Worthing come into the fixture off a dramatic midweek encounter against Slough Town that saw the Reds have two goals disallowed and a red card was rescinded for the visitors.

In the battle of the ‘Rebels’, the home side got off to the worst possible start. Goalkeeper Josh Jeffries made a glaring error in dealing with a cross, spilling it to Slough forward Nathan Minhas who prodded in.

The Reds responded well and created plenty of chances before the break, but nothing that could beat Slough no.1 Hugo Sobte.

In what was a gripping and dramatic second half; there was utter confusion amongst players and fans alike after five minutes. Dan Bayliss had been shown red for his last-man challenge on Ollie Pearce… or so we thought! After a consultation with his assistant, the referee called back Bayliss, rescinded his red card and awarded a free kick for offside against Pearce.

The forward managed to get the Reds back on level terms in typical fashion soon after though, as he squeezed in his 22nd league goal of the season past Sobte.

Then, another baffling moment between the referee and his assistant followed, substitute Jake Robinson thought he’d won it for the home side, but while he wheeled away in celebration, the officials went over for another consultation. Again, after a chat, they deemed that Danny Cashman (Robinson’s provider) was offside in the build-up and the score remained level.

Into the dying embers, Pearce was played in behind once more before tucking it away, but this time the flag was up right away despite the Worthing protests and for all the drama, it ended level at Woodside.

The result meant that Worthing maintained their second-place position in the league table having now played 29 matches.

 

The Opposition

The Gulls are currently 7th in the National League South table with 45 points from 27 matches so far this season. Gary Johnson’s side drew 1-1 away at Chippenham in midweek following a 2-0 home win against bottom club Dover last Saturday.

Torquay have been on a poor run of late, picking up just one win in their last six outings in all competitions. Their last away win in the league was back in November as they demolished Eastbourne Borough 4-1.

Meet the Opposition

Form
23/1 – Chippenham Town (A) – Drew 1-1
20/1 – Dover Athletic (H) – Won 2-0
13/1 – Hereford (A) – Lost 2-0 (FA Trophy)
6/1 – Eastbourne Borough (H) – 2-2
26/12 – Truro City (H) – Lost 0-1
23/12 – Chelmsford City (A) – Lost 2-0

 

Worn Both Shirts

Aarran Racine joined Torquay in January 2017 on loan from Forest Green Rovers for the rest of the season, however, his debut ended in disaster when in the process of conceding a penalty he suffered an ACL injury that would keep him out for 15 months before linking up with his home town club.

Ricky Aguiar also had a brief loan spell in the south west last season, also suffering an injury during his time there that restricted him to just two appearances for the club.

A third Rebel to enjoy a loan spell with the Gulls is Jake Robinson, who joined from League Two rivals Shrewsbury Town in 2011.

The striker made headlines a few weeks later when he struck two goals against his parent club in a 5-0 win.

He also went on to help them overcome the Shrews in the play-off Semi-Final before eventually being denied promotion by Stevenage in the final at Old Trafford.

Joe Felix also made 9 National League appearances for Torquay during the second half of the 2021/22 season.

 

Previous Meetings

The sides have met just once previously, at the beginning of this season when the Rebels produced a stunning performance to win 3-0 at Plainmoor.

Report

 

Team News

Joe Rye has suffered a slight tear to his hamstring and is likely to be out for up to six weeks while he recovers. Nicky Wheeler and Greg Luer are both nursing groin injuries and are both very doubtful heading into the clash against the Gulls.

Odei Martin Sorondo requires surgery on his knee after suffering a broken meniscus, the midfielder is now likely to be out for the rest of the season.

 

Supporter Information

Happy hour at the Stand Bar will run between 12.30pm – 2pm and 5pm – 6pm once again this weekend. There is a private function booked from 6pm.

Between the times noted above, all drinks on draught will be available for just £4 per pint. Enjoy the Emirates FA Cup matches live on the TV screens at the Stand Bar.

Please Drink Responsibly.

 

Admission Prices

Adults – £16
Concessions – £12
Ages 12-16 – £6
Ages 6-12 – £3
Under 6 – Free

Tickets can be purchased online here – https://tktp.as/EJRRUJ

Alternatively, you can purchase tickets on the day at the gate via cash or card.

Group Prices

1 Adults + 1 Child (6-12) – £17
1 Adults + 2 Child (6-12) – £18
2 Adults + 2 Child (under 16) – £36

As noted above, we strongly advise supporters to purchase tickets online, in advance.