A raft of injuries and illness left the visitors only able to name two substitutes, although despite this Lily Dalton in for Holly Talbut-Smith was the only change from the side that beat Southampton Women three weeks ago.

Fresh from their winter break, it was the Reds who took the game to their hosts in the embryonic stages. In fact, they had the ball in the net after a mere three minutes, thanks to Emily Linscer converting Georgia Tibble’s right-sided free-kick, once Dani Lane had helped it on. Though it would be that penultimate touch that would force the assistant referee’s hand and the strike was rightly ruled out for offside.

Another close call soon followed, this time it required the defensive qualities of Imogen Jones to clear Becs Bell’s effort off the line, with Tierney Scott picking out her team mate to create the opening.

Home number one Isla Withyman also needed to show sharp reflexes when diverting Lane’s attempt to safety, following a slide-rule pass by Dalton and we’d still played less than ten minutes.

However, Worthing were almost punished for their relative profligacy when Shannon Holloway
burst through the inside-right channel but Lauren Dolbear prevented the home Captain from putting her team in front, at the expense of a corner.

Normal service resumed within a few short moments, courtesy of Bell cutting inside her marker and forcing a similar-style parry out of Withyman also for a flag-kick.

It was, therefore, somewhat against the run of play when Abigail Hughes’ contact on a right wing delivery somehow beat a scrambling Dolbear, to sneak its way into the net and hand Portishead a slightly unexpected lead, on the half-hour mark.

Not that Town held the upper hand for very long, as five minutes later Tibble spread the ball out wide to Scott who did the rest by driving low and hard across the ‘keeper to level the score once more.

Things quietened down for a little while after that, to leave the match deadlocked going into the break.

The first quarter of the second period though more than made up for a brief lull !

Lane started it and Lauren Amerena finished it, via a pass straight through the centre that the winger took in her stride and, following a brief moment when Withyman looked to have stopped the danger, the ball ran loose to hand ‘Loz’ an opportunity she gobbled up with glee.

Two rapidly became three shortly afterwards, with Amerena at the heart of the action again. For it was her run on the left and drift past Phoebe Tate which provided the platform for Tibble to stroke home with consummate-looking ease.

Less than sixty seconds further on, a puff of smoke signalled the searing pace of Bell steaming down the right and still having the wherewithal to flash a well-struck attempt across Withyman to render the hosts shellshocked and register a fourth of the afternoon.

In fact, it took a yellow-card tackle by Karly Norman to put a (brief) stop to Bell’s progress, just past the hour mark. Pulling Becs back to concede a free-pick which Tibble caused more problems with when she sent it into the danger zone but, remarkably, nobody could convert.

A flurry of substitutions broke up proceedings for a spell, only for the ever-influential Tibble to put Possett hearts very much in mouths, due to a flag-kick that travelling Skipper Dan Rowe came within a whisker of nodding in at the back stick, as she powered off her dome inches wide of the opposite upright.

The clock ticked temptingly towards full-time, though not without further scares for both outfits.

A typically tormenting Bell resulted in her traversing from her usual spot on the left, to a more centrally-based location; allowing a shot by Scott and drawing an excellent low save out of Withyman for a corner.

The wind then got up, thanks to Bell leaving Tate trailing in her wake, to create a mini-tornado but fire her final finish fractionally over the top.

Finally, a small olive branch of hope may have offered Town a way back into the game, when sub Chelsea Heal went down under the challenge of Amelia Davies, in stoppage time.

Fortunately, however, the referee waved away any appeals and Worthing were able to enjoy the fruits of a fine four-one away win.