Worthing lose in senior cup final

Adam Hinshelwood reflected on Worthing’s 4-2 loss to Brighton U23s in the Sussex Senior Cup final and admitted: “They were just too clinical for us.”

But he said he was proud of his players for their efforts in the final – and the whole of a season in which they’d won the Isthmian League. Hinshelwood also paid tribute to the club’s ‘first-class’ fans, who were at the Amex showpiece in great numbers and made plenty of noise.

Ollie Pearce (penalty) and Joel Colbran scored the first and last goals of Tuesday’s Amex final in front of 3,087 fans – but Brighton netted four in between through Lorent Tolaj (2), Andy Moran and Cam Peupion.

Hinshelwood said his players – plus him and his coaching staff – had learned plenty from taking on Albion’s full-timers and it would stand them in good stead for their move up to the National League South.

Hinshelwood said: “We gave a good account of ourselves and played how we like to play. Ultimately they showed how clinical they were. We had a similar number of chances but they put them away.

“We had other chances and blazed them over.

“The players’ effort and commitment was good. The last thing I wanted to do was turn up and change what we do. I wanted to continue how we play and that’s on the front foot. I thought the players left everything out there – and you can’t ask for any more.

“I got it a little bit wrong at half-time and went a bit early with a change of formation.” Hinshelwood said he always asked the players to examine what they’d learned from a defeat – and he would do the same himself.