Worthing head into a third successive play-off campaign as they take on Maidstone United at the eliminator stage A five goal showing at Enfield Town on the final day of season wasn’t enough to see the outside chance of claiming top spot come to fruition with Truro City taking care of business relatively early against St Albans City to see the league title head to the west country all six teams that were in with a chance of lifting the title heading into the final day all won comfortably meaning it was as you were and the Reds had to settle for fourth place finish albeit only one point adrift of the champions Maidstone went into the final day knowing that – barring an unlikely swing in goal difference between them and Weston-super-mare – they would finish seventh and came from behind twice to eventually draw 2-2 at Farnborough The Stones are in the second season back in step 2 following relegation from the National League in 2023 finishing in the play-off places on both occasions They started this season showing and both themselves in lower-mid table after a quarter of the season but a mid-season run that saw them go 18 matches undefeated propelled them into second A difficult February ultimately cost the chance of fighting for the title but they ended the campaign strongly only losing one of the last eleven matches They lost just four matches away from home in the league all season and picked up just as many points on the road (39) as they did at home (40) a former Premier League player with Wolverhampton Wanderers After ending his playing career at the Gallagher Stadium he stepped in as caretaker manager following the departure of Hakan Hayrettin in January 2023 before being appointed permanently two months later he memorably guided the Stones to the fifth round of the FA Cup overcoming Championship leaders Ipswich Town on the way Forward Aaron Blair joined United last summer having helped Braintree Town secure promotion from National League South scoring in his side’s dramatic 4-3 win over the Rebels at Woodside Road Blair has added to his reputation as a proven goalscorer at the level by netting 17 times in the league this season The Reds won the reverse fixture 2-1 at the Gallagher Stadium thanks to an own goal and a strike by Mo Faal against his former club It was the same result at Woodside Road when the two sides met in the play-off semi-final 12 months ago the second deep into stoppage time sent the Rebels to brink of the National League before defeat to Braintree in the final Current Reds Mo Faal and Lucas Covolan lined up for the Stones that day Manager Chris Agutter remains without experienced defenders Aarran Racine and Sam Beard who are both serving three-match suspensions Both would be available for the play-off final should the Reds get there Joe Partington and Sam Packham who deputised in Saturday’s 5-1 win at Enfield Town look set to continue in defence Goalkeeper Chris Haigh returned to the starting line-up at the Dave Bryant Stadium for the first time since February’s 4-0 defeat to Slough Town A reminder that this match is all-ticket and sold out Please do not travel to the ground without a valid ticket Tonight’s match has been kindly sponsored by ELEVETE Hub — a supportive space created specifically for ambitious HR professionals who want more from their careers Find out more about ELEVEATE Hub on their website If you’re unable to travel to north London you can listen live to the club’s official match commentary service on Mixlr, or follow updates via the our X/Twitter account Worthing FC Official Commentary is on Mixlr Sussex Transport Community Stadium Woodside Road Worthing West Sussex BN14 7HQ Gilbert Investments Limited & Barry Hunter Worthing want to exorcise a ghost after falling at the final play-off hurdle - they host Maidstone United in a game that'll decide who will play Eastbourne Borough this Sunday George Busby takes a look at both teams' route to this massive play-off game After leading the way for a number of weeks in the final few months Worthing will want to pick themselves up for the Eliminators After they lost the league title to Truro City by a single point Maidstone United won’t have that last day disappointment to contend with They grabbed a play-off place with a bit to spare and we know the Stones can handle the big moments after their FA Cup heroics last season Worthing:Danny Cashman: 16Liam Nash: 14Mo Faal: 13Temi Babalola: 8 Maidstone United: Aaron Blair: 19Sol Wanjau-Smith: 8Temitope Eweka: 6Ricardo German: 6 05/10/24: Worthing 0-2 Maidstone United25/01/25: Maidstone United 1-2 Worthing Worthing: “We know we have to be at our best on Wednesday “The challenge for us is to play with the shackles off we've got to find a way to get the players into a head space where they have that same feeling ahead of a massive game against Maidstone “You've got to really admire what George and co have done down there the consistency they've produced over a two three year period now deserves a massive amount of credit” Maidstone United: “There's nothing like revenge in football we have to ensure that we don't play any differently we’re going to prepare just like we do for any other game we need to be relaxed and we need to trust and believe in ourselves” Pitch Hero Ltd Registered in ENGLAND | WF3 1DR | Company Number - 636 1033 Worthing’s 2024/25 regular league season concluded with an emphatic 5-1 victory on the road at Enfield Town there was still a chance for Worthing to finish at the summit of the National League South table while Enfield needed a point to guarantee their survival It was an evenly-contested opening 10 minutes with the condition of the pitch causing issues in possession for both sides Enfield top scorer Sam Youngs audaciously tried to chip the returning Chris Haigh after a mix-up at the back but the stopper dealt with the danger astutely Despite the score remaining goalless in north London the home faithful erupted on three separate occasions in the opening stages News had filtered around the Dave Bryant Stadium that league leaders Truro City had raced into 3-0 lead in Cornwall against St Albans – a score-line that would guarantee Enfield’s safety The contest devolved into a scrappy affair with neither side able to keep hold off the ball Nicky Wheeler registered Worthing’s first shot on target which was blocked by the outstretched foot of goalkeeper Joe Wright The winger cut inside before arrowing a shot towards the bottom corner but the opposition stopper was well positioned to push it out for a corner former Enfield man Mo Faal tried his luck from range although his driving effort swerved straight into the grasp of the ‘keeper Temi Babalola then headed into the back of the net only for referee Dan England to rule the goal out The official deemed that the striker had unfairly challenged Adam Thompson Wheeler delivered another dangerous corner towards the back post where Glen Rea was left in acres of space The midfielder effortlessly headed past Wright to give the visitors the advantage going into the interval A second goal in three games for our number 15 following his strike on Good Friday away to Eastbourne Borough the Rebels carried over their momentum from the first half and instantly searched for a second Jack Spong burst into the box before being tripped by Enfield skipper Mickey Parcell and the referee pointed to the spot without hesitation Spong assumed the responsibility of taking the pressured kick from 12 yards out The diminutive midfielder sent the goalkeeper the wrong way and coolly found the opposite corner to double the advantage Chris Agutter’s side extended their lead to three A raking pass from Sam Packham was delightfully cushioned into the path of Faal by the head of Spong The 6’5 forward composed himself before drilling a strike that arrowed into the bottom corner A fantastic finish against his former club Joel Colbran almost grabbed our fourth of the afternoon but inexplicably sent a header straight into Wright’s gloves from a few yards out Faal was in the mood for another in the capital and proceeded to produce a very late contender for ‘Goal of the Season’ Faal accurately volleyed in an unstoppable hit that flew over the head of the helpless Wright and nestled into the side-netting A goal that defies description and was eerily similar to his strike against Torquay earlier on in the campaign Worthing were four goals in front and in firm control Chris Haigh wasn’t able to preserve his clean sheet Billy Leonard broke clear down the right flank and crossed into the middle where Cian Dillon tapped in the consolation Henry Hawkins then hit the crossbar with a towering header before Liam Nash capped off a five-star display with a sensational 30-yard free-kick in second-half stoppage-time who was expecting the forward to cross into the middle by expertly bending an effort into the back of the net Dan England blew his whistle for the final time to signal the conclusion of a breathless affair Results around the rest of the league meant the Rebels finished the season in fourth position and only a solitary point off the summit A play-off eliminator fixture at home to Maidstone United awaits Chris Agutter and his players on Wednesday evening Following the conclusion of the National League season the club face a third successive play-off campaign Maidstone United will visit the Sussex Transport Community stadium on Wednesday evening in a repeat of last season’s semi-final in which the Reds came out of top thanks to two goals by Ollie Pearce There will be two online priority ticket windows – starting at 7pm this evening – before they go on general sale at 7pm on Monday evening If you qualify for either of the priority windows then look out for an email with instructions on how to secure your ticket Season ticket holders who have not previously set up a fan account on Fanbase will need to do so Any queries regarding priority windows should be directed to tickets@worthingfc.com Fans of Maidstone United should await communication from their club on the release of their allocation Easter Monday sees a huge clash at the top of National League South as 1st plays 4th at a sold out Sussex Transport Community Stadium In the latest instalment of one of the closest title races in Europe the Rebels ground out a well earned point at fellow challengers Eastbourne Borough on Good Friday despite playing for nearly 70 minutes with ten men following the dismissal of Aarran Racine for an alleged elbow on George Alexander That point proved all the more valuable when news of Truro City’s 1-0 defeat at home to Torquay United meant Chris Agutter’s side would head into the final two matches of the season at the summit Wanderers were afforded a pretty stress-free afternoon as they raced into a 3-0 lead inside 7 minutes at home to Hampton & Richmond courtesy of an incredible hat-trick by Charlie Carter – eventually winning 4-2 That set of results left the top five separated by just two points but it’s the Reds with their destiny in their own hands wins over Dorking and Enfield Town will clinch the title and with it promotion to the National League Wanderers rise during their relatively short history is well documented making it all the way to the National League before suffering the first relegation in their history last season They started the campaign relatively slowly after suffering injuries to some key players but a good run of form either side of the turn of the year saw them hit the summit for the first time in early February Marc White continues to serve a touchline ban so will be absent from the dugout this afternoon White has owned and managed the Wanderers since forming the club with friends in 1999 Captain Charlie Carter has been in fine form this season the 28-year-old midfielder in his first full season with Wanderers having joined from Eastleigh in October 2023 has hit 14 goals in the league The Reds back-line will also have to keep a close eye on the front two The vastly experienced Jason Prior and Alfie Rutherford – both former Bognor Regis Town players – have 13 and 19 goals respectively Goalkeeper Harrison Foulkes has played every minute in the league this season Dorking recently came through a tough run of fixtures with promotion rivals Torquay United Boreham Wood and Eastbourne Borough – winning two out of the three – with the reverse to Torquay being their only defeat in their last ten matches They have the best away record of everyone in National League South this season losing just four of their 22 matches on the road and picking up an impressive 42 points in the process The Reds won the reverse fixture at Meadowbank on Boxing Day 2-1 courtesy of goals from Glen Rea and Nicky Wheeler Wanderers were reduced to ten men in first half stoppage time when Matt Briggs shoved former teammate Kane Wills into the perimeter fencing The two teams have not met at Woodside Road since November 2021 when Dorking came out on top in an FA Trophy tie against their then lower-division opponents Of the 10 meetings overall Wanderers hold the edge with 6 wins to Worthing’s 3 Manager Chris Agutter will have the same squad to choose from as Friday’s draw with Eastbourne Borough but after battling for so long with a man disadvantage it remains to be seen whether the Reds boss will feel the need to rotate at all Aarran Racine is available despite seeing red at the Reach TV Stadium he will start his three match ban next weekend as will fellow defender Sam Beard who picked up his 15th yellow card of the season on Friday A reminder that this match is all-ticket and sold out Today’s match sees the return of our friends from friends Tippelaget A group of six supporters from Norway who came over and sponsored the final home match (regular season) of last season Thank you once again to them for their support please make them feel welcome if you see them around the ground today Thanks also to AJW Group who are sponsors of the 1886 Lounge today If you weren’t lucky enough to get a ticket the match is available to stream live on National League TV via DAZN Alternatively you can listen live to the club’s official match commentary service on Mixlr or follow updates via the our X/Twitter account Worthing rose to the summit of the National League South after a hard-fought point on the road to Eastbourne Borough A spirited display from a 10-man Worthing earned them a crucial point away to fellow title contenders Eastbourne Borough on Good Friday The Rebels were numerically disadvantaged for over 65 minutes at the ReachTV Stadium following Aaran Racine’s first-half dismissal but showed courage and character in abundance to frustrate the hosts It was a frenetic start on the South Coast with the bumper crowd of 3,622 buoying both sides on Yahaya Bamba burst into the area in the opening exchanges but couldn’t pick out a teammate in the middle Jack Spong then tried his luck from all of 35 yards and goalkeeper Joe Wright scampered across his goalline to parry the free-kick clear of danger Both teams were keen to impose themselves on proceedings with a plethora of full-blooded challenges flying in left Sam Beard was robustly dealing with the threat of Bamba by any means necessary Mo Faal had a presentable opportunity to break the deadlock following neat and intricate build-up play from the Rebels which allowed a combination of Camron Gbadebo and the goalkeeper to smother his eventual close-range effort the complexion of the contest completely changed as player-coach Racine was shown a straight red card referee Harry Jones deemed that the veteran defender had elbowed George Alexander A nightmare return to the starting eleven for the former club captain Chris Agutter’s outfit took the lead in East Sussex A swift counter-attack down the right-flank resulted in Glen Rea picking up possession on the edge of the box The midfielder composed himself before slotting a finish past Joe Wright to send the away faithful into raptures Worthing may have been numerically disadvantaged but they held the advantage going into the break The hosts commenced the second period with a renewed sense of impetus Both Agutter and Eastbourne manager Adam Murray decided to make two alterations apiece at the interval with Alfie Pavey and Jayden Davis entering the fold for the hosts Sam Packham and Odei Martin-Sorondo were introduced for the visitors with Agutter looking to solidify the disjointed defensive structure the Rebels continued to ask questions of the opposition backline A neat interchange between Faal and Danny Cashman culminated with the former having a chance although the 6’5 forward had little time to react and blazed over from inside the area Jack Clarke’s dangerous free-kick was met by the head of substitute Alfie Pavey Lucas Covalan could only watch as the ball flew past him and into the back of the net The momentum swung firmly in the Sports’ favour and they continued to mount pressure on Worthing’s net Jayden Davis occupied acres of space and advanced on goal but his finish was tame and rolled straight into the goalkeeper’s hands The lively Cashman immediately went up the other end up and teed up Odei The Spaniard’s side-footed attempt whistled just wide of the post Covolan then produced heroics to keep the scores level Eastbourne’s goal scorer Pavey nodded goalward from a matter of yards out only for the Brazilian stopper to react smartly and deny the striker from point-blank range Pavey spurned a glorious opportunity to claim the full complement of points The striker inexplicably missed the target from a couple of yards out and the Worthing backline collectively blew a huge sigh of relief Tommy Willard managed to spin adroitly and fashion a shot towards goal but Wright gathered with ease Harry Jones blew his whistle for the final time to end a breath-taking affair Torquay’s narrow win away to Truro City meant the Rebels climbed to the summit of the National League South with only two games left to play Chris Agutter and his players welcome Dorking Wanders to the Sussex Transport Community Stadium on Easter Monday for their final home match of the regular season Maidstone United will be away to Worthing in the Vanarama National League South Eliminator on Wednesday 30 April While the Stones knew seventh place was secured on Easter Monday the top six have been battling it out this afternoon for the final placings Truro City were crowned champions after their 5-2 win against St Albans City with Torquay United and Eastbourne Borough avoiding the eliminators and guaranteeing home advantage in the semi-final Admission prices and ticket information for Wednesday’s Eliminator will be announced as soon as possible The match will also be shown live via NLTV on DAZN. Visit www.dazn.com/nltv for more information Everything you need to know ahead of your visit to the Sussex Transport Community Stadium for our National League South Play-off Eliminator with Maidstone United The match is sold out and therefore there are no remaining tickets available either online or on the gate – please do not travel to the ground without a ticket Gates open at 5.45pm and visitors are advised to arrive as early as possible to avoid difficulties getting everyone in the ground in plenty of time for kick-off Additional security checks will be taking place therefore it may take longer than usual to enter the stadium Supporters are also advised to have their QR codes ready to speed up the scanning process Supporters will be segregated for this fixture Away fans will enter via the north east turnstile and occupy a portion of the north stand and a section of the uncovered east stand (see stadium map below) They will have access to the food and drink kiosk and toilet facilities situated in that corner of the ground Home fans will be able to access all other areas however to access the north stand they will need to do so by travelling around the south and west sides of the ground Here is your visual guide for where to find everything once inside the ground: Under no circumstances will the use of pyrotechnics by any supporter Anyone found attempting to bring flares into the stadium or throwing them in the ground will be removed from the stadium immediately They will also face a severe banning order and will be reported to the police The north west kiosk is now fully open for home supporters serving hot sausage rolls pies and pasties as well as a full range of draft lagers Jim Jam’s Catering return to serve up their speciality chicken as well as beer and Guinness from their pop-up in the south west corner of the ground Extra time and penalties will be played to determine a winner if necessary The ground is situated in the heart of a residential area and parking is severely restricted on matchdays We ask supporters to travel together and use public transport where possible If travelling by car please respect our neighbours by parking considerately We encourage visitors to travel to the ground by public transport wherever possible to reduce congestion and emissions Worthing and West Worthing train stations are both approximately a ten-minute walk to the ground. Supporters travelling by rail, please check Southern Rail’s website before your journey Ensure you leave early and in plenty of time ground regulations and behaviour guidelines Good Friday's trip to Eastbourne Borough will be shown live in the 1886 Lounge Borough announced this week that tickets are now sold out or couldn’t make it to Eastbourne can now show their support amongst other Rebels in the club’s new 1886 Lounge The match will be one of the most high-profile Sussex derbies in recent history with both sides in with a chance of winning the National League South title with just three games left to play Doors will open at 2.30pm with happy hour prices on various lagers on offer however to guarantee entry secure a ticket via the link below – walk-ins on the day will be subject to availability therefore we urge you to grab a free ticket in advance Get ticket – FREE Enfield Town have released details in relation to tickets for our meeting at the Dave Bryant Stadium on the final day of the season The result of the match could have a major say in the outcome at both ends of the table with the Reds hopeful of going into the last day still in a good position to claim the title while there’s every chance Town will still need points to avoid relegation The club has been informed that for safety reasons the fixture will be segregated Due to a delay in the completion of the new main stand at the Dave Bryant Stadium ongoing building works create a potential safety issue with large groups of supporters changing ends at half time due to a portion of the ground being closed capacity is limited to 2,500 with away supporters allocated 700 tickets Therefore supporters planning to attend are strongly advised to purchase a ticket in advance there is also a £1 reduction on admission for online purchases Buy Tickets The club can provide the following update on capacity at the Sussex Transport Community Stadium Tickets have now sold out for the Easter Monday visit of Dorking Wanderers in National League South The fixture sees two of the current top three go head-to-head in what is undoubtedly the stand out of the penultimate set of National League South fixtures as the season nears its end Those who didn’t manage to secure a ticket for the game can still catch the action live via National League TV on DAZN The Reds trip to Eastbourne Borough on Good Friday will also be available on that platform Tickets for the final three home games of the season went on general sale two weeks ago following two priority windows that gave first opportunity to the most loyal members of the fanbase to purchase tickets Allowing for season ticket holders (valid for all home league matches) and away supporters the rest of the available tickets (for Dorking) have now all been sold league rules dictate that away clubs are entitled to a minimum of 15% of capacity Wanderers chose to take up their maximum allocation (600) and have sold out their entitlement Governed by health and safety regulations the club is currently restricted to a maximum attendance of 3,000 – this figure can fluctuate slightly on a game-by-game basis depending on factors such as television coverage requirements The club has a “National League Ready” strategy that encompasses all areas of our operation In line with this strategy significant work has taken place to increase the ground capacity to 4,000 a minimum requirement of Step 1 – although something that doesn’t have to officially be in place until March 31st of a club’s first season at the level Whilst the provision for this is now in place the infrastructure around it is subject to sign-off from various stakeholders in relation to both ‘in ground’ and ‘safe exit’ capabilities ongoing and likely to conclude in the close season Tickets are still available for Saturday’s match up with Chippenham Town another vital afternoon in the club’s quest for promotion Chippenham Town Tickets You should upgrade your browser to Microsoft Edge to use this website or consider another web browser such as Google Chrome We use cookies to collect information about how you use adur-worthing.gov.uk We use this information to make the website work as well as possible and improve services We are working in partnership with low-carbon energy company Hemiko to deliver the Worthing Heat Network - a pioneering scheme which will bring sustainable heating to buildings and homes across the borough which forms a key part of our commitment to become a carbon neutral council by 2030 and a net zero area by 2045 Heat networks are an alternative to gas boilers and provide heating and hot water to homes and buildings through a network of insulated underground pipes Although heat networks are relatively new to the UK they are common in Scandinavia and will become increasingly popular as more towns cities and countries look to meet their carbon targets The first phase of the Worthing Heat Network is estimated to cut the town's carbon emissions by 3,000 tonnes a year - a figure estimated to be the equivalent of taking more than 2,000 cars off the road Air quality will also be improved through its introduction Public buildings across Worthing's town centre will connect to the network first more buildings and homes will have the opportunity to join which is expected to drive economic growth and create dozens of jobs across the town including opportunities for school leavers Heat networks operate by collecting local unused heat turning it into hot water and distributing that hot water to local users through a network of underground pipes They are a low carbon replacement for gas boilers heat networks are 40% cheaper than using individual air source heat pumps for each building we identified the Worthing Heat Network as the most economic and efficient way to decarbonise the town's civic quarter It will enable connected buildings to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels for heating and hot water reducing their heating emissions by around 90% Map: Worthing Heat Network area - first phase (credit Hemiko) Hemiko has said it will take about 15 months to construct the first phase of the heat network and connect the first buildings (listed below) The low-carbon energy company has said it will offer a connection to every building in the town by 2050 The first buildings to connect will be Worthing Town Hall This first phase alone is expected to save 3,000 tonnes of carbon a year the equivalent to taking 2,000 cars off the road To bring the Worthing Heat Network and its decarbonising benefits to life Hemiko will need to dig up roads and pavements across the town to install its network of underground pipes The low-carbon energy company is working closely with West Sussex County Council's highways team to ensure that construction will cause as little disruption to road and pavement users as possible There will be various traffic management programmes in place to protect both road users and Hemiko's working operatives The works will result in a handful of lane closures Hemiko says it will sequence the work to ensure that high season traffic can flow and the town can thrive in its busy summer period but the low-carbon energy company aims to be as efficient as possible working on weekends and extended days to minimise the impact will also need to be built across the borough - the first of which will be sited next to the High Street multi-storey car park The other energy centres will be built further out of the town centre Image: Artist's impression of the energy centre in High Street Following our application to the government's Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme we were awarded more than £7m of grant funding to contribute to the Worthing Heat Network This unlocked £40m of investment from Hemiko and they plan to invest in the region of £500m by 2050 as the network expands As part of our £7m award from the government we are required to match fund the grant with a £3.2m investment that will go towards modernising our public buildings This will see more energy efficient windows The NHS has also received approximately £19m in funding from the government to connect Worthing Hospital to the heat network When you can connect to the heat network will depend on how far away you are from the network and how many other buildings in your area also want to connect at a similar time During the first few years the focus will be on connecting larger buildings Other residential properties nearer the town centre are expected to be offered a connection in the next five to ten years To ensure the heat network delivers a quality we have established a Governance Agreement with Hemiko which binds them to providing low carbon heat at a fair price and with excellent customer services regulation will also apply in the heat networks market which is expected to be complete by 2026 is expected to create around 40 local jobs Hemiko expects the network to have created up to 500 jobs Photo: Hemiko staff wearing hi-vis (copyright Hemiko) Below is a diagrammatic map showing the construction timeline from Hemiko for the project Hemiko is engaging with local stakeholders to minimise disruption to traffic as a result of works on the highway the final programme of work will be subject to approval by West Sussex County Council as the Highways Authority Email this service Full contact details (Place & Economy Team) Both of the club's fixtures over Easter weekend have been selected for broadcast on NLTV The Reds face promotion rivals Eastbourne Borough and Dorking Wanderers in a four day period that could have significant in the destination of the National League South title The Rebels surrendered first place to Truro City following defeat at the hands of the Tinners on Saturday but only by virtue of an inferior goal difference; while Wanderers and Borough sit level on points in 3rd/4th respectively just two points adrift of the top 2 First up Chris Agutter’s team travel to Sussex-rivals while Easter Monday will see a sold out crowd witness the visit of Marc White’s Wanderers to the Sussex Transport Community Stadium Both fixtures have been selected by broadcaster DAZN for live coverage on NLTV Supporters can purchase passes via the DAZN website Gilbert Investments Limited & Barry Hunter.