Hundreds of young fans turned up to celebrate their non-league team’s greatest-ever season on Friday, but the players were nowhere to be seen.
West Sussex outfit Horsham FC put together plans for a victory parade after a league and cup double in the town centre but seemingly forgot to invite the players.
An estimated 800-1,000 fans gathered around the town’s bandstand, but they weren’t joined by their heroes, and the club has now apologised.
Chairman Kevin Borrett said in a statement: “We sincerely apologise for the disappointment caused by the absence of our men’s first team players at the event, especially for our younger fans who were so excited to meet their heroes.
“We understand how much this meant to you, and we deeply regret that this part of the evening did not meet your expectations.
“The lack of players present has identified some communication lessons on our part, combined with half-term holidays, work commitments, and unexpected personal circumstances, as our players balance their lives as non-full-time professionals.
“Our players and management truly value the support you show them every week.”
The statement continued: “Your passion fuels Horsham FC, and we’re committed to making this right.
“To make it up to our fans, especially our youngest supporters, we will hold an open first-team training session in July as pre-season begins.
“This will be a chance for families to watch training, meet the players, take photos, and create lasting memories with the team. We’ll share full details nearer the time via our website and social media.
“We’re so grateful for the growing number of supporters who fill our stands – you are the foundation of our success. Thank you for standing by us, and we can’t wait to continue the journey with you all next season.”
Horsham won the Isthmian League Premier Division and will now compete in the National League South for the first time in their history.
The Sussex side saw hundreds of fans turnout to celebrate their historic seasonGettyThey also claimed back-to-back Sussex Senior Cups, beating Littlehampton at Brighton’s AmEx stadium for the first cup double in club history.
Due to their success the club began arranging a ‘victory party’ in the town centre featuring food, drinks, music and supposedly the players.
They said in a press release: “Players from all our teams will be on the Carfax Bandstand with all the trophies we have won this season.”
Horsham, founded in 1881, previously made headlines in 2023 when they progressed all the way to the second round of the FA Cup.
They claimed a shock win by beating a Dorking side, who were two leagues above them in the football pyramid, and then wowed again by forcing League One Barnsley to a replay in a 3-3 draw.
They then welcomed the side from five leagues above them to the Sussex town, but lost 3-0 in front of ITV’s cameras.
Horsham were in the news in 2023 for two massive FA Cup upsetsGettyHowever, it later turned out that Barnsley had fielded an ineligible player, and were disqualified, sending Horsham all the way to the second round – a remarkable achievement for a seventh tier side.
There they were defeated 3-0 by League Two Sutton United, but recent progress suggests it wasn’t a flash in the pan and they’re a team on the up.
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