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Dominic Di Paola admitted the onus is now on Horsham to retain their Isthmian Premier status for next season.

It has been a frustrating week for the Hornets. Horsham blew a 2-0 lead in Saturday’s 3-2 home defeat to struggling Brightlingsea Regent - a performance that Di Paola labelled as ‘embarrassing’.

And Tuesday night saw the Hornets exit the Sussex Senior Cup at the semi-final stage after a 3-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion under-23s at Lancing's Culver Road.

Horsham, who sit 14th in the Isthmian Premier, have recorded one league win in eight games and have seen the gap between them and the relegation play-off cut to seven points.

Di Paola said: “We just need a few more points to be certain [of survival] and we need to get them as soon as possible.

“We’ve had a long season. The Brighton semi-final was our 49th game and I feel like we’re a bit jaded.

“But we’ve got some key games coming up and we’ve got to make sure we get some points on the board and stay safe.

“It’s been a tough season, and I think you could see how fresh they [Brighton] were as opposed to how leggy we were.

Captain Jack Brivio is expected to miss Horsham's trip to Wingate & Finchley with a quad injury sustained in the warm-up before Brighton. Picture by Derek Martin Photography and Art

“We’ve just got to pick ourselves up, go again and get some points over the remaining nine league games.

“A couple of wins will ensure we stay out of the dogfight at the bottom. We can then regroup in the summer.”

Goals from Zack Emmerson, Andy Moran and Zak Wilson booked the Seagulls’ place in the Senior Cup final.

Securing safety the priority for Horsham FC after Brighton semi-final defeat