United 0
Worthing 3
(Aguiar 31′, Pearce 68′, Meekums 90′)
Match Sponsor:
United’s opening home game of 2023/24 ended in defeat, as Worthing secured a 3-0 win at Plainmoor.
It was goals from Ricky Aguiar, Ollie Pearce and Reece Meekums that did the damage, as The Rebels departed Plainmoor with all three points, leaving The Gulls to look further ahead for their opening three points of the 2023/24 campaign.
United boss Gary Johnson made one change to the side that drew 2-2 on the opening day of the season seven days ago, with Jack Stobbs replacing Tom Lapslie.
Unlike the action-packed start at Dover last weekend though, things took a little while to get going at Plainmoor.
Johnson’s side certainly appeared to look the more inventive side in possession, however it was former Gull Aguiar that went closest, with a 22-yard effort that clipped the top of the crossbar before bouncing into the terracing at the Babbacombe end.
On 31 minutes, the ‘return of the ex’ paid dividends for the Rebels.
With a deep left-wing cross from near the touchline catching Torquay out, it was Aguiar that rose – almost unattended – to meet the ball, with the former Plainmoor loanee duly heading it into the net past a stranded Halstead.
The previously vocal Yellow Army appeared stunned in to silence at that point, although they nearly received a boost just before the change of ends, as Jack Stobbs’ hanging ball into the area for Aaron Jarvis’ head, although on this occasion, the United striker could only send his effort wide of the target.
The deficit remained in place at the break.
The men in yellow certainly took the game to their opponents in the early moments of the second period, with Brad Ash seeing two goalbound efforts blocked by desperate Worthing defenders, either side of Stobbs’ free-kick feeding skipper Asa Hall to send a looping header narrowly wide of the far post.
The visiting team were still proving a handful in attack though, with two former Gulls nearly undoing their former employers in the 52nd minute, as Joe Felix’s right-wing run and pull-back saw Aguiar force Halstead into a fine parry six yards out.
For all of United’s efforts, Halstead remained the far busier goalkeeper, and he saved his side again on 66 minutes, getting down smartly to palm Greg Luer’s low strike away to safety from 18 yards.
The reprieve was only temporary however.
Having broken into space down the left flank, substitute Pearce jinked past Ollie Tomlinson before finding just enough room for a shot, with the ball finding the back of the net despite the narrowest of angles.
As much as they tried, Torquay just couldn’t penetrate a committed Worthing backline, and salt was rubbed into the wounds in the dying stages, as substitute Reece Meekums finished off another left-wing break with a tidy finish inside Halstead’s near-post.
Although disappointed with this setback, Johnson’s men won’t have log to wait for their chance of redemption, with Chippenham the visitors on Tuesday night.
UNITED: 1. Mark Halstead, 8. Asa Hall (c), 9. Aaron Jarvis, 10. Lewis Collins, 11. Brad Ash, 14. Brett McGavin (7. Ryan Hanson, 59′), 15. Finley Craske (17. Dillon De Silva, 69′), 16. Shaun Donnellan, 18. Will Jenkins Davies (21. Dean Moxey, HT), 23. Ollie Tomlinson, 27. Jack Stobbs.
SUBS NOT USED: 3. Dan Martin, 22. Rhys Lovett.
Yellow Cards: Jarvis 15′, Hall 36′, Hanson 64′
WORTHING: 1. Roco Rees, 2. Joel Colbran, 5. Aaran Racine (c), 6. Joseph Rye, 7. Greg Luer (10. Ollie Pearce, 66′), 8. Michael Klass, 11. Nicky Wheeler (17. Reece Meekums, 71′), 14. Odei Sorondo, 20. Ricky Aguair (21. Joan Luque 77′), 23. Jospeh Felix, 27. Liam Vincent.
SUBS NOT USED: 18. Ollie Starkey, 19. Finlay Chadwick.
Yellow Cards: Vincent 32′, Racine 42′, Sorondo 43′
Attendance: 2,733 (105 away)