‘Written in the stars’ – Adam Hinshelwood hails teenage goalkeeper's unforgettable Worthing FC debut in Sussex Senior Cup final triumph over Bognor

A rib injury sustained by first-choice keeper Harrison Male – and back-up Alieu Secka’s ineligibility – meant under-18s stopper Tillman made his senior Reds bow in Thursday night’s final at the Amex.

And the teenager enjoyed a debut to savour against the Rocks. The youngster kept a clean sheet for the Mackerel Men – pulling off great saves to deny Bognor’s Nathan Odokonyero and Josh McCormick – as both sides failed to break the deadlock inside 90 minutes.

Tillman then etched his name into Worthing FC folklore by keeping out Rocks skipper Harvey Whyte’s spot-kick in the shootout. The young keeper’s superb save saw the Reds win 8-7 on penalties, and crown Worthing as Sussex champions.

Hinshelwood said: “When you’ve got an 18-year-old goalkeeper starting his first-ever game for you in the first team, it’s just written in the stars to go to penalties.

“You could see by our changes that we did all we could for it not to go to penalties! We tried to win the game in normal time but it wasn’t to be.

“I thought he was excellent. What a game to make your debut for the first team – in a local that’s a final in an unbelievable stadium.

“I can’t speak highly enough of the game he’s played. For him to be on the winning side is a really nice occasion for him.”

Worthing’s penalty shootout success over Bognor saw the Mackerel Men lift the Sussex Senior Cup for the first time in 24 years.

The Reds last tasted county success in 1998-99, beating Hastings Town – now Hastings United – 3-0 in the final at Crawley Town’s Broadfield Stadium.

And Hinshelwood was delighted to break Worthing’s unwanted Sussex Senior Cup duck against a Bognor side he admitted should have won on the night.

He said: “It’s a really prestigious competition for the football club. We’ve got a good history in it, but we haven’t won it since 1999. For us to lift the trophy is a really big moment for us and the supporters.

“I’m delighted we got to do it in the end, but in terms of our performance I thought Bognor probably deserved [to win] it. They got into better areas, they just didn’t take their chances on the day.

“I’ve got nothing but respect for Robbie [Blake, Bognor boss] and Jamie [Howell, Rocks assistant manager] for the job they do and how they set their team up. I knew it was going to be a tough game.

“The second half was a really entertaining game but neither team could take their chances.

“It looked like we were low on confidence, especially in the final third. I thought they looked like they had a little bit more momentum than us, so I’m just pleased we managed to stay in the game.

“To come out with a win, I’m delighted for that to happen.”

Worthing’s Sussex Senior Cup success followed a deflating defeat in the National League South play-offs.

The Reds finished fourth in their debut season at step two to set up a play-off quarter-final with Braintree Town.

The Mackerel Men ran out 2-1 winners over the Iron on May 3, but were knocked out in the semi-finals by Oxford City.

The Hoops beat Worthing 2-0 at home on May 7 to book a play-off final date with sixth-placed St Albans City.

Hinshelwood revealed he was still pained by the Reds’ defeat in Oxfordshire, but hoped the club’s Sussex Senior Cup success could help ‘kickstart’ Worthing’s 2023-24 campaign.

He added: “We’re obviously very disappointed, still, with Sunday. But to lose in the semi-final of the play-offs and then come here and lose this competition going into the summer would have been tough.

“We’ve got a bit of momentum now going into the summer, and hopefully that can help us kickstart next season.”

You can watch Adam Hinshelwood’s post-match press conference in full in the video player at the top of the page.