Worthing 4s moved into 4th position in Div 2 after dominating Mid-Sussex in this afternoon clash (3/10/2020) – with Ahmed recording his first hat-trick of the season in just his second appearance.
Mid-Sussex – 1
Worthing – 6
Scorers
Mid-Sussex : Number 75 (1)
Worthing : Ahmed (3); Allan (1); Barron (1); Holloway (1)
Worthing were not flattered by the impressive scoreline – yet Vice Captain Edmondson made it clear that he feels considerable room for improvement remains. Sanyo-Merrymaker – still carrying an injury and demoted to management for the match – ironically opined “Ubi concordia, ibi victoria.”
Holloway said he was happy with the overall performance but advised caution. “We are really pleased with the start, but it is only a start,” he said. “You’re never as good as everyone tells you when you win, and you’re never as bad as they say when you lose.”
“We were disappointed with the goals we conceded,” the Mid-Sussex captain, said. “We contributed to our own problems by not being able to control possession, and you can’t do that against a team of Worthing’s quality. We need to be more streetwise.”
To start the game, Ahmed charitably passed to the Mid-Sussex centre forward – but that was as close to a friendly as this game came. For the first quarter Worthing found themselves starved of possession for long periods – but managed to remain organised and compact as they soaked up the waves of pressure from a young, fast Mid-Sussex team.
Worthing were relying on breaking at speed, sometimes looking more like an early 2000s Arsenal than a team with an average age the wrong side of 45. But their ring-rustiness in the final quarter was clear, and Ansell was struggling to control the match for the visitors at this stage. Eventually a swift move down the right by Worthing saw Edmondson drive to the byline and pull the ball back for Holloway to slip under the keeper.
Ahmed then broke Mid-Sussex’s spirit with the second. Clearly a move devised and practiced on the training ground – a slick penalty corner routine saw Ahmed deflect in at the near post – a trick he repeated to claim Worthing’s third.
By now Ansell had taken control of the middle of the pitch – and started to take control of match directing the presses, with which Mid-Sussex were unable to cope. Wherever they looked, Mid-Sussex had no options when in possession and they lost their composure, the ball and – ultimately – their self-belief.
The half time break came at a good time for them – 3-0 down and unable to find any control – and they came out better organised after the break. However time-and-again they were bettered by Penny’s telescopic arms and the reliable Watkins-Northam-Fuller defensive wall.
While Mid-Sussex scored one goal – it is little more than a footnote in the overall result – as Worthing applied more and more pressure as the half wore on.
They gained their rewards with Ahmed scoring his third, a Barron dragflick opening his account for 2020/21 and Allan getting his third of the season courtesy of a large deflection
While Mid-Sussex look like a capable team – and will certainly play worse for more reward – ultimately Worthing will need to be judged against better opposition before getting carried away. St Francis 1s, the next visitors to Angmering, should fit the bill.
Worthing 4s team : Ramiz Ahmed, Andy Allan, Matt Ansell, Josh Barron, Jack Cooper (GK), David Edmondson, Rex Fuller, Simon Holloway (Capt.), Rod Horne, Phil Hoy, Martin Northam, Ian Penny, Rob Watkins. Adrian Sanyo-Merrymaker (Coach)