Worthing win third straight league game as Halifax are beaten
Goals from Joe Cook and Jordan Young were enough to seal all three points for Worthing at the Sussex Transport Community Stadium as the Rebels claimed a 2-1 win over a ten-player FC Halifax Town.
Cook’s early header was quickly cancelled out by Will Hugill inside 20 minutes, before Jordan Young put the home side back in front just before half-time.
The Reds kept the upper hand through the final 45 minutes, with their effort helped by a straight card for Halifax substitute Dylan Crowe for denial of the scoring opportunity.
Several absentees forced Adam Hinshelwood to shuffle the pack in the Rebels’ search for a third straight league win.
Razzaq Coleman De-Graft and Joe Cook returned to the starting XI and newly acquired QPR loanee Emmerson Sutton was named among the subs.
John McGrath’s Halifax were seeking five straight unbeaten in all competitions. It was the Rebels who started on the front foot, however, producing the opening goal on seven minutes.
An out-swinging corner from Young invited a swarm of Worthing heads to attack, with Cook rising highest to power past True Grant in the visitors’ net for his first goal of the league campaign.
The early concession breathed life into the Shaymen, with it only taking ten minutes for the Yorkshire outfit to get back on level terms. A passage through the right channel saw Hugill charge into the left side of the Worthing penalty area before setting his sights on goal. The midfielder’s right-footed strike proved too much for Taylor Seymour to handle, bundling underneath the keeper at his left post.
Hinshelwood’s Reds began to reaffirm their foothold on proceedings through the half hour mark.
Breaking into the box from the right flank, excellent skill from Coleman De-Graft created ample space for the winger to fashion a delivery. A powerful cutback from the former Lewes man picked out the run of Adjetey-Brew into the area, however the left-back was unable to keep his effort down.
Worthing pressure soon turned into a restored lead with the interval fast approaching.
Skipping past one challenge at the edge of the box, Ricky Aguiar shifted the ball along to Adjetey-Brew on the left side of the penalty area. With the ball initially stuck under his foot, the left-back mustered an effort goalwards which took a slight deflection off the body of Young who had made a run across goal.
The former Torquay forward’s intervention left the away rearguard, including a rooted Grant, powerless to stop the ball from rolling home to put the Reds back ahead with just over five minutes of normal time to play at the end of the first half.
Halifax narrowly avoided déjà vu to begin the second half of action, with Young and Cook almost combining to recreate their early opener. Once again, a corner from the left foot of Young picked out Cook unmarked, although the centre half’s headed attempt skewed off target.
Besides a handful of penalty appeals, Worthing’s attacking play in the second half yielded minimal results prior to the debut introduction of Sutton off the bench with 30 minutes remaining.
A lofted ball by Seymour deep into Halifax territory was charged down by the former Morecambe loanee 20 yards from goal. With only the ‘keeper to beat should he have controlled the bouncing ball, a challenge from behind by Crowe brought Sutton to ground just outside the box in a central position. Referee Dan Blades showed no hesitation in brandishing a red card.
Aguiar’s free-kick clipped the top of the crossbar on its way out of play. With just over two minutes of regulation to play, Coleman De-Graft had two quickfire chances to put the result beyond doubt.
Clever play from Kendall to anticipate a mistake from Max Bardell allowed the former Southend man to drive into the area through the left channel. A square ball across the face of goal reached the run of Coleman De-Graft, who saw consecutive efforts kept out by a sprawling Grant.