The Hawks will hope to bounce back from the Weymouth result and continue their Westleigh Park form on Good Friday against promotion-chasing Worthing.
Hawks’ last time out:
In their last game, the Hawks travelled to their south coast rivals Weymouth. Tom Bearwish got the game started quickly, netting the opener for the Terras in the 9th minute. The Hawks were presented with plenty of chances to score in the first half, with Jack Jebb and Jake McCarthy both hitting the woodwork. Despite this, the Hawks went into the break trailing the Terras 1-0.
The Hawks put pressure on Weymouth as soon as the referee blew his whistle to start the second half. Roberts came close twice and McCarthy’s header was cleared off the line, but it was Weymouth’s Corey Panter who levelled the score, chesting the ball into the back of his net in the 56th minute.
Weymouth grew into the game after the Hawks’ equaliser, winning the midfield battle and putting pressure on the Hawks’ backline. Bearwish darted into the box and Kwaku Donkor pushed him to the floor. The referee spotted this and with no hesitation pointed at the penalty spot. Brandon Goodship stepped up and slotted the ball into the back of the net for the Terras, regaining the lead for the home side in the 72nd minute.
Regaining the lead spurred on the Terras players, who were cutting through the Hawks like a hot knife through butter. In the 79th minute, Keelan O’Connell added the Terras third, and Ezio Touray rounded out the scoring in the 89th minute. The final score was 4-1 to Weymouth.
Words from the touchline:
After the game, Interim co-manager Cliff de Gordon had this to say: “The result is awful.
“The boys are dejected but at the end of the day, they need to look at themselves. They got themselves back in the game but they’re the same players that got themselves back into trouble.
“Their keeper was a man of the match so what does that tell you? Look it doesn’t cancel out the fact that we lost 4-1, it just wasn’t good.
“The next two would be big games even if we weren’t fighting for survival, they’re even bigger now. Let’s regroup, not panic, and go again on Friday.”
The Opposition:
In their last fixture, Worthing played an entertaining game against playoff rivals Bath City.
Scott Wilson opened the scoring for the Romans in the 30th minute, but Danny Cashman responded quickly with an equaliser in the 37th minute. Both teams struggled to deal with the other, but despite this Jordan Dyer was able to regain the Romans’ lead in the 65th minute. The Rebels did not take this lying down, throwing themselves at the Bath defence. The Romans could not deal with this, allowing Danny Cashman to equalise in the 79th minute. The game ended in a stalemate, the final score being 2-2.
Worthing has struggled for form recently, only winning one of their last 7. However, they have been near the top of the table for most of the season and are in a hunt to secure a spot in the playoffs.
The Rebels have the third-most wins and third-best goal difference in the league this season. They’ve been good away from home too, taking the third most wins away from home all season.
The Hawks’ back line will have to keep an eye on Worthing striker and league top scorer Ollie Pearce. Pearce has netted 34 goals in 36 games, 40% of Worthing’s league goals. He’s been lethal all season, not only being their main goal-scoring threat but a creative threat too, with 9 assists. Pearce is vital to the way Worthing plays and the Hawks’ back line will have a busy day trying to keep him subdued.
The Rebels form:
Worthing 2-2 Bath City
Chippenham Town 3-1 Worthing
Worthing 2-3 Farnborough
Worthing 1-3 Taunton Town
Chelmsford 0-1 Worthing
Head-to-head:
The last time these two sides met Worthing came away 3-0 winners. Kane Wills opened the scoring for the home side in the 37th minute. Ollie Pearce was able to add a second in the 68th minute, and Danny Cashman capped off the game in the 90th minute with a third.
Ticketing:
Tickets can be purchased on the turnstiles; however, we recommend purchasing them online HERE to avoid delays!
Prices are as follows:
Adult: £15
Concession*: £10
Student**: £10
*For those aged 65 or over on the day of the fixture
**For those aged between 16-17 on the day of the fixture
Refreshments:
The Westleigh Pub will be open from 11:00 am serving food and drink to supporters of both teams.
Our stands inside the ground will all be open serving a variety of Hot Food, Snacks and Soft Drinks including our famous Hawky Porky.
Where to follow:
Tune into Hawks Radio to listen to live commentary of the game from Josh Verroken and Les Hyson: https://hawks-radio.mixlr.com/
Match Updates will also be available on the Hawks Social Media channels: