A hat-trick from captain Will O’Brien and a brace from second-half substitute Josh Harland helped the hosts comfortably dispatch of Horsham under the lights at the Sussex Transport Community Stadium.

A midfield trio of Fin Smith, Will O’Brien and Cooper Renzulli were setting the tempo from the first whistle and providing the Rebels with a sense of control over a fierce cup tie.

Full-back Ollie Vodden was finding joy down the right-flank, with the visitors struggling to track his darting runs. The first chance of any note occurred in the seventh minute as Smith’s shot from the edge of the box was blocked by Oscar Bailey following a searching delivery from the aforementioned Vodden.

Horsham weathered the early spell and found their feet in the contest after a slow start. A clever run by Jack York was picked out by an inventive free-kick from Harvey Benham for their first highlight of the cup tie. However, the young forward rushed the attempt and side-footed the ball comfortably wide of Archie Short’s right post.

Worthing’s goal was living a charmed life as the opposition failed to convert two gilt-edged opportunities. Following a well-timed intervention from Oliver Cowdrey inside the penalty area, the ball broke to Harry Semark. The teenager got to the by-line and flashed a cross towards the back post. Despite the chance being presented on a silver platter, Will Essam couldn’t take advantage as a lapse in concentration saw his foot inexplicably fail to make contact with the ball.

Minutes later, the woodwork preserved Archie Short’s clean sheet. Jack York’s first-time volley firmly struck the post, much to the relief of shot-stopper.

Then against the run of play, our Under 18s broke the deadlock. A swift counter-attack saw Brean Plaku release the advanced Will O’Brien. The skipper kept his composure to slot past Furber with ease to give his side the advantage midway through the first period.

The opening settled the hosts’ nerves, who were beginning to deal with the opposition’s threat much more calmly.

Exactly ten minutes after striking first, Worthing doubled their hold on proceedings through the same source. More industrious work from Plaku down the left flank resulted in the ball being worked to O’Brien in the box once again.

Similarly to Essam earlier on in the match, the captain mistimed his effort and saw the ball travel under his foot. Fortunately for the goal scorer, Vodden instantly picked up posession at the opposite side and found the number seven once again, who made no mistake with his finish this time round. O’Brien tapped home to give Stuart Evans and Nathan Bowen’s side a healthy advantage heading into the interval.

After the restart, Horsham tried to halve the deficit. Essam tried to atone for his earlier miss but Short was equal to his effort three minutes into the half.

Liam Hill tried to mark his 18th birthday with a goal, but his shot from the distance was deflected into the grasp of Furber. Green and yellow shirts then broke down the other end with intent which culminated with York forcing Short into action.

Both sides were taking turns exchanging efforts. Plaku’s shot was fired into midriff of Furber while York used his speed to burst past Thomas-Pryke before blazing wide.

O’Brien then completed his hat-trick to give the Rebels a comfortable cushion. Plaku caused more havoc as he evaded a few defenders and cut inside onto his left foot. His shot was parried back into the danger zone by Furber and O’Brien was perfectly-placed to tuck home his third of the evening.

It was a quick-fire double, as Eddie Jimenez etched his name on the scoresheet within a minute of our third. The forward relied on his predatory goal scoring instincts to  profit on a scramble in the box to breach Furber’s goal from close-range.

With 20 minutes to play, a triple substitution was made with Josh Harland, Aaron Mott and Max Chester entering the fray.

The former change proved particularly pertinent as Harland made a lasting impact off the bench with a brace.

Harland’s first came on the stroke of the 90 minute mark as he drilled an accurate finish into the back of the net after clipping the post.

With virtually the last kick of the game, our number 17 grabbed his second and Worthing’s sixth with a delicate chip over the dejected Furber to complete the rout.

A comprehensive display from the Under 18s to book their spot into the next round. Local rivals Bognor Regis Town awaits the Rebels in the next round next week.