Horsham FC boss wants referee assessors to put less pressure on match officials after Kingstonian win

Referees in England have come under increasing scrutiny, with a number of high profile Premier League managers and players clashing with match officials in recent weeks.

And Di Paola admitted referees who were being assessed in a match were under immense pressure, likening the experience to ‘doing your driving test in front of 1,000 people’.

He said: “There’s a flaw in the system, I’ve said it so many times. Assessors shouldn’t make it so refs are aware that they’re there. They should turn up, watch the game, go in the changing room at the end of the game and give them their feedback.

“I felt a bit sorry for him to be honest. It’s like doing your driving test in front of 1,000 people. When you do your test the last thing you want is 1,000 people watching.

“He kept getting muddled up. I think in the back of his mind he was thinking, someone’s watching me so I’ve got to do well.”

On Saturday, Jack Brivio’s second half strike, his first of the season, clinched the Hornets’ first Isthmian Premier victory since mid-September.

Horsham controlled proceedings, leaving keeper Mitch Beeney a virtual bystander, but couldn’t turn their dominance into more goals.

Di Paola added: “It was one of our most dominant games ever I would have said. We just didn’t quite create enough and the chances we did create, we didn’t take them.

“We had a look at the stats and they didn’t have a single shot on target, no corners, two crosses in 90 minutes. It was a good 1-0, a good clean sheet, so we’re really happy with that.”

Striker Daniel Ajakaiye limped off on Saturday with barely 15 minutes on the clock, but Hornets fans would’ve been heartened to see Lee Harding on the bench and Charlie Hester-Cook take part in the pre-match warm up.

Di Paola continued: “He [Ajakaiye] can’t walk at the moment. We think it’s just an impact [injury] but we think he might be out for a couple of weeks.

“Hester-Cook will probably be [back in] November. He’s been a big loss for us so far this season. I’m fairly certain we would’ve got another five or six points from him on the pitch.

“Lee will get some minutes soon. We just have to manage his knee.”

Sixth-placed Horsham visit Hornchurch, in fifth, this Saturday.

Meanwhile, a date and time has been set for the Hornets’ home Velocity Trophy third round tie with Whitehawk.

The cup holders will entertain the Hawks, who boast former Horsham favourites Charlie Harris, Will Miles, Rob O’Toole and Joe Shelley, on Tuesday, November 1, kick-off 7.45pm.