Match Preview

Despite a lowly league position, in-form Worthing are one of the best supported teams in the Bostik Premier with an average crowd of more than 500.

At the time of writing, only championship chasers Billericay and Dulwich attract larger attendances, which perhaps demonstrates the strong tradition and staunch support of the Sussex side.

Loyalty among the Rebels has no doubt helped the club through dark days, including a fairly recent financial crisis that threatened oblivion. The saviour proved to be an ex-youth team player whose own career had been ruined by a serious car crash. The accident, in 2010, left George Dowell confined to a wheelchair and paralysed from the chest down.

Until Mr Dowell came to the rescue, there had been much uncertainty at Woodside Road during 2014/15, with the squad budget “scrapped” for a spell to keep the sea-siders afloat.

He became the new owner and Chairman, with heavy investment involving wiping out all of the club’s debts, funding a new 3G pitch, creation of a sports bar and café, plus ongoing general improvements to the squad and stadium. The benefactor has injected more than £800,000 into the venture, over just a couple of years.

The project also included setting up a football centre to help create a “community hub” at the venue, with the new artificial surface a key feature of ambitious plans.

This week, Mr Dowell announced he was “stepping aside” as Chairman but remaining on the board. In a statement on the Worthing FC website, the owner explained the new executive, Pete Stone, should provide “extra skills and experience” for the “next stage of growth and development”.

Rewinding a few years, to look at on-the-field fortunes, the Rebels finished sixth in the South Division at the end of that dramatic 2014/15 effort and eventually earned highly-prized Bostik Premier status a year later, via the play-offs. An “extraordinary” semi-final at Woodside Road saw Hythe demolished 7-0, before a crowd of nearly 2,000 witnessed a decisive 3-0 triumph over Faversham in the final.

Last term, the first in the Isthmian top flight for around a decade, concluded with a respectable 14th place.

However, problems with the artificial surface at the start of 2017/18 caused considerable disruption because of the condition of the pitch. It failed FIFA quality inspections and a Worthing statement at the start of the-then fresh campaign reported issues since installation, a few years ago.
Some early-season home fixtures had to be “reversed” and the Rebels reported problems stretching back to 2015. In August, the West Sussex outfit asserted: “Continual flooding has now caused movement in the stone-base underneath the surface which has resulted in the pitch becoming uneven.”
Nyewood Lane, along the coast at Bognor, became a temporary sanctuary for the Mackerels.

On the positive side, popular former manager Adam Hinshelwood returned in September. He had been in charge previously, including steering the side through the challenging 2014/15 period, before being offered a full-time role as manager of Brighton & Hove Albion’s Under 18s.

The Oxford-born boss notched up a century of matches as a player in a Seagulls’ shirt, between 2002 and 2009. Moves to Aldershot Town and Wycombe Wanderers followed, but a persistent knee injury ended his career prematurely.

Prior to re-joining the Rebels shortly after the start of this season, the 34 year-old manager was at Hastings United, where he also ran the U’s academy.

The one-time Albion defender has again proved a steadying influence and the Mackerel Men have a realistic chance of avoiding relegation.

Recent results involved a brilliant 2-1 triumph over big-spending Billericay (March 3), a 2-2 draw against Harlow (February 17) and impressive 3-2 win over promotion hopefuls Folkestone (February 10). Defeat was suffered at the hands of Harrow (0-1), in Middlesex on February 24.

The latest outing required a trip to Staines, on Tuesday (March 6), and an entertaining encounter ended 3-3.

The last meeting with the Angels concluded in a 2-0 success at Sussex by the sea, on December 9.

Saturday’s success over the-then league leaders attracted a crowd of 1,163, the best so far at Woodside Road. Spectators witnessed two goals in three minutes (71 and 74) from Kieron Pamment, with an equaliser from the visitors’ Jake Robinson sandwiched in between.

The generously-funded Essex team are scheduled to visit West Kent on Tuesday March 13 (7.45pm), just a few days after the clash with the Rebels.

The Bostik Premier match between Tonbridge and Worthing at Longmead Stadium, Darenth Avenue, on Saturday March 10 is a 3pm kick-off.