Having had a fortnight off, Rebels returned to action at home to Abingdon, looking to rediscover that winning feeling after a defeat at Marine Academy Plymouth last time out.

Lauren Amerena was back and Megan Gates – the stoppage-time hero in the previous round at Maidenhead – kept her place, following on from her appearance off the sub’s bench down in Devon.

New signing Lucy Jellett started amongst the replacements and there was a homecoming for Ella Newman, back for a second spell.

Both sides tested the waters early on but without troubling the respective goalkeepers.

In fact, nearly half-an-hour had elapsed before the visitor’s Molly Lygo stung the palms of home custodian Ella Hunkin, as she parried at the near post.

The ball eventually found its way back to a lurking Mollie Dyer just outside the penalty area, but her curling effort sailed wide of the target.

Shortly afterwards, Amerena pounced on a defensive error to almost set up Skye Bacon in the box, only for her attempted cut-back to be cut out by a yellow shirt.

Erin Hartigan volleyed over a half-chance for United but it would be the hosts who took the lead in first-half stoppages, when Amerena sent in a free-kick from tight to the left-hand touchline which Mia South guided home.

Although the Reds had to survive a couple of very close calls less than a minute later. Lygo looked certain to score but the ball somehow stayed out, then teammate Hartigan, at the back stick, managed to come within millimetres of bagging an equaliser, when her effort fizzed across the face of goal and past the opposite upright for a goal-kick.

Plenty of endeavour in the opening forty-five, though little goalmouth action until the very end meant that Worthing took a narrow advantage heading into the break.

The second period kicked-off with Anais Harris-Beechers on for the guests in place of Isobel Bradley, but it was the home team who threatened to go further in front in the early stages.

Newman released Amerena to charge into the eighteen yard box and drill a shot that only whistled fractionally past the far post.

The same player almost got gift-wrapped another sight of goal, via a rare mistake from the usually safe hands of ‘keeper Caitlin Crierie but couldn’t quite convert.

A wonderful team move then led to a second of the afternoon for the side from Sussex.

Captain Holly Talbut-Smith got it underway by taking a quick throw-in to Bacon, who laid inside to Laila Malcolm. Her classy dragback saw the ball rapidly returned to the tall winger and soon transported to the byline where, despite her initial cross being cleared, it only went as far as Talbut-Smith who picked out Amerena. ‘Loz’ then proceeded to dink the ball over not one but two yellow-shirted defenders, prior to applying the finishing touch.

Buoyed by the rarity of a two-goal cushion, returning hero Newman rolled back the years by trying an audacious attempt, nearer to the halfway line than its eighteen yard counterpart and landed it on the roof of a relieved Crierie’s net.

Approaching the hour mark, Jasmine Smith forced a fine save out of Crierie, as the homesters went in search of a third.

Shortly after making it to two-thirds of the way through an open encounter, it was the Rebels breathing a huge sigh of relief, thanks to interval inductee Harris-Beechers striking the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area, following a spell of sustained pressure by Abingdon.

Fellow replacement Amber Hazlewood had only been on the pitch for a couple of minutes when she rounded off some strong teamwork by belting a powerful drive slightly above its intended target, as Worthing hit back.

Less than ten to go and Skipper Talbut-Smith wasn’t far away when her free-kick rustled the top of the net, succeeded not long afterwards by Erin Sherwood – having also been introduced to the action just moments ago – making hay on the right flank, only to finally find the gloves of Crierie.

However, the cat was well and truly amongst the pigeons once Holly Sellwood had headed Lygo’s centre past Hunkin on 85 minutes.

Not that the Rebels let it affect them a great deal, largely due to the fact that we’d only made it to the 86th minute at the point of Amerena’s cool, calm, collected, yet devastating driven shot that immediately restored the Reds’ two-goal winning margin.

An end-to-end cup tie then saw Sellwood and Lygo link up again, with the former almost returning the goalscoring favour, via a ball over the top, only for an excellent recovery run and tackle by Newman, who had to be spot on with her challenge in the box to allow Hunkin to gather safely.

Talbut-Smith rather harshly entered the referee’s notebook for the concession of a free-kick that Hartigan delivered but Hunkin beat away from her front stick, before the piece de resistance.

Hazlewood harried, Sherwood forced a weak backpass and Hazlewood duly hussled, powering forward and burying a brilliant fourth to put the result beyond all reasonable doubt. One minute later than fellow substitute Gates’ winner in the last round.

Jesus Cordon’s side will now wait to discover their opponents in the Second Round Proper of the competition, with the draw taking place on Monday evening.