Dorking Wanderers, who compete usually in the National League South, were on the receiving end of an FA Cup defeat to Isthmian Premier League side Horsham.

Following three games without a win in the League, fans expected Dorking to turn their form around with an easier fixture in the FA Cup qualification round two. However, an 85th minute winner from Chris Dickson meant Horsham made the short trip home happy, as they progressed to the next round of qualification.

Full-Time ⏱️

Wanderers bow out of the @EmiratesFACup

Good luck to @HorshamFC in the next round 🤝

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— Dorking Wanderers FC (@DorkingWDRS) September 14, 2024

Horsham are clearly making a habit of doing well against teams in the higher divisions, they forced a replay against Barnsley in the first round last year.

What did Marc Wright say after the game?

Dorking Wanderers manager, Marc Wright, has always been brutally honest with the media. After the loss to Horsham, Wright pulled no punches.

Speaking to DWTV, the clubs official YouTube channel, Wright said: “I’m really disappointed for the Supporters.

“I’ve got to be honest, the players were f*****g terrible, and it’s not acceptable.

“I think Horsham, in every sense of the word, deserved to win the game. They created by far the better chances.”

In the current climate of footballers and their managers being media trained beyond comprehension, it’s refreshing to hear honesty from Wright, who continued:

“I thought the better team won today, and I am fuming with the players. I’ll stand here every day of the week and take responsibility, but we got everything tactically right the whole time, and the players were pitiful.

“Obviously, we’re going to keep working hard to turn things around.”

Moving on to the subject of his players, and perhaps an explanation of why he thinks the performance was so poor, Wright said: “Some of the players that have been here a long time, are they as interested? We know they’re great players, but are they as interested as they were?

“Some of the ex-Football League boys, are they as interested as they were when they were playing in cup finals and having huge careers. I’ve got to question the will, because we weren’t determined enough.”

Summing up how fans were feeling, Wright admitted: “The team we put out today should beat Horsham, but Horsham deserved the win.

“When things go against us, we are w**k.”

As a prime example of Wright’s dedication to improving the squad, he made it clear he’ll expect the players to do better from now on: “If there’s not a marked improvement in their aggression, togetherness and desire; then we’ll go to training three evenings, not mornings.

“If they think they’re gonna come in and eat scrambled egg, and f*****g Cheerios… they’ve got another thing coming.

“They will be training three times a week on a f*****g tennis court, with me running them up and down and then getting home at midnight, if they don't have a good week this week.”