Souter delighted with Worthing United’s goal-laden start – but says it means little yet

Joint boss Glenn Souter said of Saturday’s big home win: “When you look at how we’ve started the season, there’s a lot to be pleased about.

"An 8-0 scoreline catches the eye, but for me it was more about the way we went about our work. The conditions were horrible – strong winds, driving rain and a difficult surface – but we didn’t allow that to become an excuse. We stayed aggressive, kept playing forward and, once we got on top, we were relentless.

"The first ten minutes were probably as even as the game got. Ringmer came with plenty of energy and we had to settle, but once Ethan Davey opened the scoring on 20 minutes from Dean Sherwood’s corner, we started to take control.

"Ethan then put a great ball across the box for Ahmed Kamil to make it 2–0. Ahmed’s start to the season has been excellent. His work rate, movement and willingness to make things happen have been massive.

"Danny Kingston made it three after good work involving Dean, and when Ringmer went down to ten men following a foul on Liam Appleton, it was important we didn’t take our foot off the gas. When we get teams under pressure, we want to keep them there.

"Jordan Pittam showed great composure to set Dean up for the fourth before Ahmed punished a short back-pass in first half stoppage time, rounded the keeper and made it 5–0 at half-time.

"The challenge at the break was simple: don’t let the standards drop. It’s very easy at 5–0 to become sloppy, start taking extra touches and turn the second half into a training exercise. I didn’t want that. We want to develop a mentality where our standards are dictated by us.

"Joe Sadler came on and continued his excellent impact since joining us, finishing powerfully for the sixth. Leon Turner then came on and helped himself to two goals in quick succession – the first a header from Dean’s delivery and the second a composed finish after getting in behind. That took us to 8–0 and completed another emphatic win.”

What pleased the management team most is that this wasn’t an isolated performance.

Souter added: “We’ve started the season with momentum. We’ve scored goals, we’ve had contributions from all over the pitch and, most importantly, we’re beginning to establish an identity.

"We want the Mavs to be known as fit, aggressive, dynamic and relentless. We want to play with intensity, press teams, compete physically and attack with purpose.

"Goals are coming from everywhere. Ethan has been outstanding from left-back and has already shown what an attacking threat he can be. Dean is contributing at both ends of the pitch, Danny continues to produce goals and assists, Ahmed has been a constant problem for defenders, and we’ve now got players like Joe and Leon coming into games and making an immediate impact.

“That competition is exactly what we need. Nobody should feel that the shirt belongs to them. We have a strong squad and the players coming off the bench need to be capable of making us better, not simply replacing somebody. Against Ringmer, they did exactly that.

“We are proud of the way the players have approached these opening weeks. There’s a togetherness developing within this group and I think you can see that in the way we play. They work for each other, they celebrate each other’s success and there’s a genuine hunger within the squad. But we haven’t achieved anything yet.

"An 8-0 win is fantastic, a recent 7-0 away win was fantastic. The performances and goals are great for confidence. But nobody wins anything in August. What these results do is show us what we are capable of when our attitude and intensity are right. The challenge now is maintaining it.

"We don’t want to be a team that produces a few big results and then disappears when the season becomes difficult.

"There will be setbacks, difficult afternoons. That’s football. The measure of this group will be how we respond when those moments arrive.

The players deserve enormous credit. They’ve bought into what we’re trying to build and they are setting their own standards higher every week.”

United drew 1-1 at Mile Oak on Monday and host Clanfield on Saturday.