That winning feeling returned to the Bev last night as Hampton & Richmond Borough defeated Worthing 1-0 thanks to a penalty from striker Reece Grego-Cox, who calmly converted the chance in the 80th minute having won the penalty himself.
With that result, The Beavers lifted themselves clear of the drop thanks to the win last night, creating a comfortable distance for the rest of the season. The home side put in a good performance all evening and never looked too troubled at the back.
A crisp, dry night set the scene at the Bev, perfect footballing conditions for a late January night. The thud of the ball provided a soundtrack to the game as it pinged between players, neither side being able to take a foothold of possession in the opening exchanges.
The ball dragged slightly slower on the pitch than normal, a reflection of the heavy rain from the night before.
20 minutes in, injuries started to plague Hampton and Richmond. First it was forward Sam Ashford and then goalkeeper Matt Rowley went down within minutes of each other. Was the fast-paced tempo of the opening exchanges starting to take its toll on the players?
Ashford had to be substituted for forward Reece Grego-Cox just a couple of minutes later, but Rowley continued.
Space started to emerge in the midfield, which the visitors exploited when breaking at pace. Midfielder and former Beaver captain Odei Martin Sorondo drifted through the middle of the pitch with the ball, stringing together passes and conducting Worthing’s transition.
Despite Worthing’s pressure, they were unable to give a new-look back line, with the addition of centre back David Longe-King, any real trouble. The first half wrapped up scoreless after neither side had any major opportunities and struggling to break each other down.
A drizzle had set in over the stadium during the interval, and continued into the second half, providing a glossy surface for both players and the ball to skid off. The new conditions made for dramatic viewing, with players sliding after tackles invoking “Ooohs” and “Aaahhs” from the crowd.
On the first time of asking, Rowley came to the rescue. The goalkeeper clawed the ball off his line in the 55th minute to preserve his clean sheet. He repaid his back fours’ work, who had done well to snuff out most chances up to this point.
The game opened up for both sides as the clock ticked over the hour mark. Both teams were able to break into the box and provide good shooting opportunities for teammates but were not able to keep their chances on target.
Neither side was prepared to leave without a goal; the visitors made five substitutions at once to rubber-stamp their ambitions of scoring, whilst the home side pushed on and started to prod the Worthing defence with set pieces.
In the 78th minute, the deadlock was finally broken when Worthing defender Joe Cook gave away a penalty after his high foot collided with Grego-Cox; the referee immediately blew and pointed to the spot.
The striker confidently sent the goalkeeper the wrong way, and sparked life back into the Bev.
Supporters behind the goal made their presence known, using signage boards as makeshift drums to will their side over the finish line. HRBFC looked to sit deeper, less keen to commit bodies going forward in search of second, and potentially killer, blow.
The spaces Worthing had previously exploited started to dry up, as centre backs Ben Jackson and Harry Ransom shifted the ball between each other in an effort to find an opening. Despite winning two free kicks in the dying embers, Worthing didn’t take advantage, of the dead ball opportunities, electing to play both short, fiercely committed to the style of play which had proved fruitless thus far.
With two minutes left, Harry Gardner found the goalkeeper off his line, and recreated Grego-Cox’s halfway line effort from a few games ago. His effort came close but ultimately sailed past the far post in what would have been a spectacular final flourish for the home side.
In the dying moments of the game, Worthing decided to launch their first free kick into the box, but to no avail. The chance was headed clear immediately, and HBRFC had done enough, clinging onto all three points whilst maintaining their clean sheet.
The win comes as Alan Dowson’s first home win as manager, The solid performance can now act as a springboard for the Beavers to build a good run of form for the future, starting with a trip to Hampshire to face AFC Totton on Saturday January 31st.
The Beavers are back at the Bev February 7th where they take on league leaders Hornchurch. Tickets for that one are available HERE!
By Jake Holmes