Facing the same opposition that beat them 5-0 a little over a month ago, the Rebels have become a different proposition over the last few weeks.
Paige Baker-Carroll and Marcie Skipp were back in the starting eleven while the recently married Skye Birkinshaw (nee Bacon) returned to the squad alongside U18s Ruby Williams and goalkeeper Nancy Kidd.
The game took a little while to get going in terms of chances, but the hosts offered the first glimpse of goal just shy of the quarter-hour mark.
Eleanor Keegan played a raking pass down the left-hand side for Jess Richardson, who quickly found Nicole Mackay in the middle. The tall striker sent one over the top of the visitors’ backline to release Baker-Carroll, only for her delivery to fizz across an underpopulated penalty area.
Shortly afterwards, the Bees threatened to sting their opponents when Ilana Harris-Walters made hay on the right, although the ever-dangerous Ashley Cheatley couldn’t direct her header on target at the rear upright.
Cheatley was at the heart of Brentford’s next opening, when she fired an effort into the side netting following Mille Constantine’s free-kick.
Fresh from having pummelled Newhaven 8-0 last week, the West Londoners continued to take the match to the home team.
A brilliant run from back to front – via a brief one-two with Cheatley – almost led to the deadlock being broken eight minutes before half-time: Abbi Smith showed a clean pair of heels to more than one Red shirt, as she hugged the left-hand touchline, on her way to picking out teammate Chelsie Berry, though any dagger through the heart was avoided by both Worthing custodian Sian Woods pushing the former Queens Park Rangers forward’s attempt over the bar, around the same time as the near-side assistant referee raised his flag for offside.
Even closer to the interval, Harris-Walters caused some concern for the Reds’ rearguard, until Katie Gilligan ended it all by forcing Woods to raise her hands in the air and, rather than wave them like she just didn’t care, grab the ball instead.
The final action of a closely contested first 45 saw Woods have the final say, pouncing to prevent Makeba Black from sending the Yellows into the break ahead.
However, barely more than 60 seconds after the change of ends, the Bees stung the homesters when they took the lead.
Jess Richardson appeared, to many, to have got the ball during a perfectly timed tackle in the box, only for the man-in-the-middle to point to the spot.
To rub a little more salt in the Worthing wounds, Woods went the right way but was beaten by the power of Maddies Phillips’ fiercely struck 12-yarder.
Not that the lead lasted very long.
Within a matter of minutes, confusion reigned in the Bees’ backline and, while Lucy Potter and goalkeeper Saskia Reeves-Priestly held a brief inquest in the aftermath, Mackay sparked jubilant scenes on the terraces, in the stands and in the home dugout as she rolled the ball into an unguarded net.
Mackay nearly doubled her tally and put her team in front at the same time shortly afterwards, dispossessing a hesitant Potter but lacking the power in her shot as Reeves-Priestly gathered safely.
Although Captain Cleverly blasted a rocket from a long way out onto the top of the net seconds later, fractionally before Ludmila De Sousa became the next change of the afternoon for Worthing, following Ruby Melis’ introduction at the recommencement of proceedings.
Calamity then almost caused a kerfuffle midway through the second period, via Woods coming to the very precipice of her 18-yard box in an attempt to clear the danger posed by a huge kick downfield by her opposite number Reeves-Priestly. Only to end up in a heap on the deck with Smith, leaving the imperious Sophie Richards to head clear.
Almost immediately Smith came even closer, with the crossbar ultimately coming to the Reds’ rescue once Constantine’s low cross had been turned onto the apparatus by the incoming and sliding 15.
A lack of clarity courtesy of Annie Gracey and Baker-Carroll not quite being on the same page had the former unable to get sufficient purchase on Richardson’s run and delivery off the right flank, before the Reds were hit by a familiar sucker punch.
Less than a quarter of an hour remained when substitute Mai Louvrier intercepted the ball in midfield and played an inch-perfect slide rule pass for Ashley Cheatley to take in her stride, advance on goal and calmly stroke beyond Woods.
With both sides looking to avoid the lottery of a penalty shootout, the pair of them tried their best to put the game to bed. Although the clearer openings were carved out by the high-flying travellers, thanks to Constantine’s burst on the right creating an opportunity for Smith, which Woods saved and smothered.
Then, only three minutes from a potentially dramatic conclusion, replacement Renai McRea linked up with Cheatley, but a deflection took the attempt wide, and it was the Bees who were buzzing at the final whistle.
Originally published by Worthing FC ↗