After nearly a month away, United finally return home tomorrow, as Worthing head to Plainmoor.
Having claimed four points from their last two games on the road, Paul Wotton’s side remain handily placed in the National League South table, and they will now be looking to maximise home advantage on Tuesday evening, and build on their unbeaten start to the 2024/25 Plainmoor campaign.
Who’s the Boss?
Chris Agutter is a highly regarded coach who earned the top job at Woodside after turning Hastings United’s season around in 2023-24, where he turned them from relegation battlers to promotion contenders, as they eventually finished just outside the Play-Offs.
Starting out as youth team boss at Brighton & Hove Albion some ten years ago, he then switched to Eastbourne Borough as Assistant Manager whilst also heading up their Academy, before reverting back to his previous role at Brighton in 2016.
An ambitious UEFA A Licence holder, a move into the Football League with Stevenage saw him working as Head Coach of their U18s and U21s, prior to moving up to become first team Assistant and Interim Boss at Broadhall Way, prior to be named as the man to take charge at Worthing last summer.
How have they been doing?
Unsuccessful Play-Off finalists are renowned for suffering hangovers that often last most of the next season – just ask The Gulls’ class of 2020/21.
A change in manager doesn’t always prevent that, but Agutter’s start to life as Worthing boss has prompted a decent response from his new side, with The Rebels suffering just two defeats in their opening eleven outings, leaving them within touching distance of the early top-seven placings. Worthing are always a good bet for goals – at both ends – and Saturday’s game was typical of that, as Agutter’s men ran out 3-2 winners at home to Tonbridge.
Player to Watch
Danny Cashman has established himself as one of the main men at Worthing following his arrival last summer.
Having begin his career at Brighton, his release in the summer of 2021 prompted a move to Coventry City, and although he saw his route to the first-team blocked, productive loan spells at Rochdale, Walsall and Altrincham preceded a permanent switch to Woodside in 2023.
After an impressive first season with The Rebels that saw him notch 17 goals in 44 league games, he was recognised by the club by being named as Worthing’s Young Player of the Year.
Played For Both
Joe Felix’s career in a Gulls shirt may have not quite hit the heights he’d have hoped for, but little else has gone wrong for the 25 year-old full-back since departing Plainmoor in the summer of 2022.
Having started out at QPR, stints as various non-League outfits including Burgess Hill Town, Woking, Farnborough and Billericay Town saw Felix’s rise to prominence attract the attentions of then-Gulls boss Gary Johnson midway through 2021/22.
After struggling to establish himself on the English Riviera, a successful season at Dulwich Hamlet led to an equally impressive season at Worthing last season, prior to Felix heading back up the footballing ladder to sign for York City during the close-season.
Previous Encounter
United 0 – 3 Worthing | Vanarama National League South | Saturday 12th August 2023
The less said about United’s previous visit to Plainmoor – at least from a Gulls perspective – the better, as Torquay’s opening home game of 2023/24 ended in a comprehensive defeat.
Goals from Ricky Aguiar, Ollie Pearce and Reece Meekums did the damage, as The Rebels departed Plainmoor with all three points, leaving United to look further ahead for their opening three points of the 2023/24 campaign.
Torquay United v Worthing | Tuesday 22nd October 2024 | 7.45pm KO | Plainmoor, TQ1 3PS