16.54 hits and the party is over. Chichester City crumple to the turf, hands are on hips, minds are dazed. For the duration they had gone toe-to-toe with the Reds, scored a couple goals, were defiant in their approach. But ultimately, the lights were out, and the dreams dashed.

There are a couple of lessons to take from this FA Trophy tie out to the west of the county. The first: Chichester are genuinely a good team. And the second: Danny Cashman is still an elite footballer.

Chichester City are a team on the rise, just  one division below. Last season’s trip to Frome Town showed that upsets are always a possibility. And history came close to repeating itself.

It was a classic autumn scene at Oaklands Park: colours ablaze in the adjacent park as the leaves dropped and spun slowly onto the artificial turf. The visiting numbers were strong, and the noise loud. There was scarcely a fence that wasn’t lined with supporters, as this Sussex derby began and ended beneath the yolky yellow lights above.

Chris Agutter evidently wanted a reaction from his players following last weekend’s disappointment in Buckinghamshire. The team was strong, but was the performance lifted? Mo Faal was sprightly up top, skating into space and testing Kieran Magee with an early effort that was blocked by the palms.

Nicky Wheeler did his thing, cutting in onto his right boot and shooting from range, but it spiralled wide. Worthing had owned those opening exchanges, they just hadn’t put the ball in the net.

So when the Reds handed possession over metres from their own box, former Red Mo Jammeh latching onto the loose pass and teeing up Ethan Prichard for the cute finish, Agutter’s dejection was visible from all corners of the ground.

The reward for playing patiently can be and often is huge. It’s why Worthing are such an attractive side to watch.

Yet here, the dark side of the system were present. A huge contrast in styles, Chichester are perhaps the most direct team in the Isthmian Premier. And that angle of attack isn’t something that the Reds’ defence is used to lining up against.

Lloyd Rowlatt, Jammeh and Prichard are all agile, all lightning-fast. It’s straight lines; full throttle, no brakes. Basically, lots of very, very fast people mixed with lots of very, very tall people. It seems to work.

Faal brings height to the Reds XI, but what happened in the 31st minute was more a result of his pace, his movement and his brilliance in front of goal.

Timing his run to perfection, the ball along the right channel was gorgeously angled as Magee raced out to meet it. He got it all wrong, and Faal got it all right: lifting the ball over the ‘keeper, and moving away with a confidence, as if someone had just placed a crown on his head.

It was level, but Prichard was getting on the ball in the final third at regular intervals. It took Chris Haigh his entire wingspan to deny the forward after the #1 had chipped it into his feet.

Prichard took sight at goal four times in the opening half, and all were on target. The danger was there, and it wouldn’t go away until the referee’s final peep of his whistle.

Come the half time whistle, there really wasn’t much in it. Worthing the footballing side, as always, but the hosts had harried and been good for a goal. This was to be no stroll in the park. You’d have been imprudent to have thought otherwise.

They robbed and swarmed, chased and fought. Perhaps, even, they should have been ahead at the half. Worthing were tighter come the restart, a more organised unit. The midfield was back wresting control, but the Reds’ issues stemmed from errors of their own accord.

Possession had to be better protected, and it was. Tommy Willard was more involved, nipping into the pockets of promise. Then Danny Cashman delivered a low drive of a corner into the box for Joel Colbran, and the turnaround was complete.

It was a fine finish, and a well-worked corner: Faal peeling off to the near post, ducking below the ball for Colbran to volley home. There’s the lead, but how did they lose it?

It took 28 minutes for Chichester to level, but in that time the Reds had umpteen chances to put this tie to sleep. Colbran had two more chances, both from Cashman corners, but couldn’t extend the advantage. Willard came close, Temi Babalola closer, but still the wait for a third extended until the inevitable occurred.

Emmett Dunn, 79th minute. A barrage of bodies in the box, complete chaos ensues, the ball strikes the post before falling to Dunn, who thundered home. Level again. This was shaping into a classic cup tie.

Even the thought of penalties bounced from brain to brain. At that point, surely it’s anyone’s cup tie? Cashman overheard, picked up the ball and drove along the 18-yard line. Just biding his time, waiting for the slightest gap to pull the trigger. The finish is Cashman all over, and the tie is Worthing’s.

Yes, the Reds had been spared a hefty dose of the ol’ ignominy. Time moves forward. The objective had been achieved, but again this was far from the perfect performance.

Imperfection, yet three goals scored. There are certainly bigger problems to face, but in matches such as these it’s just a case of getting through, and switching focus back to the league.