Shorn of the talents of Jess Richardson and Eleanor Keegan, Manager Jesus Cordon brought Ruby Melis and Skye Birkinshaw into the starting line-up. While the subs’ bench included new signing Kendall Varitek and youth team graduate Hattie Rainey.
Barely had the game got underway, though, and Sian Woods was already picking the ball out of her net, inside the opening minute.
The hosts broke quickly and, despite Amelia Halawi appearing to be at least two yards offside, the Tangerines’ forward stroked home Sofia Allan’s incisive through ball to put her side in front.
Allan nearly struck again moments later, only this time Woods calmly claimed the number seven’s 20-yarder.
Worthing hit back when Annie Gracey’s shot hit the post from outside the penalty area, before home custodian Libby Stratten denied Nicole Mackay on the follow-up.
Back up the other end, brave goalkeeping by the indomitable Woods ensured that Dilara Sucuoglu couldn’t double the deficit, as she held on at full stretch.
Ashford’s Allan was leading the Red’s rearguard a merry dance, appearing right across the front line. Especially when she burst down the left wing, got the better of visiting Skipper Holly Talbut-Smith and skipped along the byline, until Woods stood in her way once more.
Worthing’s last line of defence answered the call to arms again by getting down at the feet of Allan to frustrate the forward on a third occasion, in the final action of an intriguing opening half.
Although the two teams were at opposite ends of the table prior to kick-off, merely goal difference had separated them.
The Rebels had also suffered a heavy defeat to Bromley but battled to a draw at Newhaven on their only previous trips this season.
Trailing by just a single goal at the break, in the shadow of Heathrow Airport, Varitek was handed her debut off the bench as she came on for Neve McEvaddy.
However, chances proved to be at a premium for both sides until the hour mark. Basking in the Autumnal sunshine, Alice Frise did anything but; forcing a flag-kick via Woods’ latest stop.
Unfortunately though, Sucuoglu’s unmarked header from the resulting set-piece punished the travellers, who now had a (small) mountain to climb.
Rebels’ fighting spirit then shone through, courtesy of a corner of their own. Ruby Melis’ inch-perfect delivery drew an improvised backheel-cum-flick off the boot of Paige Baker-Carroll, who utilised the upright for extra purchase, to bring the guests back into the contest.
Sadly though, Worthing were architects of their own downfall a couple of minutes later. Ludmila De Sousa hadn’t been on the pitch long when she inadvertently brought down Mhairi Crooks in the 18-yard box.
The same player dusted herself down to hammer the spot-kick home and rapidly restore the homester’s two-goal advantage.
The Portuguese protagonist nearly made up for the error soon afterwards though; stretching to reach Birkinshaw’s low cross but was, agonisingly, unable to make any contact.
In an increasingly tight division, where anybody can beat anybody, centre-half Sophie Richards became the next red shirt to attack the home target, only for her header from Melis’ latest dead-ball delivery to go over the bar.
Looking to put the game to bed, however, the Stripes of Ashford caused opposing netminder Woods to add to her collection of wonder saves, as the young Brighton & Hove Albion loanee parried a Chanel Morris effort around the front stick for a corner.
While that might have failed to procure a further attempt on goal, it didn’t take long for a fourth strike to seemingly put the result beyond doubt.
Halawi made her way along the right flank, skirted across the byline and laid an opportunity on a
plate for Crooks to bundle over the goal line, albeit with more than a hint of handball.
By this point, an over-zealous referee had deemed fit to issue a red card to Boss Cordon for enquiring as to why the match official had not seen an incident right next to him.
A decision (or lack of) that Captain Talbut-Smith also disagreed with a few minutes later to earn herself ten minutes in the Sin Bin.
A little over ten to go and Worthing were made to pay for defensive mistakes, via Halawi bagging her brace by tapping into an unguarded net.
Marcie Skipp might have pulled a goal back in the penultimate 60 seconds of a match that had slowly run away from the Reds but, despite being clean through, the sixteen-year-old full-back could only find the gloves of Stratten.
To rub salt in the wounds, Ashford would score again in stoppage time, thanks to replacement Cristie Pritchard getting caught in possession on the half-way line, and fellow substitute Lily Belle Kingland took full advantage.
Bursting clear, the diminutive attacker left everyone trailing in her wake as she ultimately squeezed her shot in from a seemingly impossible angle.
The final whistle couldn’t have come sooner for the travelling soldiers, who are back on the road again this upcoming weekend with a visit to Pagham in the Sussex Women’s Challenge Cup.
Originally published by Worthing FC ↗