Seeing the benefit in Brotherton

At the time when Gargan was on loan from Albion all was promise, but with Francis's availability never firmly established it was always likely to end on his return to Withdean because it had left the 13-goal Gargan operating without a regular partner up front.

Rebels got by with goals from midfielder Ben Johnson and also from Ben Andrews, when he was not needed in defence or out suspended.

Brotherton, having started in Rebels first seven games, was in and out of the side in September and October and was then loaned out to Whyteleafe, where he found the net several times.

The important figure in this was 'Leafe's Dave Swindlehurst, the former Football League striker, whose expertise it was believed might bring progress in Brotherton. It looks like it did.

Joint-Rebels boss Alan Pook was coming more regularly to Worthing games after a period sidelined by family matters, Brotherton came back in Dcecember, and Pook recognised the results.

He explained: "We needed Jamie to go away and hear from someone else the kind of thing we'd been trying to tell him - and that was Dave Swindlehurst. While I was not here very much, Jamie was being used on the wing but he's an up-front striker and that's where we're playing him now he's come back."

The outcome - different to when he was out wide - is that Brotherton is more confident, he is finding himself regularly in goalscoring positions in the middle, and getting more finishing practice - like he was in the Youth team last season and stuck away a bundle of goals.

He and Ben Andrews, since the skipper's return after several games out, have started to blend. Andrews' presence in the air is distracting and concerning defenders and Brotherton is starting to exploit the spaces that opens up.