Exile Stuart Clarke is eagerly waiting the Dale Trust supporters coach and all other Dale travellers to descend on Worthing, his place of residence, for this is his dream tie. Stuart explains why. “I was born in Rochdale in 1961, my grandad took me to my first game at Spotland in 1968, it’s been love ever since. My parents moved to Worthing in 1971, we came back regularly to visit family, but that got less and less over time. My last time in Rochdale was for the centenary dinner at the Town Hall. I do attend away games around the London area. For me, this match is the stuff of dreams.
Loving football, I used to go to the Goldstone to watch Brighton, but when the ground was sold they played for two seasons at Priestfield, ground sharing with Gillingham. Worthing isn’t a big place, so I drifted into watching Worthing in the very early 1990s. At that time the club wasn’t very successful, sometimes the crowd was in double figures and the goals against in one season was in three figures!! Interest waned…Then came George…
George Dowell’s story is one of triumph over adversity and you can read the inspiring story by clicking on the link to the Worthing site at the end of the article. He took over the club in 2015 when there was a very real threat of it going out of business. What a difference in the 10 years he has made. Worthing finished last season in the Play-off final for promotion to the National League with a reported 30,000 trying to buy 3000 tickets.
Crowds now usually exceed 1,500 and for bigger games, or against local teams, exceed 2000. The ground has also had extensive development. Two new stands have opened, with the biggest opening this season.
As I mentioned, last season Worthing made the play-off final. The team then was managed by Adam Hinshelwood, who moved to York City at the end of that season. He took several players with him, including Ollie Pearce who scored 43 goals in 46 appearances.
So Worthing started this season with a new manager, Chris Agutter, and several new players. It’s been an interesting season so far. There were no home games until mid-October due to the development work taking place. Since then, there have been around 15 home games. Worthing are currently 7th in the National League South which is a play-off place, and only 7 points off Torquay at the top.
As to the team, ex-Rochdale player Danny Cashman is probably Worthing’s best player, and could be a thorn in Dale’s side. However, since losing Pearce as his foil, he hasn’t shown the consistency of last season. He has, however, scored 14 goals this season, so he’s always a threat.
The two new strikers, Mo Faal and Temi Babalola, seem to struggle at times with form. This seems to frustrate Cashman, who, I think, expects a better level from them. Having said that, Faal scored a hattrick against Torquay United in the last round of the Trophy, including a wonder goal a la Van Basten. Worthing beat Torquay 5-1, being 4-0 up at half time.
Worthing like to play out from the back, which can often means losing the ball in dangerous areas. There are decent players like the captain, Joel Colbran, who can rustle up a goal. On the left wing, Nicky Wheeler, can be dangerous if given space and has scored 3 decent goals, one from around 40 yards. Jack Spong is also getting a name for himself in the midfield, scoring 7 goals this season.
Worthing will be dangerous if Rochdale sit back and let them play, which is how Torquay approached the game. They seem to struggle against teams that come to shut them down and control the ball and the play. There’s also been a worrying tendency to be weaker in the second half. Ambitions are high at Worthing these days. The club’s management plan is to push for League status, the ground’s transformation is testament to that aspiration. It will be a very interesting encounter. For me, as a Rochdale supporter and a Worthing season ticket holder, this is a game I’ve long wished to see. I will be in the away end though, I can’t cheat on my first love!
Finally, if you want a beer before the game, I can recommend the Hare & Hounds, one of Worthing’s best locals. It’s about a 20 minute walk from there to the ground.”
