Last week’s win against Weston-super-Mare helped the Reds secure 3rd place in the National League South – the highest league finish in the Club’s history.

It was another dramatic encounter that started with the visitors taking the lead inside five minutes before Brad Dolaghan levelled the scores some 10 minutes in.

The Rebels completed a quick turnaround two minutes later as Jack Spong scored his third in two games, but the sides were level again on 22 minutes after an own goal by Joel Colbran.

Ollie Pearce converted a fine free-kick into the top left corner on 40 minutes to give Worthing another 3-2 lead into half time, as they did against St Albans in their previous match.

Skipper Colbran made amends for his first-half own goal as he extended his side’s lead on 65 minutes. News then reached the Sussex Transport Community Stadium that Chelmsford had been pegged back away at Chippenham which meant the Rebels were a goal away from a second-place finish. They huffed and puffed towards the end of the contest but couldn’t find a way through and had to settle for third.

It was however a sixth win in a row for Aarran Racine’s side as they take a fantastic run of form with them into the Play-Offs.

 

The Opposition

The Stones finished their league season on a high, with eight wins, one draw and one defeat in their final ten matches. It has already been an historic one for the Kent side after they reached the 5th Round of the Emirates FA Cup where they eventually lost out to Coventry City. George Elekobi’s side are now looking to complete a remarkable season by earning promotion back to non-league’s top flight at the first time of asking.

Maidstone came from behind to defeat Aveley in the Play-Off Eliminator in midweek. After going into the break trailing 1-0, the Stones equalised on the hour mark through Matt Rush, before Mo Faal scored an injury-time winner.

Last Six
24/04 – Aveley (H) – Won 2-1 (Play-Off Eliminator)
20/04 – Hampton & Richmond (H) – Won 5-1
13/04 – Truro City (A) – Lost 3-1
09/04 – Weymouth (H) – Won 2-0
06/04 – Farnborough (A) – Won 0-1
03/04 – Taunton Town (A) – Won 0-1

Meet the Opposition

 

Familiar Faces

The Play-Off Semi-Final will see two former Rebels return to the Sussex Transport Community Stadium.

Michael Klass joined the Stones from Worthing back in March.

After joining the Rebels from Aldershot last summer, Klass made 32 appearances for the Reds in all competitions this season.

The 25-year-old had an extended run in the team between January and February, his longest run of consecutive appearances this season, before his suspension that kept him out of contention for the encounters with Chelmsford and Taunton.

Since then, Klass featured at Chippenham but was left out of Racine’s squad against Bath City on Sunday and the midfielder now moves onto pastures new with Maidstone United.

Covolan made 66 appearances for the Rebels between 2017-2019 and was a fan-favourite at Woodside Road during that time.

He moved on to then-National League side Torquay United in 2019 before moving to Port Vale in League Two a couple of years later. Covolan joined Maidstone at the start of the season and has helped the Stones to have the joint-second-best defensive record in the league this term.

 

Previous Meetings

In the two league meetings this season, both sides won one game each and quite comfortably on both occasions, too. At Gallagher Stadium, it was the Stones who earned all three points with a dominant 4-0 win.

But, in the reverse fixture later in December, the Rebels won 5-1 with a hattrick from Ollie Pearce and goals from Danny Cashman and Jake Robinson secured the points.

We’ve got Previous

 

Team News

Aarran Racine confirmed that he has a fully fit squad to choose from for Sunday’s Play-Off Semi-Final.

 

Supporter Information

With a sell-out crowd in attendance for Sunday’s Play-Off Semi-Final against Maidstone United, there will be additional food and drink outlets located around the ground to ensure supporters have the best possible matchday experience. Take a look at the map below for a visual guide on where to find these amenities.

We would also like to take this opportunity to remind supporters that all tickets have now sold out for Sunday’s match which means there are no more tickets available and none will be made available for purchase on the day. If you do not have a ticket, please do not travel as you will not be permitted into the ground without one.

 

Parking

The ground is situated in the heart of a residential area and parking is severely restricted on matchdays. We ask supporters to travel together and use public transport where possible. If travelling by car please respect our neighbours by parking considerately.

 

How to Follow

If you can’t make the game you can follow the game via the club’s official Twitter account, or through live commentary provided by rebelyell.live.

The match will also be broadcast live on National League TV. You can purchase a match pass now for £9.50 here – https://www.nationalleaguetv.com/packages