After picking up their first away points of the season with victory at Saltdean last week, Manager John Donoghue made two changes to the starting eleven for the visit of a number of former players and Boss Andy Burling. Lucy Apps came in for her maiden start of the campaign, as regular right-back Keavy Price was rested to the bench alongside Chloe Lelliott, with Rebecca Simmons moving up.

AFC made a bright start but it was the home team who created the opening opportunity of the afternoon, when Amy Critchfield played a slide rule pass for Gemma Worsfold to latch onto but goalkeeper Lani Smith was out smartly to smother, at the expense of a corner.

Ella Newman became the second red shirt to be denied by Smith in the space of a couple of minutes, as she ran onto a long ball over the top by Katie Young and burst into the box where she fired straight at the Marigold’s number one.

Next, a huge clearance from Charlie Carter deceived Millie Crowhurst and led to Worsfold breaking clear, only for her attempted lob, just outside the area to drop the wrong side of the near post.

Shortly afterwards, Critchfield, on the right, supplied Sara Tubby to her left and her dinked delivery into the danger zone was hit first time towards the target by Sophie Humphrey, though Smith ensured the game remained goalless with a fine one-handed stop.

Midway through the first forty-five Worthing went ahead, when Simmons’ long, accurate punt upfield beat the guest’s offside trap, allowing Worsfold to take it on and calmly slot, out of the reach of Smith, into the bottom corner.

Provider nearly turned scorer moments later, as Humphrey slipped Simmons in via the inside-right channel but, once again, Smith was there to parry behind for a flag-kick.

Unfortunately for the otherwise impressive netminder, she then blotted her copybook by failing to hold on to Newman’s subsequent set-piece, leaving Worsfold with an easy tap-in to an empty net at the back stick, to make it two for her and the homesters.

The width of the crossbar was all that kept out Tubby, who’s spectacular effort from virtually the left-hand touchline had Smith beaten all ends up.

A brief break in proceedings saw Simmons receive treatment for a knock to her right leg, although, thankfully she recovered to race to the byline with a forward ball by Apps before picking out Newman on the edge of the six yard box, where an impressive first time finish saw Reds head into the break with a comfortable three-goal cushion.

Captain Hannah Hewlettsent Worsfold flying down the right wing in the early stages of the second period, with the ten getting the better of Harriet McKellar and crossing close to the byline. On a hat-trick, it took a fine one-handed deflection onto the bar via the finger tipped gloves of Smith to prevent the matchball being claimed.

Worsfold continued to cause problems for ‘golds who had their custodian to thank once more when she frustrated the Worthing striker. Humphrey providing the opportunity.

Great skill by Young left Chloe Cairns trailing in her wake and a weighted ball sent Newman scampering into the box, where she cut inside two more striped shirts before laying back to Worsfold to scuff into the hands of Smith.

Humphrey then came within inches of adding to the host’s tally, after a delightful reverse pass by Newman into the eighteen area resulted in her pulling her attempt a fraction away from the far stick.

An identical outcome on the end of a long ball off the right boot of Carter mirrored Young’s effort with her weaker left foot, a short while later.

A fourth goal finally arrived after sub Lelliott seized on a miscued clearance to chip forward for Worsfold to win a fifty-fifty challenge with the onrushing Smith and complete her treble, when the ball ran loose as a result.

Lelliott had been denied by Cairns’ perfectly-timed sliding tackle preceding the goal and wreaked further havoc for the visitors as she initiated a neat buildup around the edge of the penalty area, culminating in Worsfold teeing up Tubby to fizz a low one a hair’s breadth past the opposite upright.

Any lingering hopes the away team may have still faintly harboured were quickly extinguished by Humphrey, nine minutes from time.

Charlotte Tudor gifted possession straight to Hewlett, who soon put Humphrey through to cut inside both Tudor and Crowhurst and blast into the top corner.

One last hurrah concluded some neat approach work that commenced with Young in her own half locating Newman further forward and another reverse pass that let in Worsfold, who took the shot early but couldn’t get sufficient power behind it.