Hutchinson double rescues point for Worthing as Barrow are held
It was a tale of two halves – and it ended the points shared at the Sussex Transport Community Stadium as Worthing and Barrow played out a frenetic 2-2 draw in the National League.
Bluebirds debutant Mikey Lane and Dom Hutchinson scored two apiece either side of the interval, with both teams spurning chances to seal victory late on.
All three of the Rebels’ midweek signings featured in Adam Hinshelwood’s matchday squad. Jordan Young and Charlie Waller retained their place in the starting XI from the scoreless draw, while Charley Kendall was named among the substitutes. QPR loanee Harvey Boddy joined the bench for his first appearance in a league squad this season.
Adam Murray’s Barrow arrived having picked up their first league victory of the season last weekend, yet it was the hosts who started on top.
Ricky Aguiar produced the game’s first on-target effort in the 14th minute; good defending from Joel Colbran allowed the Rebels to break down the right, with Coleman De-Graft picking out Young’s forward run.
The former Torquay man set up Aguiar for a shot from 25 yards out, however his side-footed strike was claimed easily by keeper Ben Winterbottom.
The visitors’ first meaningful foray into the home area yielded the opening goal after 20 minutes.
A smart turn by on- loan Fleetwood striker Lane up against Jayden Moore at the edge of the box sent the forward bearing down on goal. Having scampered goalward to meet his touch, Lane’s initial effort squirmed under the body of keeper Taylor Seymour, allowing him to slot home at the second time of asking.
A head injury suffered by Jose Marquez meant the striker was taken off with half an hour played. Coming on in his place was Kendall, who in the 38th minute, produced the hosts’ first attacking response to going behind.
Breaking into the box through the left channel, Kendall shifted the ball on to his left side before fizzing a shot towards Winterbottom’s nearpost, with the Bluebirds stopper able to turn the effort behind.
With a minute of stoppage time remaining at the end of the half, Lane grabbed his and his side’s second. Profiting on a defensive lapse just outside the area with huge suspicions of a foul on Waller, Lane picked up possession just ahead of the penalty spot before calmly rolling an effort past a rooted Seymour.
It took just minutes for Worthing to have their first look at goal after the break. A poor ball into midfield by Winterbottom was sent immediately into the path of Young who had broken ahead of the Barrow backline, but his effort went inches wide.
The home contingent did not have to wait much longer for the Reds to get on the scoresheet. A fluid attacking phase culminated in Kendall rerouting the ball into the path of Hutchinson, who took two strides into the box before dinking the ball over Winterbottom.
The hosts were spared from catastrophe thanks to quick decision-making by Aguiar. A risky decision by Seymour to come all the way out of goal into the Barrow half was almost punished after his attempt to loft the ball back into the final third was charged down.
With Seymour stranded and no one defending the goal-line, Aguiar’s intentional foul on Lane prevented the forward from sizing up a long-distance attempt on goal, earning him a yellow card.
Just after the hour mark, the Rebels restored parity through Hutchinson’s second. The former Wealdstone man spotted an opening in the Barrow backline, and after getting on the receiving end of Kendall’s infield pass, the midfielder sized up Winterbottom before placing a low effort into the net.
That put Worthing firmly on the front foot, forcing the travelling Cumbrians into a defensive set-up.
Efforts by Kendall and a narrowly-wide free-kick attempt by Coleman De-Graft made up the best of the Reds chances to complete the turnaround.
With seconds of the 90 to play, both teams had major opportunities to go in front. For Barrow, the ball sat up for substitute Seb Thompson to take on the strike, forcing Seymour to get down quickly to divert it.
Turning defence into attack, the Rebels got out on the counter against a depleted Barrow defence. Cory Adjetey-Brew finally played Kendall through on goal, yet the former Southend man was denied a late winner by the widespread frame of Winterbottom.