Facing the opposition they only took on (and beat) just before Christmas, Gaffer Jesus Cordon made three changes to the side which reached the Sussex Women’s Cup semi-final seven days ago, with victory over Newhaven. Lauren Dolbear was back in goal and the aforementioned Curran earned her maiden start in a red (well, blue actually) shirt. Emily Linscer’s absence forced Dani Lane to slot in at centre-half, while Becs Bell came in for Chloe Winchester up front. There were also much-welcome squad returns for defender Holly Talbut-Smith and striker Sophie Humphrey, meaning that, with netminder Libby Kingshott, the visitors were covered in all areas on the subs bench.
Pouring rain and a gale-force wind greeted the two teams on a horrible day at the home of the Hampshire FA. The inclement weather was no doubt responsible for a full eleven minutes passing by prior to anything resembling a chance being created by either side.
That chance fell to full debutant Curran, after Lauren Amerena made hay down the left wing and picked out Tierney Scott at the far post. Her neat touch to Bell soon found the recent recruit who turned and tucked home her first goal in only her second run-out for the Reds.
Excellent awareness by Eleanor Keegan saw her steal possession away from a pair of home midfielders, as the rampaging right-back seized on a moment’s hesitation to supply the pacy Bell. Becs quickly reached the penalty area but so too did Kaitlyn Cousens to dispossess the fleet-footed attacker at the expense of a corner.
Wearing their change strip of all blue, Worthing continued to take the game to their hosts. Amerena becoming the next to capitalise on a chink of light that she exploited to the max; breezing between Cousens and the appropriately named Storm Bailey. Only for Amber Marsh to make it in the nick of time to halt ‘Loz’s’ progress and earn the Rebels award a flag-kick.
Southampton then carved out a good opportunity of their own. Travelling Skipper Dan Rowe bravely charged down Elle Elkins’s long-range effort to concede a corner which Laura Vokes took and Elkins headed goalwards, although she would have been disappointed not to have made a better connection and truly tested the returning Dolbear in the guests’ goal.
On the stroke of half-time, Scott sidestepped Ella Wright and fired a rocket towards the target, which appeared to catch the ‘keeper somewhat by surprise. However, Maddie Noakes gathered it at the second attempt to keep the deficit at just the one going into the break.
Having accounted for a full set of fingers and toes, the players returned for the second-half as the conditions refused to relent.
Once again though, it was the blue-clad Reds who were first to go on the attack following the change of ends. Led by Izzy Franklin, whose long ball forward put Amerena in the clear and allowed her to reach the byline. A pull back for Keegan gave the number two license to drift inside and eventually locate Georgia Tibble – a two-time scorer the last time these two teams met back in December – to drill an airborne twenty-yard-plus screamer narrowly wide.
A midfield stalemate then ensued for the next twenty minutes, as both teams found the conditions increasingly difficult and the respective opposition rearguards just as tough to break down.
Bell teed up top scorer ‘T’ but Scott’s well-struck, low effort was well dealt with by Noakes, midway through the second period.
Less than a minute later, a rare lapse at the back resulted in an opening that an incoming Vokes was inches away from converting, to leave the cat at least showing more than a passing interest in disturbing the pigeons.
The final five produced the most action of a chess match-esque second forty-five, with all three points still very much up for grabs.
Captain Dan (Rowe) disregarded her own personal safety to block a blockbuster of a free-kick that finally came to rest in the gloves of Dolbear, as Rowe’s opposite number, Lucy Mear rounded off a trio of teasers that saw Worthing hold on to their slender advantage.
The first corner of the second-half didn’t arrive until the eighty-seventh minute and it procured a goalward glance from Cousens, who got on the end of Vokes’ delivery to present a gift-wrapped gathering to Dolbear.
However, just when it seemed that Curran’s early opener would be sufficient to secure maximum points for the side from Sussex, Scott had other ideas.
Reacting to a flick on to Franklin’s right flank centre, ‘T’ had the relatively simple task of bagging a match-clinching goal to finally put the seal on a very hard-earned return.
Although not before Tibble tried to treble the initial tally, courtesy of a low drag which finished a fraction the wrong side of the upright.
