Worthing v Southend: control has to come with cover

I have Southend down to lose 2-1 at Worthing, and the encouraging team news has not persuaded me to change that call. Tuesday asks a side that twice lost the lead against Halifax to manage a game against opponents who have won their last three league matches and are getting plenty right in attack.

Southend are third on 28 points; Worthing are fourth on 27, with both having played 14 games. A home win would put Adam Hinshelwood’s team above Southend. Worthing’s nine-match unbeaten league run deserves that sort of attention, particularly with five wins and a draw from their last six, producing 15 goals and conceding five. This is a direct rival with form behind them.

Southend have an unbeaten away league record of their own: four wins and three draws from seven matches. That is a substantial reason to expect a contest, even if Worthing’s recent attacking form is what tips my prediction towards the home side. They have conceded in all seven, so the defensive concern has travelled with them.

Control after the Halifax exchanges

Kieron Dyer’s pre-match interview makes an important distinction about Saturday. He accepted the open exchanges against Halifax and encouraged that approach at half-time; against Worthing’s expected man-to-man marking, he wants better movement and more control of possession. Dyer was sent off after Halifax, but he is free to be on the touchline tonight and has said he intends to appeal.

That is the right change of emphasis, in my view, provided control means something when Southend lose the ball. Passing through pressure is useful if it allows the next attack to start with players in positions to support it. It becomes considerably less useful if the full-backs advance together and one misplaced pass leaves the centre-halves dealing with an opponent running at them. Keeping the ball and having cover behind it belong to the same job.

Before Halifax, I wrote that bringing in Ash Palmer did not make second balls and the tracking of runners his responsibility alone. Southend then drew 2-2 after leading twice. A centre-half can organise the players around him, but the value of that organisation still depends on a team-mate following the runner when the attack comes down the other side.

The selection news gives Dyer more options. Darren Oldaker returns from suspension and Ryan Colclough is available after missing three matches with a groin problem. Harry Cardwell needs a matchday decision; those involved against Halifax came through unscathed. Dyer expects a strong team and bench, although he still considers the squad short of centre-forwards.

Oldaker offers another midfield choice for the game Dyer wants to play, while Colclough gives Southend an experienced winger to use from the start or later on. Cardwell’s uncertainty matters because those options do not answer the question of who leads the line if Promise Omochere needs replacing. I would welcome a stronger bench without treating an available player as a guaranteed 90-minute solution.

The runs Southend have to follow

Worthing’s winner at Kidderminster is the passage I would put in front of Southend’s players. Substitute Dominic Johnson-Fisher accelerated down the right and crossed low for Cory Adjetey-Brew to arrive and finish in the 68th minute. The danger came from the runner reaching the delivery, as well as the player making it. Southend have to prevent a defender being left to watch both at once. Adjetey-Brew is an 18-year-old left-back on loan from Queens Park Rangers, with the deal extended to January. Worthing have also used him higher up, and the Kidderminster winner took him to four league goals, three of them in his last two league appearances. His nominal position offers little comfort if he is the player entering the box beyond the ball; whoever picks him up has to stay with him.

The other warning is Razzaq Coleman De-Graft’s equaliser in the same game. He found room to shoot after Joel Colbran’s throw-in and scored through bodies for his seventh league goal. Southend cannot become so concerned with the ball out wide that they allow a scorer in that form to set himself centrally. Palmer will need the midfield’s help before the shot, rather than another chance to block it afterwards.

Charley Kendall is part of this attack too. His move from Southend on 7 September was permanent, on undisclosed terms, and he started at Kidderminster before Johnson-Fisher replaced him. Hinshelwood values Kendall’s pace in behind, which makes him relevant to the same problem of cover. Southend’s familiarity with the starting striker will be little help if the change from the bench catches them unprepared.

Where Southend can hurt them

Worthing’s 2-1 win also contained opportunities for Kidderminster. Taylor Seymour made important saves, Lewis Walker dispossessed the goalkeeper and was denied by a goal-line clearance, and Ben Crompton’s opener came from the second phase of a set-piece. The comeback was impressive, but it did not erase the chances that preceded it.

I would look for selective pressure on Seymour and the players receiving from him, with the rest of Southend staying close enough to deal with the next pass. Sending everyone after the goalkeeper would risk creating the space Johnson-Fisher exploited on Saturday. There is also a useful reminder in Crompton’s goal: winning the initial header does not finish a defensive phase, and Southend should make Worthing defend the loose ball as well.

Hinshelwood had accepted responsibility for changing shape in the 3-0 FA Cup defeat at Wealdstone, while criticising errors and his side’s response after losing possession. The win at Kidderminster was a good answer to that criticism. It also leaves Southend evidence of both what Worthing can do when a match opens up and what can be gained by putting their build-up under pressure.

Jack Wadham’s half-time withdrawal through injury at Kidderminster adds a question to Hinshelwood’s selection. Friday’s club update had already listed Harry Ransom, Noor Husin, Tyrique Clarke and Harrison Foulkes as sidelined. It is not yet clear which of the five will be available on Tuesday.

Dyer dislikes the artificial surface but has rejected it as an excuse. I agree: Southend’s decisions after a turnover will matter far more than a complaint about the pitch.

The TSP predictions

My 2-2 call for Halifax was exactly right, which offered very little satisfaction when Southend conceded the second equaliser. I had wanted the defensive doubts behind it to be answered. Worthing’s form and the way they attack leave me with another uncomfortable prediction, even with Oldaker and Colclough available.

All predictions are Southend first.

Contributor	Prediction
Sensei Phil	1-1
Charlie	2-0
Chris B	1-2

No Worthing prediction was recorded for Katie in the episode.

There are ways for Southend to prove me wrong. Moving the ball well enough to draw a marker out could create room to attack, and Worthing have given opponents chances. With Wealdstone away to follow on Saturday, Southend need to find a way of taking those openings while keeping enough players connected to protect a lead if one comes. The Halifax finish showed why that cover cannot wait until the closing minutes.

Match details

Fixture: Worthing v Southend United.

Competition: Enterprise National League.

Venue: Sussex Transport Community Stadium, Woodside Road, Worthing.

Kick-off: Tuesday 27 October 2026, 7.45pm GMT.

Tickets: Southend’s advance sales closed on Monday; Worthing say limited away tickets remain through Fanbase.

Next fixture: Wealdstone v Southend United, Saturday 31 October, 3pm GMT, The Vale.