MATCH PREVIEW: Chippenham Town vs Worthing | National League South | Tuesday 28th February 2023
Matt Chappell previews our upcoming home game against high-flying Worthing.
It’s the start of back to back home games for Gary Horgan’s side as the Bluebirds return to #TheTSStadium in league action as we welcome Worthing on Tuesday – Kick off: 7:45pm
Last Time Out
Chippenham Town come into this fixture off the bounce of 4 consecutive draws both on the road and at home, most notably recently drawing 1-1 to Welling United this past Saturday at Park View Road in which many considered a decent point on the road, despite taking an early lead in the second half only for our hosts to get one back to level the points for both sides.
Gary Horgan made three changes to the side who drew against Hemel Hempstead last Tuesday with Aaron Simpson, Matt McClure and Joe Hanks all dropping to the bench, and Tom Mehew, Will King and Owen Windsor all being brought on. Joe Hanks was most notably not involved in Saturday’s clash due to a knock he picked up from Tuesday’s clash against Hemel, so a bench appearance was enough for Chippenham’s Number 13.
Saturday proved to be a very decent game for Chippenham, with plenty of big opportunities for goals, Luke Russe notably with two chances, one being a scissor kick from outside the box in the 1st half, forcing Myles Roberts to make a big save to deny an early goal in the game, Roberts was also having to fend off Owen Windsor who also made a big impact in the game, setting up a shot in the second half, before the ball was deflected to Alex Bray who tapped into the bottom right corner of the net to give Chippenham the lead on 62 minutes.
There was also a lot of controversy in the game, with a penalty which was waived away following a foul on Caine Bradbury, and we obviously have to talk about the foul on Windsor by Jamie Sendles-White which occurred just after the Chippenham goal, both players jumped to head the ball to gain possession only for the pair to collide and the Welling No. 19 to stick an arm out into Windsor’s throat, which was visible on our match highlights, but was not recognized by the referee who did not give any cards to the offender in question.
The hosts managed to get some redemption towards the final 15 minutes of the game as Kodi Lyons-Foster headed into the far post following a cross from Chi Ezennolim to give the Wings the goal back and to secure a point to maintain their mid-table position.
Despite the result, manager Gary Horgan was pleased with his sides’ performance on the road, speaking with Jamie Oleszynski in his post-match interview Horgs said: “We are certainly worthy of at least a point, it’s another point on the board, another point on where we want to get to”.
Gary also noted in the interview of the condition of Will King, after the academy graduate went off injured in the first moments of the game, after taking an elbow to the hip area, causing an impact injury. Horgan believes King will be out for Tuesday, but we hope to see him back very soon.
Match Center: Welling United 1-1 Chippenham Town
About The Opposition
Worthing FC otherwise known as “The Rebels” and “The Mackerel Men” have made their first season in the National League South one to remember as they currently sit in the play-offs in 5th place at the time of writing, playing 4 more games than the Bluebirds at 34 and securing 16 wins, drawing 10 and being beat only 8. They have substantial goals for over golas against and have 58 points on the board.
Manager Adam Hinshelwood will be really pleased with his side’s performances so far, we do have to also mention that Worthing have placed 1st in the Isthmian Premier Division on two consecutive occasions between the 2019/20 and the 2020/21 season, but those were obviously abandoned due to a certain pandemic which caused widespread disruption not just in football but our daily lives in general.
Onto positive notes, Worthing eventually got what they deserved and were promoted last season to the National League South winning the league with 97 points, 10 more than second place Bishop’s Stortford.
Both sides have already faced each other this season on the one occasion with neither side able to get goals on this occasion, Worthing and Chippenham only managing a 0-0 scoreline back in August 2022. This was Chippenham’s first game in almost two weeks since the incident which involved Pablo Martinez during our home clash against Chelmsford a few weeks prior.
Back to Worthing, and on manager Adam Hinshelwood, it’s his 6th year in charge of the side since taking charge of them in 2017 , guiding them to a successive title charge last season and maintaining a consistent league position for the past few seasons, the 39-year-old, has been in management for the past 6 years, and is currently in his second reign as manager of Worthing, also taking charge of Hastings United and Selsey in the early 2010s. He also has had a playing career where he appeared for Brighton & Hove Albion most notably with 100 appearances and also playing for Aldershot and Wycombe Wanderers before retiring in 2010 due to a serious knee injury.
Ones to Watch
Our clash on Tuesday will have plenty of players who will be Ones to Watch out for and there will definitely be eyes on Worthing’s Ollie Pearce, the 27-year-old attacking midfielder has netted 16 times in 33 appearances, playing 2559 minutes of football so far this season, and also keep an eye on Lewis White, the 24-year-old winger has netted 5 times in 24 games, playing 1639 minutes of football. We would also mention a certain Callum Kealy, but he has since moved along the coast to Havant & Waterlooville recently, he netted 12 goals in 29 games, playing 1870 minutes in this short time with the club.
Onto the Bluebirds, and many will be eyeing up Alex Bray and Owen Windsor who both made a difference against Welling with Alex netting his 3rd goal of the season, following a shot from Owen Windsor which was deflected into his path by the keeper. Owen Windsor is also one to keep an eye on as he will make a difference for Chippenham as despite his 1 goal in 6 games with 248 minutes of football, he could’ve scored at least 3 or 4 goals in his last 3 games, so we will absolutely have his eye on him.
Bluebirds News
Chippenham will be looking to maintain a decent run of form in their last 5 games, but will be looking to get a win on the board after in their last two games, after they took the lead against Hemel Hempstead and Welling United before conceding towards the end of the game. We may be missing a few players in the squad for Tuesday, with Will King and Joe Hanks the most notable candidates who may be out with injury. Hanks went off during our clash with Hemel Hempstead last Tuesday, and King went off after a few minutes with an impact injury he sustained.
We may also see the return of Matt McClure to the starting 11, as the number 9 made a bench appearance in our last game out against Welling, and potentially Alefe Santos who made a difference off the bench from Saturday.
We of course look forward to seeing you all turn out to #TheTSStadium for what promises to be a big test for Gary’s side.
Tickets can be purchased on the gate, priced at:
- £14 for adults
- £10 for concessions, including armed forces personnel along with students who have valid ID.
- £3 for under-18’s
- U16’s get FREE entry when accompanied by a paying adult.
Cash and contactless card payments are accepted at the gate.
If you are unable to make the game, then we will be providing you with match updates via our Twitter account and match highlights will of course be available on YouTube a day after the full-time whistle.
Be the 12th man and come on down and support the lads!
COME ON YOU BLUEBIRDS