After a titanic cup tussle at Exeter last Sunday, it was back to the bread and butter of fighting for three points. A much-changed starting line-up had Amelia Davies, in for the injured Izzy Franklin, Eleanor Keegan, Lauren Amerena and Becs Bell named on the teamsheet, as Manager Jesus Cordon shuffled his pack. Sophie Humphrey and Katie Young, alongside the previously cup-tied pair of Leah Hume and Lily Dalton made for a strong looking bench, with goalkeeper Libby Kingshott ensuring the hosts were amply covered in all areas.
It only took three minutes for the aforementioned Tibble to make her mark on the game, via Holly Talbut-Smith’s right wing cross being brought down in the eighteen yard box by Bell and the midfield maestro flashing a venomous volley a fraction the wrong side of the post.
Shortly afterwards, a neat team move ended at the feet of Tierney Scott, courtesy of Dani Lane’s fine touch but debutant visiting netminder Maddie Noakes stood up tall to block at point-bank range.
Scott was then inches wide when she glanced another right-sided delivery narrowly off target, as the guests, a separate entity from the other Southampton, continued to withstand the pressure.
Not that the Rebels had things all their own way and, indeed, could have fallen behind not once but twice inside a minute.
On both occasions Eliska Lynn was played through the middle, only for her first shot to whistle a whisker wide, followed almost immediately by a second bite at the cherry which home goalie Lauren Dolbear kept out at close quarters.
Eventually though, the Reds found a breakthrough. Persistence proved to be the key, thanks to Dan Rowe with flag-kicks number one and two on the left, before Dani Lane rose to head in Tibble’s third from the other side.
That goal arrived within ten minutes of the half-time interval and a second wasn’t long in coming.
Once Tibble had teased us, care of a corner that Emily Linscer had hooked over the crossbar, Southampton’s attempts at clearing their lines were declared fruitless and Tibble on the half-turn made theme pay, due to a superb whipped conclusion to a sequence that had begun with the goalscorer herself and partner-in-crime Bell forcing the away side’s hand.
The torment didn’t end there, as Captain Rowe received a short corner back from Tibble, curling it oh so close in added time at the end of the first forty-five.
Although there was still enough time left for the Sea Greens to be (surely) sunk by a double G(&)T. Manisha Kaur became the maiden entry into the referee’s notebook for sending Scott crashing to the ground, paving the way for Rowe’s byline free-kick to find Linscer lurking just outside the penalty area, Noakes to spill her low fizzing effort and the alert Tibble to pounce on the loose ball.
Despite Southampton making a change at the break, in the shape of Emma Hutton coming on for Isobel Conti,initially not much else seemed to have changed; Rowe swept play out to Scott on the left who proceeded to take on her marker, prior to cutting inside and laying off for Lane to lace a smidging away from the upright.
If the (relative) shock of seeing ‘G’ bag a brace off her ‘wrong’ foot felled some, the feeling was less palpable when the Hampshire-based travellers pulled one back, out of nigh on nothing.
Always carrying a threat on the break, the match got given a whole new outlook thanks to opposing Skipper Izzie Thorogood getting to the byline before sending over a cross-cum-shot that went all the way in.
Though Lane was inches away from rapidly restoring the two-goal cushion, stooping to conquer a corner kick cleverly picking her out in the danger zone, courtesy, once more, of Tibble.
At three-one it was still anyone’s game and Worthing were forced to protect their lead again following a fearsome foray down their right that only ended when Lynn hit the net-supporting post from a tight angle.
A little more than a quarter-of-an-hour remained at the point of Scott embarking on a left-sided surge and well-struck welly where Noakes was able to deny.
Driving forward not long after, Talbut-Smith set up substitute Hume for a daring dropshot which didn’t miss by much, as a green mist descended.
Cats and pigeons played their part next, due to a deviant backpass leading to Dolbear departing her net to deal with a caper that left all those in Red, in the end, breathing a huge sigh of relief. Though not before Thorogood had bounced the ball off the top of the bar and behind for a goal-kick, off a now well-worn part of the byline.
The game might have been put to bed when replacement Humphrey was set free to burst into the box by Rowe but couldn’t quite find the target.
Then, finally, deep into stoppage time, N-n-n-n-nineteen’s number was nearly up when, for the third time, some back stick dalliance by Thorogood required the intervention of Dolbear’s right hand to tip away from the top corner and frustrate the guest’s Skip one last time.
