Elphick: Enfield defeat a big disappointment

Worthing Football Club joint boss Gary Elphick said Saturday's home defeat to Enfield Town was his biggest disappointment of the season.
David Ajiboye in action for Worthing against Enfield on Saturday. Picture by Marcus HoareDavid Ajiboye in action for Worthing against Enfield on Saturday. Picture by Marcus Hoare
David Ajiboye in action for Worthing against Enfield on Saturday. Picture by Marcus Hoare

The loss dampened Worthing’s hopes of making the Ryman League Premier Division play-offs as they trailed 3-0 inside an hour.

On-loan Brighton & Hove Albion striker David Ajiboye, on his home debut, was sent off for violent conduct, along with the visitors’ Scott Shulton on 68 minutes, before Lloyd Dawes got Worthing’s goal a minute later.

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Elphick said: “It was probably the biggest disappointment of the season for me because of the way we’d been playing and the run we’d been on recently.

“There have been slip-ups this season but we had no excuses for this performance.

“As an attacking force we were too selfish on the ball and David’s red card will be a steep learning curve for him.

“It will end up being great for his footballing education and hopefully he learns from it as he’ll miss three games.”

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Worthing dropped to tenth with the defeat and Elphick said: “It leaves our chances of reaching the play-offs very slim but we’ve got to be realistic as well.

“It’s not the time to go and panic, it will give us the opportunity to blood some of our promising youngsters if we want to and players are now playing for their futures, especially the fringe ones.

“We don’t want the season to just fizzle out and we know anything can still happen this season but we’ve got to keep an eye out for next season as well.”

Worthing gave a debut to keeper Kieron Thorp, who joined from Three Bridges on Friday, but Enfield went ahead through Shulton shortly after the half-hour mark and doubled their lead early in the second half through Billy Crook.

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Karl Oliyide made it 3-0 just before the hour but both sides were then reduced to ten men on 68 minutes when Shulton and Ajiboye were both sent off for violent conduct.

Dawes got a goal back a minute later from Arron Hopkinson’s free kick but the visitors comfortably held on for all three points.

Worthing host Harrow Borough tomorrow evening (7.45pm).

WORTHING: Thorp, Boiling, Rents, Wills, Elphick, Heath, Dawes, O’Neill, Ajiboye, Clark, Sparks. Subs: Hopkinson (Boiling 55), Brodie (O’Neill 82), Cook, Belward, Hallard. Att: 881.

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