Worthing must improve to mount promotion charge

Adam Hinshelwood does not feel Worthing are Bostik League Premier Division promotion contenders at present.
Ollie Pearce celebrates after netting a brilliant goal against Corinthian Casuals. Picture: Stephen GoodgerOllie Pearce celebrates after netting a brilliant goal against Corinthian Casuals. Picture: Stephen Goodger
Ollie Pearce celebrates after netting a brilliant goal against Corinthian Casuals. Picture: Stephen Goodger

Worthing’s 2-0 home triumph over Corinthian Casuals on Saturday saw them end 2018 with a victory.

That success was a first in five matches in all competitions, ensuring Hinshelwood’s side climbed three places to sixth and just a point off the play-off places with games in hand on every team currently in the top five.

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But the Worthing boss was not getting carried away as his team kept themselves in the promotion mix.

The club have won just two of their previous seven league matches, struggling for form in recent weeks.

And Hinshelwood acknowledged Worthing must be much better to mount a challenge.

He said: “There’s still a long way to go.

“All we can focus on is us being better.

“We’ve got to be better than we were against Corinthian Casuals to be anywhere near the top half.

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“That was not a performance from a side that’s in the top half.

“Maybe a bit of that was down to the low confidence around the group after recent results.

“We’ve got to be better, keep challenging ourselves to be better and demanding more from ourselves all the time.”

A moment of brilliance from forward Ollie Pearce and James Strange’s own-goal - both of which came in the second half - were enough to take Worthing to a tenth league triumph in 19 league matches against Casuals.

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It was also just the fifth time Hinshelwood’s team have managed to keep and clean sheet this season.

And the Worthing boss admitted that is an area they must continue to improve moving forward.

He added: “We’ve gone back to playing the five at the back and with that we’ve got to keep more clean sheets than we have.

“The challenge to the players was to keep a clean sheet and I’m delighted we got that.

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“If we’re keeping things tight and we’re not firing on all cylinders the over way, you’re always likely to pick something up.

“Clean sheets are what we’ve got to strive for and build our game on.”

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