Hannah Wilcock, Jess Faires, Gabby Ford and Kiera Morris were the new names in the Rebels’ squad, as Amber Hazlewood lined up against the side she served so well over the past few campaigns.
Despite the searing heat, it was the hosts who were quickest out of the blocks when Skye Bacon robbed Willow Exley and worked the ball out to Amerena on the right, only for the winger’s shot to lack power.
Bacon was at it again minutes later, this time dispossessing Sophie Rose in the box but her lob landed on the roof of the net.
Then, a good turn run on the left resulted in Bacon fizzing in a low cross that needed the wherewithal of Maisie Guymer to get to it first, at the expense of a corner.
Having weathered the initial storm, the visitors hit back via a fine burst on their left that took Hannah Goffi into the penalty area, where she was met by a brave block by Reds number one Libby Kingshott.
Shortly past the half-hour mark, it required more sound defensive work to make up for conceding possession in the first place; the aforementioned Faires ensuring Jodie Pallant’s effort got no further than the ‘D’.
Captain Sophia Wickenden combined well with Amerena to engineer an opportunity for Hazlewood to break her Worthing duck, but the incoming striker agonisingly missed by a whisker, at full pelt.
Shortly before the break, Jasmine Smith spun on the edge of the eighteen yard box, though couldn’t match her set-up with the execution.
Once more however, the guests showed their hand thanks to the play in front of Exley opening up nicely for a goalbound attempt that, fortunately, whistled wide.
Finally, in first-half stoppage time, the home pressure paid off when some quick and incisive passing saw Bacon and Tilly Jones pair up impressively in front of the dugouts. Bacon blazing a trail along the left flank and soon sending in a delivery that Amerena timed her run perfectly to meet emphatically, to put the new-look Reds in front.
It might have been two not long afterwards, as Laila Malcolm won the ball back and teed up the goalscorer again, to sting the palms of Lauren Graves, forcing ‘Loz’ to settle for a flag-kick.
The second period had barely got going with Bacon leading the charge as usual. Her centre was cleared for a corner that Amerena caused problems with but Hazlewood got under and fired over.
Play was then held up after Eleanor Keegan came off worse in a clash of heads with the recently introduced Lauren Tyler, just shy of the hour. Ford coming on for her Rebels’ debut.
Kingshott came to the rescue by way of a solid save to keep out Guymer and maintain the home team’s slender advantage, although that situation didn’t last much longer.
Smith proved to be the thorn in Rose’s side by swivelling and losing her marker before embarking on a brilliant burst into the box and calmly finding the bottom corner.
Undeterred, the Blues of Steyning threatened via Tyler nodding fellow sub Lou Selves’ corner over the bar and, a few minutes later, combining with Pallant to almost devastating effect. Kingshott frustrating the former at her near post.
While an offside flag may have made the stop ultimately immaterial, Libby’s next certainly counted for something solid; preventing Pallant taking full advantage of Tia Stone’s weaving run.
Mia South was forced to leave the action early and Worthing had to re-jig things in their backline once again but it was Bacon who glanced the wrong side of the crossbar, following Amerena breaking clear and becoming the supply line.
Both the pressure and the heat intensified when Smith drew an excellent save out of Graves and clipped the top of the goalframe.
However, it would be the travellers who scored next as a tremendous run on the right led to Stone carving her way through the inside right channel, prior to dispatching low into the opposite corner of the target.
Furthermore, Tyler headed above rather than below, from a good position, after creating the room for herself.
It all counted for little though due to Malcolm’s sheer persistence eventually slipping in Amerena
who, appropriately, slipped in the act of nutmegging Graves to complete a personal double alongside a team treble.
Various stoppages throughout the afternoon caused many minutes to be tagged on the end of proceedings. This meant that Ford had time to give Graves more work to do in keeping her out at the back stick and opposite number Kingshott to more than match her when demonstrating, one last act of bravery, seeing out a three-one home win by not allowing Ruby Melis to profit
