October 17th, 2023

On Tuesday, Crawley Town FC faced off against Worthing FC, in the Sussex Senior Cup group stages. The match took place at the Sussex Transport Community Stadium, home of the reigning Sussex Senior Cup Champions, Worthing FC. Dedicated traveling supporters would soon be rewarded with an exciting game of football. It was only a few days earlier, when Adam Hinshelwood's Worthing side secured an impressive 2-0 victory against Bath City to qualify them for the FA Cup. Crawley will be looking to put an end to Worthing's impressive run of form.

The match began with Crawley making an assertive start, with a threatening counter-attack that placed their striker, Ade Adeyemo, one-on-one with Worthing's keeper, Roco Rees. Rees managed to make a convincing save to pacify the situation. In the 6th minute, a clipped ball from Crawley Town's Captain Harry Ransom found Adeyemo once again in a one-on-one situation with the keeper. Adeyemo was able to maintain composure, taking the ball around the keeper and slotting the ball into an unguarded net, giving Crawley Town a 1-0 lead.

Despite conceding a goal, Worthing quickly regrouped. Jesse Starkey responded first, firing a 30-yard strike into the top left corner, leveling the score 1-1. At the 25-minute mark, Adeyemo reacted well by scoring once more for Crawley Town, shifting the score to 2-1. The energy of the match remained high, both teams working hard to get the best of their opponents. Worthing’s Joane Luque received a great ball on the left, giving him an opportunity to drive to the byline and deliver a ball into Jake Robinson, who finished first time, leveling the scoreline once again at 2-2.

In the 36th minute, Worthing found themselves with another opportunity as Joane Luque got himself to the byline and cut a pass back. A lively Jake Robinson did well to get on the end of it and tap it in, securing his second goal of the match. Worthing concluded the first half with a 3-2 lead over their League 2 competitors. Scott Lindsey, the manager of Crawley Town, faced the challenging task of motivating his team during the halftime break.

As the second half kicked off, Luque added to his impressive display of attacking football by gaining possession in the opposition's half and testing Crawley Town’s goalkeeper. Crawley Town was presented with another obstacle as Travis Johnson received a red card, leaving them with only 10 men. In the 84th minute, Worthing capitalized on the situation, as Joane Luque made another attacking run down the left. This time, Luke drove towards goal and slotted the ball into the bottom right corner, extending Worthing's lead to 4-2.

Crawley Town's plans for victory seemed to be written off, as they struggled to compete with a man down. In the dying minutes of the game, Worthing increased their lead by two more, with a smooth chipped shot from Ollie Pearce and a low driven strike from Bailey Smith. The final score was 6-2 in favor of Worthing FC. Worthing extended their run of good form, and their supporters remain hopeful for the future.