Positives please Hinshelwood – so does Worthing’s four-point haul from two
Adam Hinshelwood praised Worthing’s character after they battled back from 2-0 down to take a point from Barrow – and was then buoyed by a midweek win and clean sheet.
The Rebels’ fightback at home to Barrow – who were in League Two last season – was impressive as Dom Hutchinson’s double earned a 2-2 draw and made it eight points from their first seven games.
Hinshelwood was pleased by their spirit, highlighting the way they started winning duels all over the pitch that they’d been losing in the first half.
But he said after that game they needed to be tighter defensively and be wary of the fact their points tally was lower than it should be given how many games they’d led in.
And right on cue, the Rebels then delivered a 1-0 win on Tuesday night as Ricky Aguiar’s early goal defeated Hornchurch at Woodside Road to take them 12th in the table.
They head to Hartlepool for Saturday’s 12.30pm kick-off in good spirits and with injured players on the way back.
After the Barrow draw, Hinshelwood said: “We had two one on ones before our two goals and another at the end and were a bit dejected not to have won.
"But the players were out on the feet and I was delighted by their character in coning from two down. It’s not easy versus that standard of opposition.
"We’re disappointed not to have more points – we could have had 10 or 12 – but we need to stop hiding behind the fact we’re in a higher league. We have to work out how to start getting the points we deserve.”
Hinshelwood said conceding two or more as often as they were was a trait they needed to stamp out. “You can’t always score three or four to make up for what you’re conceding,” he said.
"We creating plenty and scoring a fair number but we must be tighter – as we were against Norwich in the cup last week.”
And tighter they were as they kept out Hornchurch in midweek for a third league win of the season.
The manager said: “I was really pleased with the performance and that we backed it up with three points. We showed grit and determination.”
Hinshelwood is pleased to see the squad becoming stronger, following last week’s additions of Jordan Young, Charlie Waller and Charley Kendall.
He said his aim was to have a bench full of players as strong as the starting XI every week.
Midfield trio Noor Husin, Tyrique Clarke and Matt Burgess are all edging towards full fitness – while Joe Cook, Bailey Smith and George Cox could all be available for Saturday’s trip to Hartlepool.