It was another victory by the finest of margins. Yet as the night drew in and the floodlights beamed bright above, these three points feel as good as any as the gap narrows, race intensifies. It’s only January and already it’s beginning to feel like a sprint to the finish.

So, how was this one decided? When a win arrives for Worthing it feels like it’s either the gentlest stroll in the park or a nail-biting, excruciating finish. This could have gone either way. Any game this close come the full time whistle can always cause a late surprise. Worthing know this too well.

Weymouth are a side struggling at the foot of the table. But as the new year arrives there’s always a fresh mindset and this was always going to cause issues for a Worthing side who have had difficulty sweeping aside teams near the bottom of the pile.

Danny Cashman and Mo Faal could have eased early nerves, but would see their respective efforts travel off target. The intensity was there, the angles were present, and the vibes were gleaming. Woodside Road was a fantastic place. All it needed was a goal.

Fast forward to the five minutes to five and this is exactly true, for Temi Babalola’s strike with 24 minutes played proved the difference. It was a fine finish, too: Joel Colbran slipping the forward in behind with a well-weighted pass, and the finish into the corner was absolute.

So, there’s your game, sealed with aplomb. Worthing continued to pile on the pressure, placing it to the flanks, bombarding the Weymouth box. Babalola had another attempt and could have doubled his side’s advantage.

Then the half-time whistle blew and everyone took a quick pause. When the second half began 15 minutes later, the tide had turned. Hastily the pendulum was with the visitors: Corey Jordan had Chris Haigh speaking, but the ‘keeper did well to get down low to the ball.

The resistance was halted, and soon the Reds were back crafting chances of their own. Cashman hit over, Faal struck straight at Will Buse and Nicky Wheeler had a low effort that stung the palms of the ‘keeper as the scoreline remained.

In the week Chris Agutter had added to new faces to his ranks, only that one of them was very much an old face to those at Woodside Road. That’s to come, for Ruben Carvalho was the first to join the fray, on for goalscorer and eventual match winner Babalola.

Odei Martin Sorondo. Here he was, back gracing familiar turf. He was on now, ready and determined to help close out the win. It was a late onslaught from the visitors – it often is. Worthing dropped deeper, but as the pressure piled on the cool heads emerged. Sam Beard produced a wonderful tackle late on, then Jack Spong put his body on the line in the dying moments. The ball just wouldn’t go in for Weymouth.

Three more points. With games in hand and other sides dropping points, every victory seems crucial. It wasn’t the easiest or the prettiest, but the final result is unquestionably the sweetest.