Big Ben calls time on basement boys

His presence up front against a sizeable side, with their biggest man Aaron Barnett actually outsizing the Rebels skipper while marking him, brought the two goals that took Worthing clear of the opposition after they had gone into half-time 1-1.

Worthing had come out from the interval and straightway forced three consecutive corners. A shot by Lloyd Skinner was deflected wide, then from the next two, Andrews had a header saved and sent another over the top.

But then came two goals in eight minutes that put Molesey to bed.

In the 54th minute, debut-starter Enzo Benn found Scott Kirkwood who set up Karly Akehurst to send in a hanging diagonal cross. Andrews climbed above Barnett on the edge of the box at the inside-right position and headed across the penalty area where Jamie Brotherton rushed in and knocked the ball past Steve Winegaard and into the roof of the net.

Then in the 62nd minute, Akehurst's quick free kick enabled right-back Joe Keehan a free cross, and if that was a quality delivery typical of this player, deep to the inside-right position, so was the finish. Andrews had scarcely any right to score with a header from 16 yards but he powerfully beat Winegaard and the ball went in off the inside of the keeper's right-hand post.

In those opening 17 minutes, Molesey had been in the Worthing half barely twice, the first time being when keeper Rikki Banks belted downfield a back-pass from Benn and it dropped behind the

Molesey defence, where Andrews and Brotherton could do what they liked.

Andrews should have made a probable scoring pass to the youngster but instead dribbled himself into trouble. Later in the game, Brotherton was guilty of the same when Andrews was free and ready to pounce.

Rebels had two other efforts to make it 4-1. Lloyd Skinner, wide right, sent the ball too high of the empty goal after Winegaard left his goal to boot clear of the endlessly chasing Brotherton. Then in the last five minutes, Kirkwood's header from a Ben Johnson corner flashed over the bar.

The closest Molesey went was with Anthony Gale's deflected direct free kick, which just missed Banks' right post with 12 minutes to go.

Set pieces were Molesey's main hope. They were busy but lacked inspiration and failed to keep the ball for long. One reason for that was Akehurst in midfield who showed why he is was preferred to the inconsistent and now departed Leo Day. Akehurst was winning lots of possession and always looked like his passing would make something happen.

Youth team product Benn is a right-back who became the latest to be tried at left-back. Like Banks, he is 19. Akehurst is 18, like Stuart Axten, Jamie Brotherton and on-loan players Lloyd Skinner, and Jarahl Hughes, who made a lively substitute appearance on the right.

The only four players 20 or over were Andrews, Keehan, Johnson and joint-signing from Eastbourne Borough, Dominic Douglas, the Sun newspaper's new male pin-up boy.

Douglas was fortunately reprieved for an error by an Axten challenge in the first half before either side had scored, and by which time Banks already had fumbled, under no pressure, the only other shot of the game he was required to a save.

Both sides then scored within 10 minutes of each other, from free kicks.

On 24 minutes, Rob Wilkinson brought down Akehurst near the right corner flag. Johnson took it, Molesey captain and left-back Phil Caughter miscued his clearance and left Kirkwood the chance to swivel and shoot from beyond the near post at an acute angle and the ball deflected tamely in.

Then it was Akehurst's own foul that gave Gale a kick from near the left touchline (after he stole 10 yards) and when Andrews tried to head clear at around chest height, the ball connected with an opponent, fell loose and it was centre-back Wilkinson who hooked the equaliser home from eight yards.

Worthing had two chances (Molesey none) to go ahead before the interval and Andrews was in the vicinity of both. His halfway-line chest-down came in the move for the first, in which he turned up inside the box on the lef but chose to try to prod past Winegaard at the angle instead of feeding Brotherton inside who was unmarked and had Skinner in support.

Then a long cross by Johnson found Andrews and Keehan arriving unmarked at the far post but fast running out of room and Keehan could only knock the ball to the waiting Winegaard.

Worthing were convincing enough against a team looking around for a player to take charge of their destiny. Rebels stuck with their 11 for a good while before giving their substitutes some grass. Those 11 showed a lot of constructive football and rightly ended the game confident.

Joint-manager Alan Pook said: "We haven't been playing with confidence the last two months but I thought we played some good stuff against team that was uncomfortable to play against. It wasn't the surface we're used to here but it's the time of year and the football that was played on it in the past week.

"Our attitude was right and there was only one team going to win it in the second half. It was one-way traffic.

"I was very pleased with Jerahl Hughes's cameo at the end. He came here from Yeovil short of match fitness and confidence, and that showed the previous two Saturdays.

"In still think we have a chance of reaching the play-offs and if we can win on Tuesday night at home to Walton Casuals it will be a huge step back into the battle."

Worthing stay ninth after attracting their second-lowest Saturday home gate of the season. They lost to promoted Chipstead at Woodside on December 11 in front of 177.

WORTHING: Banks; Keehan, Axten Douglas, Benn; Skinner, Akehurst, Kirkwood, Johnson; Brotherton, Andrews. Subs: Hughes (Skinner 84), Pulling (Johnson 87), Morrow (Kirkwood 90). Att: 223.

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