league leaders Dover Athletic on New Year’s Day and came away with all three points with a 2-1 victory on their travels.
That result was part of an impressive run that Dom Di Paola’s side have been on, winning their last five matches in succession, including a comprehensive 6-0 win away at Potters Bar Town.
Last Six
04/01 – Carshalton Athletic (H) – Won 4-0
01/01 – Dover Athletic (A) – Won 1-2
28/12 – Potters Bar Town (A) – Won 0-6
26/12 – Bognor Regis Town (H) – Won 2-1
21/12 – Canvey Island (A) – Won 0-1
17/12 – Dartford (H) – Lost 1-3
Previous Meetings
Horsham have been our opponents in more matches than any other club.
A summary of our results against today’s opponents is shown below:
| Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Scored | Conceded |
| FA Cup | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 40 | 29 |
| FA Amateur Cup | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 14 |
| Sussex Senior Cup | 30 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 93 | 40 |
| Sussex (RUR) Charity Cup | 11 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 37 |
| Sussex Floodlight Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Isthmian League Premier Div | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 7 |
| Isthmian League Div 1 South | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 24 | 13 |
| Isthmian League Division 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 7 |
| Isthmian League Cup | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 9 |
| Isthmian League Charity Shield | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Athenian League Division 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Athenian League Division 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Corinthian League | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 41 | 43 |
| Corinthian Lge Memorial Shield | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Sussex County League | 30 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 69 | 80 |
| Sx Cty Lge (War) West Division | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 8 |
| West Sussex Senior League | 36 | 23 | 2 | 11 | 129 | 54 |
| Shoreham Ladies’ Charity Cup | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Worthing Charity Cup | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 13 |
| Brighton Charity Cup | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| SCCL Floodlight Cup | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 |
| Horsham Centenary T’ment | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Sussex Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Friendly | 20 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 51 | 24 |
| Total | 221 | 119 | 23 | 79 | 601 | 410 |
Familiar Faces
Tonight will see returns to Woodside for Harvey Sparks, Danny Barker, Reece Meekums and Greg Luer.
Harvey Sparks was part of the Worthing squad that won promotion to the Isthmian Premier Division in 2016. He is the longest serving player at Horsham of the current squad, beginning this season with 246 appearances to his name after joining the Hornets in 2018.
Danny Barker joined the Hornets from Worthing in 2023 after spending five years with the Rebels where he made 154 appearances. He was part of the squad that earned promotion to the National League South in 2022 and the Sussex Senior Cup triumph in 2023.
Reece Meekums is another who was part of the Isthmian Premier Division-winning and Sussex Senior Cup-winning squads at the Rebels in 2022 and 2023. Meekums made over 200 appearances for the Rebels, scoring 40 goals in all competitions. He initially joined the Hornets on dual-registration terms in September 2023 and scored the opening goal in the Sussex Senior Cup final last season, before signing permanently in the summer.
Greg Luer is the Hornets’ most recent signing, after signing in time to play in their victory over Carshalton Athletic on Saturday. Luer departed from Woodside before the start of the season after playing 35 times in 2023/24. He made the move to Whitehawk but left the Hawks two months ago, before joining the Hornets last weekend.
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate for tonight’s match. Gates open at 5.45pm and prices are as follows:
- Adults: £12
- Concession: £7
- Under-16: £4
- Under-6: Free entry
Travel & Parking
We encourage visitors to travel to the ground by public transport wherever possible to reduce congestion and emissions.
Worthing and West Worthing train stations are both approximately a ten-minute walk to the ground. Supporters travelling by rail, please check Southern Rail’s website before your journey. Ensure you leave early and in plenty of time.
The ground is situated in the heart of a residential area and parking is severely restricted on matchdays. We ask supporters to travel together and use public transport where possible. If travelling by car please respect our neighbours by parking considerately.
How to Follow
If you can’t be at the game, you can follow the game via live updates from the club’s official Twitter account. You can also listen to live commentary via the club’s official commentary service.
