Hinshelwood hails team's togetherness as Worthing FC advance in FA Cup

The Mackerel Men advanced to the fourth qualifying round on Saturday courtesy of a 2-1 victory over the Hawks.

Charlie Walker’s penalty midway through the first half saw the visitors lead at the break, but Jake Robinson’s second half double secured Worthing’s passage into the next round.

The Reds will host National League South rivals Bath City in the fourth qualifying round, with the tie due to take place over the weekend of October 14.

Hinshelwood said: “It was quite a tough first half. I thought we had a lot of the ball but struggled to break them down. It was possession without any purpose. I’m not a fan of that! It’s pointless and a waste of time.

“We tweaked the shape at half-time, and it seemed to give us a bit more threat, but I do think the work we did with the ball did tire them out a bit.

“Full credit to the players. They stuck together and came back, and there were some really good performances from the bench. That’s seen us through.

“When you have a cup game and it’s a local derby you just want to make sure you’re in the hat for the next round, so we’re obviously delighted that we are.”

Robinson’s double took his FA Cup goal tally to three in two games.

Hinshelwood said it was important to give Worthing’s goal hero 90 minutes, and heaped praise on the ‘level of quality’ amongst his squad.

He added: “It was important to give him [Robinson] his 90 minutes. But like I said, it’s an unbelievable squad.

“Joan Luque, Ollie Pearce, Joe Rye, and Zac [Jeanes] didn’t get onto the pitch. It just shows the level of quality we’ve got.

“It can be a hindrance. People can sulk and not be happy when they’re not playing, but all you can do is work hard in training and make sure you’re in that starting line-up come next week.”

Worthing return to National League South matters this Saturday. The Mackerel Men entertain 12th-placed Truro City at the Crucial Environmental Stadium.