Only one difference to the starting eleven was made by Manager Jesus Cordon, with Izzy Franklin coming in for the stricken Amelia Davies. Chloe Winchester and Jess Richardson also returned to the squad to join Libby Kingshott and Leah Hume on the bench.

It was the home team who turned up the temperature inside the opening two minutes, when a spell of one-touch head tennis resulted in Georgia Tibble, Becs Bell and then Lauren Amerena allowed Dani Lane to bring the ball back down and lay-off to Amerena, who tucked a low shot across ‘keeper Chloe Traves to open the scoring.

Bell then seized on a loose pass on the right to burst between a pair of green/white shirts, reach the byline and force Traves into a near-post parry, at the expense of a corner. Tibble’s set-piece led to Lane’s header being kept out via a combination of the impressive Traves and, finally, off the line by a defensive colleague.

Another glance goalwards by Bell came after a deep left-wing cross was well kept in by Tierney Scott but Becs couldn’t quite keep her effort down.

Scott soon turned from near provider to near scorer when she drilled a low attempt that Traves got well behind at the foot of her near upright, at the end of more fine approach play.

Although Sport’s number one almost got caught out moments later, courtesy of Tibble trying her luck from distance and not missing by much.

Within seconds, Dan Rowe’s ball over the top saw Scott get the better of Traves this time and slot home the Red’s second of the game and her first of what would prove to be a particularly profitable afternoon.

Patience was the key in Eleanor Keegan eventually picking out Lane whose header lacked the power to trouble Traves, on this occasion.

First-half stoppage time put that matter to bed though, thanks to Captain Rowe shrugging off the attentions of Liane Folkenstern to release Scott on the right. ‘T’ drifted inside Jess Fowell before drilling a powerful shot that beat the overworked Traves at her front stick.

Bournemouth made two changes at the break but neither Freya Rolfe nor Katie Kingshott could do anything about Lane’s lovely touch – in front of her own dugout – that gave Rowe the opportunity to lay an inch-perfect pass down the line for Bell to latch onto. Not needing to be asked twice, Becs sped clear prior to sending over a delivery that ran all the way across the penalty area for Amerena, on the half-turn, to fire first-time into the top corner.

Looking to boost their goal difference even further, it didn’t take long for the Rebels to make it five.

Franklin went route one; Scott watched the ball onto her right foot then duly unleashed a venomous half-volley into the net, leaving Traves with no chance; completing a brilliant thirteen-minute hat-trick, either side of half-time.

Both sides, by and large, cancelled each other out for a while until things got lively again, going into the last ten minutes.

A rare sight of goal saw substitute Richardson and Franklin dissected by a ball on the right that found fellow replacement Emily Phillips. The number nine broke (just) into the box and fired in an effort that cannoned back off the inside of the far post and surprised netminder Lauren Dobear; ‘Loz’ only being able to deflect it over the line for a rather harsh own goal. (I gave it to Phillips – Ed.)

Sports were enjoying their best spell of the afternoon but while they appeared to be getting nearer to finding the target again, it would ultimately be a case of “close but no cigar ”for the Dorset-based travellers.

Scott and Richardson then worked a neat one-two on the far left, only for the former’s cross to hit the front stick and rebound out of play for a goal-kick.

Not long afterwards, Hannah Bennett’s flag-kick caused problems, as Worthing struggled to clear their lines. Half-time change Kingshott recycled it, forcing Dolbear to react rapidly by coming out to clear.

A similar incident meant the hosts were continuing to live dangerously; visiting Skipper Hollie Shaw a mere whisker wide with this one.

Unrelenting in their pursuit of further reducing the deficit, Dolbear was forced into departing the relative safety of her eighteen yard area once more. Preventing another fresh-off-the-bench Sophie Lerigo from bagging a nerve-inducing second, for a more than plucky guests.

However, any lingering doubts about where the points may have been heading were quickly put to bed.

An additional three minutes proved sufficient for sub Winchester to turn on Rowe’s short ball forward and offer Tibble the chance to blast an absolute rocket nto the postage stamp.

Barely two minutes later, Tibble set up Scott, as she swivelled on Rowe’s nudge to lift the ball nonchalantly over the Sport’s backline; allowing ‘T’ to do what she does best, taking full advantage of the time and space afforded to her to drive low and hard, while sending custodian Traves the wrong way in the process.