FOOTBALL: Bognor end Worthing's seven-game winning run

Daniel Bogard gave Rocks an early lead, before a Jason Prior double and a stunning strike from Bognor's on-loan Albion youngster, Lewis Ide, knocked out lacklustre Rebels.

Worthing manager Simon Colbran made four changes from the team who got an outstanding 3-0 win at Fleet on Saturday, but refused to use that as an excuse for his side's poor showing, and said: "We had a strong enough team to win the game.

"There's no excuses. It doesn't matter if you're coming back from injury, aged 15 or aged 40, there's no excuses for not putting in 100 per cent effort.

"We conceded soft goals and that was through no organisation, and in the first half I don't think I heard any of our players say anything.

"Bognor wanted it more than us and gave it their all. It meant something to them and it didn't look like it did to us. They worked hard, showed passion and deserved their win.

"We simply weren't good enough but I can't take away from what we have done with seven wins on the trot.

"We've got a bit of a kick up the backside. I'm not going to slaughter the boys. But they'll go away and think about what's happened and on Saturday, we'll see what we are about '“ if we've got that winning mentality."

Rebels clearly missed central defender Glen Woodburn, Karl Akehurst in the middle of the park and striker Ross Treleaven, who was playing for Eastbourne Borough in the Sussex Senior Cup, but they still had the players to produce a much better performance than they did.

Worthing had defeated Bognor in the last two pre-seasons, but this result never looked in doubt once Bognor went ahead after just 11 minutes.

Prior, who had scored a hat-trick in Rocks' 3-3 Ryman League Premier Division draw at runaway leaders Dartford on Saturday, saw his one-on-one effort saved by Alan Mansfield. But from the resulting cross, Mansfield failed to punch the ball clear and it dropped to Bogard, who drilled home from close range.

Bogard missed a golden opportunity to double the lead on 25 minutes when he rounded Mansfield but fired over from eight yards to the delight of Rebels' fans.

Ben Johnson and Wayne Clarke then had half-chances to level before Rocks doubled their advantage five minutes before the break.

From a Worthing corner, Bognor broke and Sam Tucknott switched play to Prior, in acres of space, and he drilled an unstoppable effort past Mansfield from 18 yards.

Tucknott was one of two former Worthing players in the Bognor starting line-up, with Mickey Demetriou, who played left-wing, striker and left-back for Rebels, in central defence. He had a largely untroubled evening and his side made it 3-0 on 62 minutes when Prior coolly slotted into the far corner from 15 yards.

Demetriou had gone off and been replaced by another former Rebel, Richard Greenfield, by the time Ide's stunning 20-yarder into the top corner put the icing on Bognor's cake.

Worthing then had their best spell of the game but Rocks keeper Andrej Pernecky denied Akehurst and Paul Kennett, and Medi Koroma had an acrobatic volley cleared off the line.

WORTHING: Mansfield; Denton, Axten, Booker, Farmer; Brotherton, Kennett, Patton, Johnson; Gordon, Clarke. Subs: Mitchell (Gordon 57), Akehurst, Koroma (Patton, Clarke 66), Woodburn, Di Bernardo. Att: 358.

-------------------------------------

Click here to go back to Worthing sport.

Click here to return to Gazette sport.

Click here to go back to Shoreham sport.

Where are you? Add your pin to the Herald's international readers' map by clicking here.

Email the Herald: [email protected]