City advance into the next round of this season's Trophy competition with a relatively comfortable win over their Ryman Division One hosts, but it was not the stroll in the park the scoreline suggests as Worthing battled every inch of the way. However, for once City took the chances that were on offer, and that combined with a very solid defensive display meant that Worthing never really looked like overturning the two goal lead that City carved out in the first half.

City got off the best possible start, taking the lead after only six minutes as Shane Wardley produced a 'composed' finish from all of twelve inches to register his first goal of the season. Worthing had failed to deal with a left wing cross, as the home defence desperately battled to clear Darren Collins headed down for Leon Gutzmore, his toe poke goalwards was only diverted by Matthew May in the home goal and Wardley tapped home. Worthing replied to going behind on ten minutes when Andy Walker let fly from just outside the area after a partially cleared cross fell invitingly for him but his effort flew over the bar.

The constant rain made conditions difficult for both sides, effective play was difficult to achieve and both teams found it hard to create anything in the way of chances. In fact it took until just before the half hour mark for the game to spark back into life. Worthing's Mark Knee found Ben Carrington with an angled pass, but the winger, with an impressive ponytail that reached his waste, saw his goalbound effort diverted over the bar by Wardley, much to the home sides surprise the referee gave a goalkick.

Seconds later Knee was again to the fore when he raced through onto a pass from the exotically named Florian Mateos. With the City defence desperately chasing back scoring looked a formality but Wardley came to the rescue with an expertly timed sliding tackle that took the ball off the strikers toe.

A few minutes on and City should have extended their lead. A deep curling cross from Adie Hayes picked out Colin Vowden in acres of space at the back post but with the whole goal to aim at the centre half placed his header against the post with May well beaten.

Mateos put a spectacular overhead shot from a Carrington's cross well over the bar before City struck again with two minutes of the half remaining. Gutzmore battled hard against three defenders and somehow managed to get a pass into Rob Nightingale, the midfielder looked up and struck a well hit twenty yard shot that streaked past May into the bottom corner via a deflection off Walker's thigh.

The second half saw Worthing come at City in determined fashion. After ten minutes Walker saw his rising shot from eighteen yards go a foot over the bar, and minutes later Davies did well to smother a Mateos blockbuster from distance that picked up speed off the wet surface. Not long after, Davies was again called into action to pluck the ball off Knee's head as a Carrington cross threatened. There was little let up as City failed to cause Worthing any problems at the other end of the field that would have eased the pressure.

Worthing kept knocking on the door and in the 79th minute City survived another scare. Knee's attempted diving header saw the ball come off his back and deceive Davies, fortunately Tim Wooding was on hand to hook away from under his own crossbar as substitute Andy Alexander thundered in. From the clearance, Steve Sargent saw his shot deflected wide for a corner.

City needed to do something to stem the flow and like a boxer on the ropes they countered with what was ultimately a knockout blow. With ten minutes left a free-kick was awarded just outside the Worthing area following a push on Wilkin. Wooding stepped up and placed an unstoppable shot around the wall and just inside the post, game over.

However, The Rebels quickly showed that they were not finished just yet when a minute later a suspicion of handball by Alexander put Sargent clear, his dipping shot beat Davies but also the far post. Despite this, the home side were not to be denied some reward for their afternoons effort and subsequently notched a consolation goal with a minute left when Knee latched onto a Tom Graves pass to round Davies to score.

From the restart, City youngster Robbie Simpson who had replaced Collins, worked an opening for himself and sent a great shot whistling across the face of Worthing's goal before Adie Hayes capped a good day for the Lilywhites, curling a free-kick beyond May deep into injury time for City's fourth. There was still time for Worthing to register a final effort at goal, Sargent bursting through the middle and drawing a fine block at his feet from Davies.