In the first of three games in a week, Rebels’ Supremo Jesus Cordon made a number of changes to the team that were held at home by Bridgwater United on Sunday last. Katie Young made her long-awaited comeback from injury – slotting in for the unavailable Lily Dalton – while Holly Talbut-Smith was also recalled in the absence of Emily Linscer. Meg Curran came back in as did Sophie Humphrey, leaving Tierney Scott and Eleanor Keegan to begin on the bench, where they were joined by Jess Richardson and Chloe Winchester.

Almost a month to the day since these two sides last met, Worthing got the action underway on nine minutes. The returning Young played the ball out to Becs Bell on the right and her cross was met in the middle by Georgia Tibble, who made contact but just couldn’t quite adjust her feet.

Bell featured again shortly afterwards, as Izzy Franklin became the supply line, only this time it was the fleet-footed forward who took a touch inside Karly Norman before forcing a fine parry out of Isla Withyman, at the expense of a corner.

Worthing’s pressure eventually paid off when Young’s first touch took her away from her marker, allowing her to play a slide-rule pass for Humphrey to latch onto. ‘Soph’ saw her initial shot saved by the legs of Withyman but was quicker to the rebound to slot home at the second attempt.

Around the midway point of the first-half, some good build-up work on the right resulted in Dan Rowe laying the ball down the line for Humphrey, then receiving the return pass prior to finding Dani Lane in the penalty area. Dani dummied to leave Young in space, only for Katie to drag wide of the back post.

The host’s domination continued via Lauren Amerena’s weaving run landing her in sight of goal, where Withyman denied her and Bell put the follow-up over.

Four minutes before the break, Young felt frustration thanks to Withyman doing well to get down to a long-ranger, which bounced awkwardly in front of her. However, Humphrey kept the ball in on the byline, turned and sent over an inch-perfect delivery for Tibble to nod home a second of the afternoon.

Two might have been three soon afterwards, courtesy of Young beating the offside trap to put Captain Rowe in the clear, who showed a lovely touch to let Humphrey burst into the box but Amerena shot early and curled an open invitation too high.

A third goal did arrive though and, once more, Young and Rowe were at the heart of it.
Hemmed in on the touchline, Young’s pass inside to her Skipper dissected a pair of white shirts. Humphrey’s powerful effort was kept out by Withyman, only for Rowe to be in the right place at the right time to convert from the edge of the six-yard area.

So, a healthy half-time advantage but there was still work to be done.

Visiting Skip Shannon Holloway showed a clean pair of heels to the home rearguard but discovered that she was too quick for her teammates, when her otherwise excellent cross failed to find a fellow Townee in the eighteen-yard area, in the opening few seconds, following the change of ends.

Although, second-half opportunities generally proved hard to come by; Lane’s off target header at the conclusion of Tibble’s in-swinging free-kick the first serious threat, more than seventy minutes in.

A defence-splitting pass then sent the recently-introduced Louise Hiett scampering away from the Rebel’s backline, finally forcing Lauren Dolbear into action, as she had to get down to divert the danger from a low, fizzing centre.

Back up the other end, Rowe’s flag-kick asked more than a few questions of the guest’s defensive capabilities. Goalkeeper Withyman punched clear, though only as far as Franklin who soon found Lane for a swivel and miskick that procured a second, similar set-piece.

Substitutes were introduced at regular intervals after the hour mark; Kitty Molineux climbing off the bench for Portishead, complementing Scott, Winchester and Keegan entering the fray for the homesters.

It was the penultimate switch that came tantalisingly-close to making the game safe in the ninety-second minute.

Going back three paragraphs, Rowe’s next deadball delivery truly found its mark and Keegan’s header was inches, nay millimetres from settling this tightly turned out affair. Leather crashing off aluminium to send an audible clang reverberating around the Sussex Transport Community Stadium.

Alas, chants of ‘Keegan ! Keegan !’ would have to wait for another day but oh how we will ‘love it’ when it does happen.