Match Preview: Worthing (H) - 21st March 2026

Photo courtesy of Ben Cole

By Josh Cole

The Stags return to home soil after three consecutive away games, and we welcome Worthing to The Snows Stadium!

Last time out Totton won it at the death away at Chesham with two injury time goals. CLICK HERE to read the match report!

WORTHING – THEIR SEASON SO FAR:

The visitors are currently in 3rd place in the league. CLICK HERE to view the full league table.

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 a third round qualifying win, 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.

After beating AFC Totton 4-0, they won again 0-4 this time away at Tonbridge in the FA Trophy and rounded off November with three wins and one loss, that loss being away at Torquay in the league.

December started off well with a win against Ebbsfleet in the league but unfortunately, they were knocked out of the FA Trophy in the third round by Gloucester City on penalties. Worthing made sure to bounce back well winning the last three games in December, which all came in the league, and this had them top of the table heading into 2026.

January started off winless in their first three matches, drawing against Chippenham and Horsham and losing in a crazy 5-4 result at Salisbury. And that form continued to drop as they actually only won once in January, in the Sussex Senior Cup away at Step four Broadbridge Heath. Their other three games in the league saw two losses and one draw.

February continued to be disappointing as they started off the month with two more winless games but final got their first league win in just under two months against Slough, and followed that up with a victory against Torquay, but rounded off the month losing 32-1 at Hornchurch.

In March, so far, form has been okay with four league games played, two wins, one draw and one loss, with their last match being in the Sussex Senior Cup semi-final which they lost 2-4 at home against Step four, Three Bridges.  

LAST FIVE: AFC TOTTON

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

Goalscorers: Jaiden Bartolo 90+1’ & Tony Lee 90+6’

Vs Hemel Hempstead | Away | ENLS | Lost 2-0

Vs Weston-super-Mare | Away | ENLS | Lost 1-0

Vs Horsham | Home | ENLS | Won 3-0

Goalscorers: Dec Rose 50’, Malachi Linton 63’ & Jaiden Bartolo 68’

Vs Maidenhead United | Away | ENLS | Lost 2-0

LAST FIVE: WORTHING

Vs Three Bridges | Home | Sussex Senior Cup Semi-Final | Lost 2-4

Goalscorers: Callum Morton 35’ & Brad Dolaghan 70’

Vs Chelmsford | Home | ENLS | Won 2-0

Goalscorers: Ashley Nadesan 7’ & Teddy Jenks 32’

Vs Maidenhead United | Home | ENLS | Drew 0-0

Vs Tonbridge Angels | Away | ENLS | Lost 1-0

Vs Chesham United | Home | ENLS | Won 2-0

Goalscorers: Joel Colbran 36’ & Oliver Godziemski 85’

COMPARING THE STATS (all comps)

 
OPPOSITION PLAYERS TO WATCH:

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: TEDDY JENKS

September signing who worked his way through the youth and reserve ranks at Brighton & Hove Albion, making his (full) first team debut for the Seagulls at just 17 in a Carabao Cup tie against Aston Villa.

Spent the 2021/22 season on loan at Aberdeen, where he played in the Europa Conference League and bagged the equaliser on his league bow at Livingston, as well as the only goal of the game at St Johnstone, before
embarking on an identical period at Crawley Town in League Two a year later.

Stayed in the same division, after being released by the Albion at the end of that term, by moving to Forest Green Rovers. January ‘24 saw him emigrate north of the border once more to conclude the campaign at Ross County.

Won international honours during his time at the Amex with both England U16s and U17s, scoring for the latter at the European Championships.

Finally put pen to paper at the Sussex Transport Community Stadium in time to go straight into the matchday squad for the FA Cup 2nd Qualifying round replay at home to Jersey; coming on with around half-an-hour to go.

ATTACK: BRAD DOLAGHAN

There are goal machines and then there’s “Bradders.” With 21 goals scored in this season’s National League South, eh is the current leading goalscorer.

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: Joseph Dann-Pye 

Assistant Ref 1: Benjamin Williamson

Assistant Ref 2: Thomas Farr

Fourth Official: Adrian Harris

GO STAGS