CHAMPIONS! WORTHING PROMOTED TO NATIONAL LEAGUE PREMIER

Adam Hinshelwood’s side clinched the National South crown by beating Ebbsfleet 2-0 at a packed and bouncing Woodside Road – an amazing 4,002 the new record attendance – in their final game.

It caps a remarkable four years at step two for the Rebels – they have been in the play-offs in each of their first three seasons in this league, and have now gone one better and won it.

It was not an afternoon without nerves for the team but they played well and fully deserved their win – showing the form that has seen them go undefeated at home in the league since Hinshelwood returned as boss in October.

Here, Joe Cook fired them into the lead five minutes before the break. The Rebels moved the ball side to side before finding Cook, who drove into space. He laid the ball into Razz Coleman De-Graft, whose effort was blocked, but the rebound fell to Cook, who rifled an effort into the top corner.

Eight minutes into the second half it was 2-0. The move started with De-Graft as he recieved the ball and laid it off to skipper Joel Colbran. He then combined with De-Graft, who sent a piledriver into the roof of the net from just outside the box.

There was little to suggest Ebbsfleet could get back into it and Worthing held out for a win that will be talked about for years to come.

Now Worthing will celebrate long and hard – and take the plaudits they deserve from people in the town, from the Sussex football community and beyond.

And they can get used to the idea of mixing it in the National Premier next season – when the likes of Hartlepool, Yeovil, Aldershot and Sutton will be their opponents, along with the two sides who are relegated from the current League Two set-up and some strong sides who miss out on promotion this season.

Worthing’s title win leaves Dorking, Hornchurch, Torquay, Hemel, Weston and Maidenhead to battle it out in the play-offs.

Worthing began the day knowing a win would be enough to clinch the title and automatic promotion, whatever any other team did, but a draw or loss against Ebbsfleet could let in Hornchurch if they won their game at home to Maidenhead.

Although there were two other sides three points behind Worthing at the start of play – Dorking and Hemel Hempstead – Worthing’s goal difference was so far superior that there was no way those teams could finish above the Rebels.

The Rebels had missed a chance to wrap up the title a week ago – when victory at Maidstone would have done it but where they ended up losing 2-1 after taking the lead.

We’ll have reaction, pictures and much more from Worthing’s title win on this website in the coming days and in the Worthing Herald on Thursday.