Worthing F.C.

Worthing

Full name

Worthing Football Club

Nickname(s)

The Rebels & Red Army

Founded

1886 (as Worthing AFC)

Ground

The Bibby Financial Services Stadium, Woodside Road, Worthing

Capacity

4,000

Chairman

George Dowell

Manager

Jon Meeney, Matt Piper and Gary Elphick

League

Isthmian League Premier Division

2015–16

Isthmian League Division One South, 3rd (promoted via play-offs)

Home colours

Away colours

Worthing Football Club are an English association football club based in Worthing, West Sussex, currently playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club plays at Woodside Road.

History

The club was formed as Worthing Association Football Club (a name that lasted until 1899) in February 1886 and played friendlies and Sussex Senior Cup ties for the first few years of their existence.

In 1896 the club became founding members of the West Sussex Football League, joining the Senior Division.^[1] During their time in the West Sussex league they were league champions on seven occasions. In May 1900 the club absorbed local rivals Worthing Athletic and a year later moved to its current home, then known as the Sports Ground, now as Woodside Road. In 1905 another rival team, Worthing Rovers, was also absorbed.

The club's intriguing nickname of "The Rebels" dates from when it resigned from the West Sussex League over a rule change, prior to becoming a founder member of the Sussex County League in 1920. Previously Worthing had been known as "The Mackerel Men": a reference to the fish on the club crest.

In 1920 Worthing became founder members of the Sussex County League, where once again they won eight league titles, in fact in the twenty seasons prior to World War II they only finished outside the top four on two occasions.

In 1948–49 Worthing joined the Corinthian League but met with little success. In 1963 the Corinthian League disbanded and most of its clubs joined the newly created Athenian League Division One, where Worthing won promotion at the first attempt, although after three seasons in the Premier Division, two successive relegations saw them drop to Division 2.

After managing a return to the top division, Worthing joined the Isthmian League in 1977, initially in Division Two, but by 1983 they had reached the Premier Division under manager Barry Lloyd and in fact finished as runners-up in 1983–84 and 1984–85. After Lloyd's deparature to Brighton & Hove Albion, however, the club soon slipped back down to Division Two, finishing bottom of Division One in the 1990–91 season with only 10 points and having conceded a huge 157 goals.

Former Northern Ireland international Gerry Armstrong was appointed manager in 1991 and in 1992–93 led the club to promotion back to Division One, which was followed two years later by a return to the Premier Division under John Robson, although Worthing finished bottom in their first season back in the Premier Division and were to remain in Division One until 2004 when the re-organisation of the English football league system saw them moved back to the Premier Division. They were relegated at the end of the 2006–07 season.

The club then reached the play-offs under manager Alan Pook two seasons in a row, losing both matches without scoring a goal. Unknown young manager, Simon Colbran then took the helm and soon became a fans' favourite as the Rebels topped the league for much of Autumn and Winter. Despite several budget cuts, the Rebels finished third and narrowly missed out in the play offs at home to Godalming.

Former Brighton & Hove Albion player Adam Hinshelwood was appointed Worthing manager in December 2013 and lost his first game away at Burgess Hill 4–1.^[2] In January 2015 the playing budget at the club was completely cut and its debts revealed to be around £200,000.^[3] The future of the club looked in serious doubt until March 2015 when local football enthusiast George Dowell became the majority shareholder in the club with plans to invest in various areas.^[4] On 10 June 2015, Hinshelwood resigned from the club to take up a full-time coaching post at Brighton & Hove Albion. He was replaced by assistant manager Jon Meeney and 29-year-old defender Gary Elphick.

In 2016, Worthing were promoted to the Isthmian League Premier Division via the play-off, having finished the 2015-16 season in third place in the southern division. Player-manager Gary Elphick was on the scoresheet in the play-off final.

League history

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Season	League contested	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Points	Final league position	Average attendance
2015–16	Isthmian League Division One South	46	27	7	12	96	56	88	3rd of 24*	499
2014–15	Isthmian League Division One South	46	22	10	14	92	65	76	6th of 24	250
2013–14	Isthmian League Division One South	46	17	8	21	80	98	59	15th of 24	204
2012–13	Isthmian League Division One South	42	16	9	17	77	74	57	10th of 22	200
2011–12	Isthmian League Division One South	40	18	10	12	69	45	64	7th of 21	276
2010–11	Isthmian League Division One South	42	12	13	17	76	73	49	14th of 22	239
2009–10	Isthmian League Division One South	42	25	5	12	83	53	80	3rd of 22	278
2008–09	Isthmian League Division One South	42	21	13	8	77	48	76	5th of 22	288
2007–08	Isthmian League Division One South	42	22	7	13	77	49	73	5th of 22	321
2006–07	Isthmian League Premier Division	42	8	11	23	57	82	35	20th of 22	408
2005–06	Isthmian League Premier Division	42	19	10	13	71	60	67	8th of 22	530
2004–05	Isthmian League Premier Division	42	16	11	15	50	45	59	10th of 22	360

notes: * Won promotion to Isthmian League Premier Division via play-offs

Ground

A sports ground opened on the Woodside Road site as early as 1892^[5] when the site was part of the parish of West Tarring, which at the time was not yet part of the borough of Worthing. Known as the Pavilion Road Sports Ground, it occupied a 13-acre site, with a Queen Anne style pavilion giving its name to Pavilion Road along the south of the site.^[5] Worthing FC moved to the ground in 1903.^[5] In 1937 the Sports Ground closed and it is the site's northern portion which developed into the existing stadium. The southern portion of the Sports Ground became tennis courts and then in 1948 became home to Worthing Pavilion Bowls Club.^[5] Floodlights were installed in 1977.^[5] At the end of 1984–85 Woodside Road's main stand burnt down.^[6]

The ground has also been home to Horsham (during the 2008–09 season) and Brighton & Hove Albion's reserve team after the closure of the Goldstone Ground in 1997.

June 2015 saw a 3G pitch installed to replace the turf, among a number of improvements around the ground. This included a complete re-refurbishment of the club.

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.		Position	Player
		GK	Rikki Banks
		GK	Jack Fagan
		DF	Gary Elphick
		DF	Corey Heath
		DF	Will Hendon
		DF	Matt Hurley
		DF	Steve Metcalf
		DF	Matt Piper
		DF	Harvey Sparks
		MF	Matt Axell

No.		Position	Player
		MF	Jack Barnes
		MF	Lloyd Dawes
		MF	Ryan Morey
		MF	Brannon O'Neill
		MF	Ryan Quirke
		FW	Omar Bugiel
		FW	Tony Nwachukwu
		FW	Ben Pope

Honours

League honours

Isthmian League Div 1 – Champions – 1982–83
Isthmian League Div 1 – Runners Up – 1994–95
Isthmian League Div 1S – Runners Up – 2003–04
Isthmian League Div 1S – Play-off winners – 2015–16
Isthmian League Div 2 – Champions – 1981–82, 1992–93
Sussex County League – Champions – 1920–21, 1921–22, 1926–27, 1928–29, 1930–31, 1933–34, 1938–39, 1939–40

Cup honours

The Sussex Royal Ulster Rifles Charity Cup^[7]
- Winners (14): 1903–04, 1906–07, 1907–08, 1909–10, 1913–14, 1920–21, 1926–27, 1933–34 (shared with Horsham), 1939–40, 1941–42, 1944–45, 1948–49 (shared with Horsham), 1952–53, 1953–54
- Runners Up (8): 1898–99, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1935–36, 1938–39, 1942–43

Records

Best league performance: 2nd in Isthmian League Premier Division, 1983–84 and 1984–85
Best FA Cup performance: 2nd round, 1982–83
Best FA Youth Cup performance: 3rd round, 2015-16
Best FA Amateur Cup performance: Quarter-finals, 1907–08
Best FA Trophy performance: 4th round, 2003–04
Best FA Vase performance: 5th round, 1978–79
Record signing – Nko Ekoku (from Leatherhead – 2003)

Managerial history

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Dates	Name
1981–1985	Barry Lloyd
1985–1987	Keith Rowley
1987–1988	Alan Pook
1988–1989	J.Rains
1989–1991	Keith Rowley
1991–1995	Gerry Armstrong
1995–1996	John Robson
1996–1997	Mark Falco
1997–2001	Brian Donnelly
2001–2003	Barry Lloyd
2003–2009	Alan Pook
2009–2010	Simon Colbran
2010–2012	Chris White
2012–2013	Lee Brace
2013–2015	Adam Hinshelwood
2015–	Gary Elphick

Former players

1. Players that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
2. Players with full international caps.
3. Players that hold a club record or have captained the club.

Sources

Worthing at the Football Club History Database

References

↑ "Shoreham F.C. – Early football in Shoreham and the 'Glory Years". Shoreham History Portal. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
↑ "Hinshelwood takes over as Rebels boss". Worthing Herald. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
↑ "Playing Budget is Cut Completely at Rebels". Worthing Herald. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
↑ "Inspirational George begins new Rebel era". Worthing Herald. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
1 2 3 4 5 Elleray, D. Robert (1998). A Millennium Encyclopaedia of Worthing History. Worthing: Optimus Books. ISBN 0-9533132-0-4.
↑ "A History of Worthing Football Club". Retrieved 17 November 2010.
↑ "R.U.R. Cup Final Results – Sussex County Football Association". Sussexcountyleague.com. Retrieved 2012-11-11.

External links

Official site

Isthmian League

Premier Division	AFC Sudbury Billericay Town Bognor Regis Town Burgess Hill Town Canvey Island Dulwich Hamlet Enfield Town Folkestone Invicta Grays Athletic Harlow Town Harrow Borough Havant & Waterlooville Hendon Kingstonian Leatherhead Leiston Lowestoft Town Merstham Metropolitan Police Needham Market Staines Town Tonbridge Angels Wingate & Finchley Worthing

Division One North	AFC Hornchurch Aveley Bowers & Pitsea Brentwood Town Brightlingsea Regent Bury Town Cheshunt Dereham Town Great Wakering Rovers Haringey Borough Heybridge Swifts Maldon & Tiptree Norwich United Phoenix Sports Romford Soham Town Rangers Thamesmead Town Thurrock Tilbury VCD Athletic Waltham Abbey Ware Witham Town Wroxham

Division One South	Carshalton Athletic Chatham Town Chipstead Corinthian-Casuals Cray Wanderers Dorking Wanderers East Grinstead Town Faversham Town Godalming Town Greenwich Borough Guernsey Hastings United Herne Bay Horsham Hythe Town Lewes Molesey Ramsgate Sittingbourne South Park Three Bridges Tooting & Mitcham United Walton Casuals Whyteleafe

Seasons	1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1919 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

Coordinates: 50°49′13.285″N 0°23′5.554″W / 50.82035694°N 0.38487611°W / 50.82035694; -0.38487611

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Worthing F.C.

History

League history

Ground

Current squad

Honours

League honours

Cup honours

Records

Managerial history

Former players

Sources

See also

References

External links