Match Preview: Worthing (A) - 11th November 2025

Photo courtesy of Fin Hall

By Josh Cole

The beginning of four consecutive away trips for The Stags starts with a journey to Sussex to face off against Worthing!

Last time out, the ten-men of Totton were unfortunately defeated by Ebbsfleet on home soil. Read the match report from that result by clicking here.

If you haven’t bought tickets yet for this away day, you can do so by CLICKING HERE!

WORTHING – THEIR SEASON SO FAR:

The Rebels are currently in 8^th place having played 15 games and notched up 27 points thus far.

The start of the season for Worthing lacked consistency, with a draw at home against Bath (1-1) on opening day, then a dramatic 3-4 win away at Horsham, and a loss away at Farnborough (1-0).

Worthing then went three games without a win to round off August, drawing against Enfield (0-0) and Maidstone (3-3) at home and losing away at a struggling Chippenham Town (1-0).

September started well for Worthing as they went four games unbeaten, two in the league and two in the FA Cup which saw them beat Jersey Bulls, via a replay. After that replay win, the league form started to suffer with two one-goal defeats to Tonbridge (0-1) and Maidenhead (1-0).

Sandwiched in between those two games was an FA Cup third round qualifying match, which they won 0-3 away at Wimborne. Following the Maidenhead game, Worthing won 0-7 against Jarvis Brook (step six) in the Sussex senior cup 2^nd round.

Their FA Cup run came to an end in the fourth qualifying round as live on TNT, they were beaten 1-4 by Forest Green. However, they bounced back superbly, winning all of their last five games, all of which came in the league, and under new manager Adam Hinshelwood, have been on fire since he took over on the 9th of October 2025.

Their last match on Tuesday night came against Hemel Hempstead, whom they beat 4-0 at home.

LAST FIVE: WORTHING

(most recent result first)

Vs Hemel Hempstead | Home | ENLS | Won 4-0

Goalscorers: Brad Dolaghan 13’ 40’, Joel Colbran 58’ & Tom King 90+5’

Vs Hampton & Richmond | Home | ENLS | Won 3-0

Goalscorers: Brad Dolaghan 26’, Teddy Jenks 59’ & Joel Colbran 81’

Vs Dover Athletic | Home | ENLS | Won 3-1

Goalscorers: Joe Cook 27’, Razzaq Coleman De-Graft 45+1’ & Brad Dolaghan 76’

Vs Chesham United | Away | ENLS | Won 1-2

Goalscorer: Jack Spong 2’ 50’

Vs Chelmsford City | Away | ENLS | Won 1-2

Goalscorers: Joel Colbran 9’ & Harry Ransom 58’

LAST FIVE: AFC TOTTON

Vs Ebbsfleet United | Home | ENLS | Lost 0-2

Vs Maidenhead United | Home | ENLS | Won 2-1

Goalscorers: Joe Oastler 24’ & Christie Ward 70’

Vs Macclesfield FC | Away | FA Cup 1^st Round Proper | Lost 6-3

Goalscorers: Tony Lee 9’ & Scott Rendell 17’ 27’

Vs Chelmsford City | Home | ENLS | Won 2-1

Goalscorers: Tony Lee 3’ & Christie Ward 20’

Vs Bath City | Away | ENLS | Lost 2-0

COMPARING THE STATS (all comps)

OPPOSITION PLAYERS TO WATCH:

(Information from Worthing’s website)

DEFENCE: Joel Colbran

The skipper is in his second spell at the club after playing for our under 18’s, then becoming a first team regular at Loxwood.

Joel was called up for the Sussex U18’s during his time at Plaistow Road and made two appearances for us in the League Cup at home to the Towns of Burgess Hill and Billericay in 2016/17.

He came back for the first win of 2017/18 against Lancing in the Sussex Senior Cup, followed by an equally composed display in The FA Trophy win over Lowestoft Town in the same October week.

The defender scored his first senior goal for the club – and the only goal of the game – against Needham Market in April 2018.

Joel picked up the Managers’ Player of the Year award at the conclusion of that campaign before repeating the trick in 2023. He also added the Supporters’ award for good measure, alongside reaching 200 appearances in a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Bognor in the Sussex Senior Cup final.

Now Club Captain, Joel made his 250th appearance against Weston-super-Mare on the final day of the 2023/24 season.

The skipper continues to be an ever-present figure across numerous positions in the backline, recording his 300th appearance for the Club against Eastbourne Borough on Good Friday ’25. His campaign ended with individual recognition, as he shared the Manager’s Player of the Year Award with Sam Beard.

MIDFIELD: Razzaq Coleman De-Graft

Operating in a variety of attacking areas, ‘Razz’ will be a familiar face to many as the first signing of the 2024/ 25 season.

Got going in the academies of Crystal Palace, Fulham and Charlton Athletic then had a very brief period at
Weymouth, before developing a penchant for the ampersand in the embryonic stages of his career, starting out at the likes of Tooting & Mitcham United and Hampton & Richmond Borough, he then spent two happy terms at Lewes.

In his second season at the Dripping Pan, fourteen goals saw him catch the eye of higher league outfits and a trip further east to sign on the dotted line at National League South Maidstone United. A goal against his future employers (Worthing) turned to be a rare highlight of his time at The Gallagher, but he nearly made them regret their decision to allow him to move on by scoring against them for new side Aveley in the eliminator round of the 2023/24 Play-Offs.

His stunning solo effort versus the Stones during the regular campaign garnered national recognition to boot. Despite ten goals in 51 appearances for the men from Parkside, he would end the following term at newly-promoted Hornchurch.

Razz is more than familiar with Woodside Road, having netted against the Rebels for the Urchins in our 2-1 victory back in November

Made his competitive bow for us in the opening day draw with Bath City and emphatically broke his goalscoring duck by bagging a stunning free-kick at Dagenham & Redbridge, then immediately repeating the feat in the FA Cup at Jersey Bulls – both in September 2025.

ATTACK: Brad Dolaghan

There are goal machines and then there’s “Bradders.” His twenty-nine league goals for the U18s in the 2022/23 campaign meant that he almost trebled the next highest total and subsequently walked away with a second successive Golden Boot. 

That haul was added to the 43 goals in just 23 appearances for the Academy (U19s) and alongside various cup goals (18) between the two sides leaving him on an unbelievable 90 goals by May and 150 covering the preceding couple of campaigns.

One of those strikes arrived in the Champion of Champions semi-final against Central Division table-toppers Kingstonian. The young Rebels emphatically gaining a modicum of revenge for the penalty-shootout defeat in that September’s FA Youth Cup tie. Although Cray Valley prevailed in the final, Dolaghan received a first-team call-up in pre-season. In typical Dolaghan fashion, the striker bagged off the bench in a home tussle with Gosport Borough.

His competitive bow finally arrived in November’s Senior Cup exit at the hands of Littlehampton Town, a club he’s all too familiar with after serving an apprenticeship there. Six goals in a ten-game period was enough to earn him a Woodside recall. A full debut arrived in February in a narrow home loss to Braintree Town, accompanied a few weeks later, in his next match, with a goal against Farnborough at the same venue.

The teenage sensation concluded the 2023/24 campaign with a burst of seven goals in ten games, which inevitably attracted plenty of top tier suitors.  West Ham United fended off plenty of interest for the talent and offered him his first professional contract.

Typically netted a late equaliser on his maiden appearance after inking his signature against Benfica B in the Premier League International Cup, aiding a recovery from a 2-0 interval deficit.

He then scored twice off the bench to help the Hammers salvage a draw with Athletic Bilbao B a week later.

A temporary time spent at Aldershot Town saw Brad break into the National league and round off 2024/25 with a winner’s medal at Wembley, as the Shots saw off Spennymoor Town to lift the FA Trophy.

Regrettably released in the summer by the Premier League Side, he showed them what they were missing by bagging a quick-fire, second-half hat-trick in the opening home pre-season friendly of 2025, having only entered the fray after the change of ends.

MATCH OFFICIALS:

Referee: Daniel Baines

Assistant: Harry Phillips

Assistant: Kieran Bailey

Fourth Official: Nicholas Garside

GO STAGS