A theme of revenge will be in the air tonight, with the Reds looking to atone for March’s Senior Cup semi-final exit at the hands of the eventual winners at Jubilee Field tonight.
The previous meeting was held at Culver Road, the home of the Sussex FA, where a much-changed Worthing outfit were subject to conceding three goals in the opening 15 minutes in Lancing.
Callum Morton and Brad Dolaghan netted either side of Noel Leighton adding a fourth for Jamie Crellin’s team, but the scoreline proved too steep to overcome and the Bridges advanced into the Senior Cup Final at Brighton & Hove Albion’s American Express Stadium at the Rebels’ expense.
Remarkably, the then Step Four side defied the odds to lift the historic trophy for the very first time in their history, holding their nerve to beat Brighton’s U21s on penalties.
Both Worthing and Three Bridges were also crowned champions of their respective divisions by the end of the season, with the Reds lifting the National League South title and tonight’s opponents finishing top of the Isthmian League South East Division to seal a domestic double.
In the event of this evening’s match ending as a stalemate after 90 minutes, the tie will head straight to a penalty-shootout.
The Opposition
It’s been nearly a fortnight since the Sussex Transport Senior Cup holders played their last competitive match, with various opponents’ involvement in the Emirates FA Cup disrupting their schedule.
On 25th September, the Bridges advanced into the First Round Proper of the FA Trophy courtesy of a routine 3-1 victory over Biggleswade Town.
However, that was only the second time Three Bridges’ had tasted the sweet feeling of success this campaign, with Jamie Crellin’s team struggling to adapt to the step up in quality following last season’s promotion.
Excluding the thrilling 3-2 home win over Carshalton Athletic on Bank Holiday Monday, the team hailing from the Jubilee Field have accrued just two points from eight matches, which sees them lie in 20th place, one point off the bottom of the Isthmian League Premier Division.
Scoring goals isn’t the issue, having struck 16 times in nine matches. In a simply ludicrous statistic, they have netted more goals than both Dartford and Lewes who currently occupy second and fourth place in the division.
The problem lies in defence, with 28 goals conceded the second highest out of the 22 teams, with only Maldon & Tiptree shipping more.
On a positive note for Three Bridges, the campaign is still in its infancy, and a morale-boosting win tonight would stand them in perfect stead ahead of the weekend’s clash with bottom of the league Stanway Rovers.
The Gaffer
Jamie Crellin is rightly heralded by supporters at the Jubilee Field as the man responsible for guiding the club to the proudest moment in their history.
Through an attacking and brave philosophy of football, Crellin masterminded a league and Sussex Senior Cup double last campaign to earn promotion into the seventh tier of English football and permanently etch Three Bridges into the county’s historical records.
Along the way to success, the Bridges caused multiple upsets including knocking out National League South sides Horsham and Worthing before edging out Brighton on home soil in the final.
In the league they breezed to top spot, with an 11-point cushion over runners-up AFC Croydon Athletic and a staggering +80 goal difference.
The 34-year-old was on the books at tonight’s opposition for a four-year spell after making the switch from Hastings United in July 2014. Predominantly, his time at the club was as a captain before an ankle injury prematurely concluded his playing career. He became part of the backroom staff at the club before being named manager in 2021.
Alongside his managerial duties, the UEFA B Coach is also a Physical Education teacher at a local primary school and is the academy director of ACE Football Academy.
One to Watch
The majority of the title-winning team have remained intact this season, with Three Bridges still boasting some feared attacking talent.
Former Worthing player Reece Hallard proved his talents in last year’s final by netting at the American Express Community Stadium, while forward Noel Leighton has scored four goals this term after terrorising the Reds defence in the previous meeting.
However, the Bridges most in-form frontman is Kevin Rivera, with the Spaniard scooping successive Player of the Month awards voted by the Three Bridges faithful.
September saw Rivera net his fifth goal of the season, as well as executing a thunderous strike in the FA Trophy against Biggleswade.
Form Guide
Three Bridges
Form: WDLLL
Three Bridges 0-1 Kingstonian
St Albans City 4-0 Three Bridges
Whitehawk 3-2 Three Bridges | Scorers: Noel Leighton & Ade Adeyinka
Three Bridges 3-3 Leatherhead | Scorers: Sam Bull, Reece Hallard & Kevin Rivera
Biggleswade 1-3 Three Bridges | Scorers: Charlie Bennett x2 & Kevin Rivera
Worthing FC
Form: WDWWW
Worthing FC 1-0 Hornchurch FC | Scorer: Ricky Aguiar
Hartlepool United 1-3 Worthing FC | Scorers: Cory Adjetey-Brew, Ricky Aguiar & Jose Marquez
Worthing FC 2-1 FC Halifax Town | Scorers: Joe Cook & Jordan Young
Yeovil Town 1-1 Worthing FC | Scorer: Razzaq Coleman De-Graft
Gateshead 1-2 Worthing FC | Scorers: Jack Wadham & Alex Lankshear (O.G)
Tickets
Tickets and Admission
Please note, supporters can purchase tickets online before 5pm on the day of the match. Tickets are available to purchase through their website here: Three Bridges vs Worthing FC Tickets
Admission Prices
Adults: £12
Concessions: £6
U12s: FREE (with a paying adult).
Match tickets are available in advance and discounted online. Admission will also be pay on the gate and card preferred.
HOW TO FOLLOW
If you can’t be at the game, you can follow the game via live updates from the club’s official Twitter account.
Or if you prefer, you can watch Behind- the-Scenes access over on our Instagram account.
You can also listen to live commentary through the club’s official commentary service or watch the match live on DAZN
Originally published by Worthing FC ↗