Another inch-perfect free-kick from Razzaq Coleman De-Graft sparked the response before Temi Babalola grabbed the equaliser midway through the second period.
A bumper crowd at the Springfield Stadium had a sense of anticipation in the build up to kick-off. For the hosts, it was arguably the biggest game in their seven-year history, while for Worthing, it was a tough trip to navigate.
Chris Agutter’s side commenced the tie with full control and came close to breaching Euan van der Vliet’s goal on numerous occasions in the opening quarter of an hour.
The returning Toby Byron’s header was tipped over the crossbar by the fingertips of the Jersey goalkeeper, while Joe Cook and Babalola went close to finding the target.
Buoyed on by the raucous and expectant home support, the Bulls took the lead against the run of play in the 20th minute.
A brisk counter-attack resulted in Rai dos Santos cutting inside and being tripped by the outstretched leg of Sam Beard, who was desperately tracking back to try and block the shot. The referee pointed straight to the spot.
Experienced Jersey captain James Queree calmly sent Seb Stacey the wrong way for the spot to give Elliot Powell’s side an unlikely advantage.
The rest of the first period was frustrating for the travelling Reds, as Jersey defended valiantly to preserve their clean sheet heading into the interval. In the first half alone, Worthing amassed nine corners, but couldn’t find a way past the home resistance.
Jersey flew out of the traps after the restart and caught a laboured Worthing off guard to double their advantage.
Striker Lorne Bickley squeezed a finish past Stacey at the near post to send the home faithful into raptures.
However, a moment of magic from the left foot of Coleman De-Graft gave Worthing a lifeline. In similar fashion to last weekend’s stunning free-kick against Dagenham, the 27-year-old expertly whipped the ball into the top corner, leaving the opposing goalkeeper with no chance.
Coleman De-Graft’s goal breathed a new lease of life into the Rebels as they found their second wind. It only took 10 minutes for the West Sussex outfit to find parity, through the perseverance of Babalola. The imposing striker beared down on goal and forced full-back Jay Giles into clearing the ball back off our number 14 and past the goalkeeper.
Worthing searched for a winner to complete their turn around, but a spirited Jersey held firm to earn themselves a replay. The second part of the tie is scheduled to take place on Tuesday night at the Sussex Transport Community Stadium, with kick-off time set to be announced in due course.
