Worthing FC boss on play-off chance: We have confidence and momentum at just the right time

The further Worthing’s season goes, the more the boss wants it to continue – and he is hoping the momentum built up over the past six weeks or so with a superb run of league results can help carry them through Wednesday night’s Woodside Road clash with Braintree.

The winners will go to Oxford City in the semi-final on Sunday – with the winners of that in the final the following weekend. And Worthing have the Sussex Senior Cup final against Bognor to come next Thursday night too.

24 pictures from Braintree v Worthing.

35 pictures from Worthing v Braintree.

Worthing have ended their first season at step two with a flourish. Since a run of three straight league defeats in the first half of March, they have won six out of seven to secure a fourth-place finish – with only a defeat at Taunton, when they lost 3-2 after leading 2-0, spoiling their run-in.

Fourth spot has earned a home play-off tie with Braintree, who were one of the teams they beat in that late-season run, Josh Chambers and Reece Meekums scoring to secure a 2-1 home win in mid-April after the Essex side scored first.

Hinshelwood said the results of the two league games against a Braintree – including a 2-1 defeat in Essex earlier on – would have no bearing on this one-off tie.

"It’s like a cup tie and anything can happen,” he told us. “We go into the game with confidence and momentum, We’ve had a great run in the league and have got through to the cup final. We’ve hit top form at the right time but have to keep it going.

"We know Braintree will be tough opposition – all six sides who are in the play-offs are quality teams. But we have home advantage and will have a big crowd and know that if we play as well as we can, we can be the ones to go through.”

Hinshelwood has virtually a full squad to pick from, with only longer-term absentees like Jake Robinson and Lewis White unavailable.

Forwards Ollie Pearce and Ibby Akanbi have had hip and hamstring problems in recent weeks but both should be fit.

There’ll be a light training session for the squad this evening (Tuesday) as Hinshelwood said he was keen to get the players together between Saturday’s win and tomorow’s big game.

The manager also spoke of his delight at a young line-up getting past Hastings in last Wednesday’s SSC semi-final at Lancing, thanks to a 5-4 win in the penalty shooutout. Keeper Harrison Male – the only player to play in the semi 24 hours after featuring in a league win at Cheshunt – was the hero with three saves in the shootout.

Hinshelwood said: “I was pleased with how we performed with a young team going up against a good Hastings side. When it goes to penalties anything can happen but our lads stayed focused and Harrison came up with some saves to get us through.

"He has had a great season and has not always had a lot of headlines for his performances. He is dependable and to get a clean sheet in the league game at Cheshunt one night then do that in a shootout the next night was massive for us.”