Unfortunately, the experienced Rebels couldn’t bring the trophy home to Woodside Road, although their achievements have filled with the community with immense pride, as they represented Worthing FC on the national stage.

The side were drawn in a group against Kingston, Blackburn Rovers and Dorset Coasters. We commenced the competition in Nottingham with a goalless draw against the former. Both teams created chances, but neither side could find the net as we defended resolutely.

Our second group game against Blackburn was another close match, but Rovers pounced on a loose ball just before half-time to take lead.

With Worthing searching for an equaliser, the opposition sealed the points against the run of play with a breakaway goal.

The Reds went into the last game against Dorset needing a win and had plenty of chances. We took the lead with a fine goal from John Ling, but Dorset countered and levelled the score almost immediately.

The final table standings saw Worthing finish the group in third place with two points. Blackburn topped the four-team group with seven points, while Kingston also progressed into the knockout round with five points in second place. Dorset finished bottom of the table with just a single point.

All games were close and our Over 70s should feel proud of our performance as they played with the right spirit. Congratulations are due to the team, consisting of Allen Harris, Pete Jones, Pete Knee, Ade Cooper, Tony Ballam and John Ling who played all three games.  Paul Fry also deserves a mention for his team talk and overall management.

Kingston and Blackburn beat Malton and Abbeydale in the semi-finals to meet each other again in final, with Kingston running out 1-0 winners. Congratulations to them.

 Despite the result, our senior team should fill an immense sense of pride for reaching the latter stages of the competition. Worthing Football Club wish to congratulate all players who participated and look forward to seeing what the future brings!