By Bailey Howard
Hornchurch fell to a disappointing defeat on Saturday afternoon as a ruthless Worthing side ran out 5–0 winners at Woodside Road in the Enterprise National League South, with the Urchins’ hopes of a second-half fightback severely hampered by a red card shown to defender Makai Welch and now sit third in the table.
It was an afternoon that began with balance and promise but ultimately unravelled after the interval, as Worthing capitalised on their numerical advantage to take the game out of reach.
Daryl McMahon made two changes from last weekend’s 1-1 home draw against AFC Totton, bringing Angelo Balanta and Henry Sandat into the starting eleven replacing Charlie Ruff and Darren McQueen.
The contest kicked off and opened up with tentative exchanges in the opening minutes, with Worthing carving out the first clear opportunities, forcing a deflected effort into the side netting before Jack Spong sent a follow-up attempt over the bar.
Hornchurch responded through Angelo Balanta, who took advantage of a loose Worthing pass inside the box to drive to the byline, but the cutback was smothered before Henry Sandat could meet it.
Despite those encouraging signs, the breakthrough fell to the home side on twenty-eight minutes. Former Urchin Razzaq Coleman De-Graft delivered a teasing cross from the right, and Brad Dolaghan rose to head in from close range past Arthur Nasta to give the Rebels the lead, 1-0 Worthing.
The visitors looked for an immediate reply, with Sandat nearly bursting through on goal, only for Worthing skipper Joel Colbran to recover with a crucial sliding challenge.
At the other end, goalkeeper Nasta kept Hornchurch in the contest, producing a firm stop to deny Teddy Jenks from a central position.
As half-time approached, Worthing applied pressure, but the Urchins defended bravely, with Nasta again intervening to ensure McMahon’s men went into the interval trailing by only a single goal.
Half-Time – Worthing 1–0 Hornchurch
McMahon’s side began the second half looking to reassert themselves, but the game’s decisive moment arrived in the fifty-fourth minute. As Jenks broke forward on the counter, Makai Welch was shown a straight red card for halting the attack, leaving Hornchurch with a mountain to climb.
From the resulting free-kick, Coleman De-Graft curled a precise effort into the bottom corner past the Hornchurch number one and double the hosts’ advantage at a crucial stage, 2-0 Worthing.
Worthing, boosted by the extra man, continued to dictate possession and tempo and their third arrived on seventy-one minutes, when Toby Byron powered in a header at the back post from a left-side corner to extending the lead, 3-0 Worthing.
Ten minutes later, the home side added a fourth as Byron, now provider, found space on the flank before picking out Dolaghan, who shifted the ball onto his left and drove a low shot across goal beyond Nasta, 4–0 Worthing.
The Urchins introduced fresh legs in the closing stages, but Worthing remained relentless. Five minutes from time, a goalmouth scramble ended with Nathan Odokonyero bundling in from close range to complete the scoring at 5–0.
Despite flashes of threat in the first half and several strong moments of defending, the red card left Hornchurch with too much to do against a confident Worthing side who punished every opportunity.
A difficult afternoon for the Urchins, who will now look to regroup quickly as attention turns toward the upcoming league fixture on Tuesday away to Hemel Hempstead and an opportunity to respond with renewed resilience.
Full-Time – Worthing 5–0 Hornchurch
National League South
Saturday 29th November 2025 | Woodside Road
Attendance: 2,678
