Horsham vs Eastbourne Town

Horsham took just four minutes to open the scoring. Greg Luer delivered an early cross from the flank and Nadesan, making his home debut since signing for the National League South side in June, calmly tapped in his first goal in a Horsham shirt.

Three minutes later, the Hornets doubled their lead. Luer turned provider again, pulling the ball back for the onrushing Rodrigues, who slid in to poke the ball home against Eastbourne Town — a club he spent two loan spells with over the previous two seasons.

Horsham dominated possession throughout the opening half. Rodrigues nearly turned creator with a floated cross for Nadesan, but the striker could not direct his header inside the right-hand post. James Hammond, in his first start after returning from his honeymoon, drilled an effort from the edge of the box just wide.

Luer thought he had turned scorer on 16 minutes when he backheeled in a low cross from Charlie Hester-Cook, but the goal was correctly ruled out for offside.

The game took a sour turn moments later when Rodrigues went down clutching his knee off the ball. The Brazilian winger received treatment but could not continue and was substituted to applause from the home supporters.

Eastbourne Town's first attempt arrived on 26 minutes when a free-kick was launched into the area, but the resulting shot flew over Sam Howes' goal. Luer then forced a fingertip save from the Eastbourne goalkeeper with a sublime strike from range.

Horsham's pressure finally told again just before half-time. Hester-Cook's strike was spilled by the goalkeeper, and Nadesan was on hand to poke home the rebound for his second goal of the game.

Half-time: Horsham 3-0 Eastbourne Town

The second half was a quieter affair. Di Paola made several changes, introducing Jamie Yila — fresh from a brace and assist against Wimbledon U18s on Tuesday — and a number of trialists. Yila immediately caused problems down the right, teeing up Hester-Cook whose effort flew just over the bar.

Harvey Sparks whipped in a ball from the left for a trialist, but the header went high and wide. Substitutes Archy Taylor and Lucas Pattenden combined well down the right, with Pattenden laying off to a trialist whose attempted chip to the far post was slightly overhit.

The game was effectively decided inside the opening eight minutes. Horsham's blistering start — two goals from their first two real attacks — gave them complete control before Eastbourne Town had settled. Rodrigues' early injury, while concerning for the Hornets, did not alter the momentum; Horsham's midfield, led by Hester-Cook and Hammond, continued to dictate the tempo.

• Ashley Nadesan (Horsham) — Two goals on his home debut, the first a composed tap-in from a Luer cross, the second a poacher's finish from a spilled shot. The 31-year-old former Fleetwood and Crawley striker showed exactly why Di Paola made him the club's marquee summer signing.
• Greg Luer (Horsham) — Provided two assists inside the first eight minutes (a cross for Nadesan and a pull-back for Rodrigues) and forced an excellent save from the Eastbourne goalkeeper. His movement and link-up play were a constant threat.
• Charlie Hester-Cook (Horsham) — Central to everything Horsham did in midfield. His strike forced the spill that led to Nadesan's second goal, and he came close himself after the break from a Yila lay-off.

Player of the match: Ashley Nadesan

While detailed match statistics are not available for this friendly, the pattern is clear from the narrative. Horsham created three first-half goals from 1.36 xG worth of high-quality chances (two tap-ins and a close-range finish from a spill), while Eastbourne Town managed only one speculative effort from a free-kick in the opening 45 minutes. The second-half introduction of trialists and substitutes reduced the game's intensity, but Horsham's defensive discipline — earning their first clean sheet of pre-season after conceding five in the previous two friendlies — was a notable improvement.

Horsham continue their unbeaten pre-season build-up ahead of their second-ever National League South campaign. Di Paola's side have scored 12 goals in three friendlies and will look to maintain momentum in their remaining pre-season fixtures. The potential injury to Rodrigues is a concern, given the Brazilian's importance as a game-changer on the wing.

Eastbourne Town, who compete at Step 4 of the non-league pyramid, will take positives from their defensive organisation in the second half but will need to sharpen up in the final third before their Southern Combination League campaign begins.

A thoroughly professional first-half performance from Horsham, who blew away a lower-league opponent with three goals in 35 minutes. Nadesan's debut brace suggests the Hornets may have found the reliable finisher they lacked at times last season. The injury to Rodrigues casts a shadow, but Di Paola will be pleased with the clean sheet and the continued sharpness of his attacking unit.