MATCH PREVIEW: Chippenham Town vs Worthing | National League South | Tuesday 21st January 2025

Harry Minton previews our league clash at home to Worthing

The fixture list is starting to pile up for the Bluebirds as we are back in action once more on Tuesday night at the Thornbury Surfacing Stadium for the visit of Worthing.

Last Time Out

The boys in blue were looking to back up a positive point on the road against Tonbridge with three points at home against Salisbury in the Wiltshire Derby. The game did not live up to the expectations of the nine hundred fans in attendance, as there were only a couple of quality chances for either side.

Ronan Silva had the best chances for the visitors in the first half after twenty minutes but was denied by a brilliant Will Henry save from point blank range. Leone Gravata had the only notable opportunity for the home side towards the half-time interval when he weaved his way into the box but seemed to lose balance as he took his effort. It deflected off Salisbury defender Josh Sommerton but wasn’t troubling Rhys Byrne in goal.

Byrne was called into action again early in the second half as he made an excellent double save to deny Harry Parsons and Tom Mehew from inside the six yard area. Gravata had another good chance to score the opener but his shot narrowly cleared the crossbar. It looked like it was going to be a well-earned point for both sides until the 86th minute when former Bluebird Noah Coppin put a cross into the box for the Whites. Substitute Will King tried to clear it away but miscued it completely as it looped over Henry in to the back of the net with some help from the upright as well. Salisbury had completed the double over Chip Town this season in the Wiltshire Derby.

Our Opponents: Worthing

Attention turns to our opponents on Tuesday though in Worthing. A historic club, founded all the way back in 1886. It did not take the Rebels long to win their first piece of silverware, winning the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup in 1893 after beating Eastbourne Town 2-1 in the final.

After transferring to Division Two of the Isthmian League in 1977, again it did not take Worthing long to achieve success, after they won the league in 1982 and were promoted to Division One, they then did the exact same the following season as they achieved back to back promotion from Division Two up the Premier Divsion. It was short-lived, the Rebels time in the top divisions as by 1991, they were back in Division Two.

They continued to fluctuate between those divisions in the Isthmian League for a very long time until 2022 where they finished top of the league with ninety-seven points and were promoted to the National League South, the sixth tier of English football for the first time in the clubs’ history.

Worthing’s first year in the league was a very successful season by the club’s expectations, as they managed to achieve fourth place, qualifying them for the promotion play-offs for the National League. After getting past Braintree Town in the quarter-finals 2-1, they then were unfortunately beaten by the winners of the play-offs that year, Oxford City 2-0 in the semis. They were playoff candidates the next season, however, and they finished in third this time, qualifying them straight to the semi-finals. The rebels were dreaming of the National League after they had defeated Maidstone United by two goals to one at home. However, Worthing faced a familiar opponent in the final in Braintree Town and the side from West Sussex were involved in a thrilling encounter, but unfortunately narrowly lost out to Braintree again 4-3, denying them a place in the National League for the first time in the clubs history.

They are on course for a play off place once again this season, currently sitting in seventh with a 1-0 win at home to bottom of the league Weymouth last time out.

One to Watch

There isn’t any familiar faces that us Bluebirds will be facing when we welcome the Rebels on Tuesday night, however one massive threat that the boys will have to try to keep quiet is Muhammadu Faal. The forward has scored a total of fifteen goals so far this season in all competitions, including four against current league leaders Torquay United in a 5-1 in the fourth round of the FA Trophy.

Previous Meetings

Our very first meeting with Worthing came back in 1999 in the FA Cup qualifying rounds. The game ended in a 1-1 draw at our place, however in the replay back in West Sussex, it was the Rebels who came out as 3–1 winners. They went on a little cup run that season as they made it to the first proper round where they would be awarded with an away tie Third Division (now League Two) side Rotherham United. Worthing have not actually won at the Thornbury Surfacing Stadium in their history, the two occasions that have happened in the National League South have ended in one draw and one win for the boys in blue.

In February 2023 on a midweek night it ended all square between the two sides in a 1-1 draw, former Bluebird Mo Dabre gave the visitors the opener on twelve minutes after he tucked the ball into the bottom corner after pinball inside the box. But just two minutes later the hosts would find themselves back level after Alex Bray capitalised on a Worthing mistake trying to play out from the back.

And then the most recent meeting in Wiltshire was funnily enough my first time watching Gary Horgan’s boys and what a game I chose to watch as we ran out 3-1 winners in the end. Aaron Amadi-Holloway gave us the lead in the first half from a diving header from a corner. Chippenham had chances all game, and they finally made it two just after the break when Luke Haines’s cross was met by Matt McClure for another header into the back of the net off the underside of the bar. Ed Williams then made it three on the hour mark after a pinpoint cross by Craig Fasanmade. Ollie Pearce got a consolation goal for the away side late on from the spot, however it was Chippenham’s day in Wiltshire as they claimed all three points.

In Conclusion

It is certainly going to be a tough game of course, not only with the quick turn around from Saturday to Tuesday but also for the fact Worthing are one of the in form teams in the league at the moment. The last time they lost a match was back in November in a 1-0 away defeat to Farnborough.

However, given our record against the Rebels and the fact we will be looking for a reaction after losing in quite unfortunate fashion to Salisbury at the weekend, I’m sure us boys in blue will give it everything to go out there and hopefully get a massive three points.

Come on you Bluebirds!!!