Worthing FC manager Hinshelwood: Red card cost us in defeat to Bath City

The Reds lead at half-time thanks to Ollie Pearce’s fourth minute penalty but Cody Cooke equalised for the Romans on 51 minutes.

Rye was given his marching orders 11 minutes later for denying Tom Smith a goal scoring opportunity – and the Bath midfielder fired home the resulting free-kick to give the visitors the lead.

Scott Wilson doubled the Romans’ lead on 75 minutes before Joel Colbran pegged one back with four minutes remaining.

Hinshelwood said: “I thought it was a bit like a basketball match. We kind of like it when it’s like that – but we got the ball into the final third a lot and were wasteful.

“Going down to ten men, and them scoring from the resulting free-kick, was always going to make it a tough afternoon.

“There was a real response from the heavy defeat [at Ebbsfleet] in the week, and in the first ten minutes I thought we were excellent.

“The game then ebbed and flowed, and could have gone either way – but the massive moment was the sending off.”

Worthing are now winless in four league games – losing their last two – and in danger of dropping out of the play-off places.

The Reds sit sixth in the table, but are just two points ahead of eight-placed Tonbridge Angels.

Hinshelwood added: “It just seems to be how it’s going a little bit at the moment. You have tough times like this, and this is where everyone has got to stand up and be counted and stick together and work hard to improve.

“Our best defensive performance was when we went down to ten men at Chippenham. There was a real desire from ten players to leave their all out on the pitch.

“But we can’t just show that when we’re down to ten men. We need to show that unity and togetherness throughout games.”

Worthing visit Chelmsford City this Saturday. The Clarets sit one place and one point behind the Reds.