Our first midweek match under the lights at Woodside Road of the season occurs this evening, with Brian Dutton’s Salisbury the visitors.
Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Maidstone United was a memorable one, as the clash was decorated with melodrama.
After falling 2-0 behind early on, defender Harry Ransom opened his account for the Rebels just before the interval to give the hosts something to fight for after the break.
A dominant second-half display yielded an equaliser with just five minutes of regulation time to play, with Nicky Wheeler sweeping home a tidy finish on his first start of the campaign.
With Worthing chasing a winner, the Stones managed to score a third completely against the run of play, with Josh Redfearn finding a way past Seb Stacey.
However, such was Worthing’s resolve, victory was never guaranteed. With virtually the last kick of the game, substitute Temi Babalola directed the menacing Razzaq Coleman De-Graft’s delivery into the net to cause scenes of bedlam down Woodside.
Despite only collecting a point, the nature of the result felt like a win, and provided a foundation to build upon heading into tonight’s fixture.
Chris Agutter and his players will now be attempting to turn their encouraging displays into three points and extend their unbeaten home record in the process.
FORM
Worthing FC | W1 D3 L2 GD: -1 | Pos: 16th
Form: DLDLW
MD2: Horsham 3-4 Worthing | Scorers: Temi Babalola, Sam Beard, Jack Spong (Pen), Sam Packham
MD3: Farnborough 1-0 Worthing
MD4: Worthing 0-0 Enfield Town
MD5: Chippenham Town 1-0 Worthing
MD6: Worthing 3-3 Maidstone United | Scorers: Harry Ransom, Nicky Wheeler and Temi Babalola
Salisbury FC | W0 D4 L2 GD: -3 | Pos: 20th
Form: DDLLD
MD2: Salisbury 0-0 Dagenham & Redbridge
MD3: Salisbury 0-1 Bath City
MD4: Dover 2-0 Salisbury
MD5: Salisbury 3-3 Hornchurch | Scorers: Josh Keeya, Tom Davies and Tommy-Lee Higgs
MD6: Horsham 1-1 Salisbury | Scorer: Michael Atkinson
THE OPPOSITION
Salisbury are desperate for a victory this evening having gone winless in their last 11 league matches.
It has been a tough start to the season for the Whites, as they’re one of only five teams left remaining in the entire National League system that are yet to record a triumph.
This is Salisbury’s second campaign in the sixth tier since reformation after earning promotion from the Southern Premier Division in the 2023/24 term.
After finishing third, the team hailing from Wiltshire edged out AFC Totton in a penalty shootout in the play-off final to climb another level higher.
Salisbury FC are a phoenix club from Salisbury City, who dissolved in 2014 after years of financial difficulty.
THE GAFFER
Brian Dutton will be occupying the away dugout tonight at the Sussex Transport Community Stadium.
The Salisbury manager has been associated with the club since 2008, when he first moved to Wiltshire as a 23-year-old. Two spells and over 200 appearances as a player followed before an opportunity to become their manager arose a few years ago.
Dutton has experience higher up the pyramid as he was part of the backroom staff at EFL outfits Bristol Rovers and Walsall.
Since joining Salisbury in the October 2022, Dutton has overseen a massive improvement at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium
After taking over duties from former manager Steve Claridge, the now 40-year-old steadied the ship before guiding the Whites to promotion into the sixth tier in his first full season in charge.
ONE TO WATCH
Central midfielder Michael Atkinson enters tonight’s contest off the back of a instrumental performance in Salisbury’s 1-1 draw with Horsham on the weekend.
The 27-year-old netted a 35-yard screamer, while also producing an all-encompassing midfield display. His showing was recognised by the league, as he was included in the Enterprise National League South Team of the Week alongside Worthing’s Razzaq Coleman De-Graft.
Atkinson joined the Whites in the summer after spending a year with Hampton & Richmond. Last season, he made 42 National League South appearances, chipping in with two goals.
Salisbury also boast former Worthing player Tommy Willard in their ranks, although the forward isn’t expected to feature after sustaining an injury on his competitive debut for Salisbury on the opening day.
TEAM NEWS
Chris Agutter and his coaching staff will assess the condition of his squad following Saturday’s energy-sapping 3-3 draw with Maidstone.
Due to the continual congestion to the schedule, the entirety of the squad will undoubtedly be utilised.
WE’VE GOT PREVIOUS
We have only played the current Salisbury club twice, both coming during last season in National League South.
The away match, on the 3rd December, finished 2-0 in our favour, thanks to a penalty from Danny Cashman and a second-half goal from Harrison Smith.
On the 22nd February we won the home fixture 3-2, with two goals from Liam Nash and one from Joe Cook.
Our full record against these opponents is as follows:
| Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Scored | Conceded |
| National League South | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Total | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
LAST MEETING
Worthing FC 3-2 Salisbury FC, National League South, 22nd February 2025
A three-goal blitz in just seven second-half minutes saw Worthing produce a late comeback over the Whites back in February.
The visitors had taken the lead in the 20th minute, with Noah Coppin expertly directing a corner past Lucas Covolan.
Nicky Wheeler came closest to equalising for the hosts in the first period, as his drilled finish bounced off the upright. Chances kept arriving for Chris Agutter’s side, with Joe Cook and Glen Rea failing to convert following a goal-mouth scramble.
Shots were flying towards the Salisbury net, but a lack of accuracy was preventing the Rebels from finding a deserved leveller. Covolan then kept his side in the match, as the Brazilian thwarted Dan Fitchett from close-range after a rare foray forward.
Worthing finally found a way through in the 77th minute courtesy of a clever header from Cook.
That goal opened the floodgates. A quick-fire double from Liam Nash clinched the victory for the hosts, with two unstoppable finishes. The first flew past goalkeeper Rhys Byrne, before our former number 27 found the bottom corner with a composed strike.
Salisbury still had time to halve the deficit in second-half stoppage-time through a delicate effort from Callum Watts, but it proved to be only a consolation as the Reds held on for all three points.
TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate for tomorrow’s match, although supporters are advised to purchase their ticket in advance via the Fanbase app.
- Adults: £18
- Concession: £14
- Under-18: £8
- Under-12: £5
- Under-6: Free entry
HOW TO FOLLOW
If you can’t be at the game, you can follow the game via live updates from the club’s official Twitter account.
You can also listen to live commentary via the club’s official commentary service.
