Match Report by Dan Finill
Many have tipped Worthing to be early title favourites after an impressive six wins from their opening eight games. The Tudors knew going into this game it was going to be tough but they themselves had gone into this game in a buoyant mood off the back of breaking Chelmsford City's unbeaten start to the season.
It was certainly a day to be beside the seaside, but not if you were any of the players on the pitch. The early September heat wave proved a challenge for both sets of players and it was always going to be one of those halves where both teams tried to conserve energy in the blistering heat. However it were the Rebels that had the lion share of possession and had a good chance on 12 mins. Some good combination play between Felix and Danny Cashman saw the former putting his effort wide.
The danger man for the home side Ricky Aguiar momentarily thought he had put The Red ahead but he was flagged for offside on 37 minutes. The half finished level at break but manager Brad Quinton went into his half time team talk full of confidence his side could get something from the game.
It was The Tudors who came out the blocks the quickest. After some tactical tweaks and instructions, Brad Quinton's men gave The Rebels no time on the ball and that persistence nearly paid off at Myles Judd hit the crossbar with a shot from outside of the box.
That effort gave The Tudors confidence and moments later Arj Krasniqi nicked the ball in midfield which allowed loan man Tyrelle Newton to counter, feeding Judd who crossed the ball into George Williams. His header on the edge of the six yard box fell to the poacher Joe Iaciofano who made no mistake from close range.
Around the hour mark, the Rebels made two threatening moves. Aguiar's long-range shot hit the top left corner of the woodwork, and Pearce's swiveling volley was saved by King. Up the other end, Rocco Rees made a crucial save against George Williams to keep the Reds in the game after The Hemel's number seven found himself beating the offside trap to no avail.
Following the opportunity to go two up, luck wasn't on The Tudors side as Arj Krasniqi, who was already booked, received a second yellow card for fouling Cashman on the counter, meaning we'd have to see out the game with ten men. Worthing responded with a triple substitution to capitalise, in search of an equaliser.
About 10 minutes later, the Reds finally broke through Hemel's defense. Joel Colbran scored a fantastic goal from the edge of the area, levelling the score. Six minutes of added time were announced, and Worthing had their best chance to win in the final moments. Nicky Wheeler's cross reached Pearce, but his volley narrowly missed the target, resulting in Worthing settling for a draw against the 10-man visitors.
Next up for The Tudors is an FA cup tie with Hertfordshire neighbours Royston Town. Tune into www.mixlr.com/hemelfc from 2:45pm to catch that one.