The word homework may fill schoolchildren up and down the country with dread, but joint-manager Gary Elphick believes it holds the key to Worthing pulling off another giant-killing in The Buildbase FA Trophy this weekend.
Having impressively dispatched Dagenham & Redbridge 2-1 in the last round, Worthing face another National League outfit in the second round on Saturday, as they welcome Sutton United to the Bibby Financial Services Stadium.
The Isthmian Premier Division side will enter the clash as heavy underdogs but having put in the hours to study their opposition, Elphick is hopeful they can recreate that Daggers magic.
“We did a lot of our analytical work on Dagenham before the game,” explained Elphick, who jointly manages Worthing alongside Jon Meeney.
“They’re a National League side, so there was a lot of media coverage on them and we did our homework and came up with a gameplan.
“Myself and Jon go out, we watch games, we research on the internet – loads of stuff like that. It can really give you an edge if you can find information on a team.
“It means you can work on something and if you get it right, it benefits you greatly. Any little edge you can get, especially on a team in the leagues above you, you have to take.”
Having been promoted from Isthmian Division One South last season, Worthing are impressing at a higher level this year – currently lying seventh in the standings – and Elphick believes the Rebels are thriving as underdogs.
“We’re massively exceeding expectations,” he added. “We had one of the smallest budgets last year and we got promoted and I’d say we’ve definitely got the smallest budget in the league this year.
“We do relish being underdogs. I think Dagenham maybe, ever so slightly discounted us a little bit and if a team does that, we can be dangerous for them.
“Hopefully we can play our hand as underdogs against Sutton and if they do take their eye off the ball, with the great FA Cup run they’re having, things could go our way.”
FA Trophy history
The last time Worthing reached this stage, the last 32, was in 2003-04, while they made the last 16 in 1985-86 before losing a replay 2-1 to Kettering Town. Sutton made the final in 1981 before losing 1-0 to Bishop’s Stortford at Wembley.
Did you know?
Worthing joint-manager Gary Elphick is the older brother of current Aston Villa, and former Bournemouth, defender Tommy.
One to Watch
Lloyd Dawes is a man in form after bagging a first-half hat-trick in the 5-0 Isthmian Premier Division victory over Canvey Island in midweek. And while he is keen to credit the entire team, Elphick admits his front two of Dawes and Omar Bugiel – who also scored in the Canvey Island triumph – are real game-changers.
The prize
The winner will pick up a cheque for £6,000 and bag a spot in Monday’s third round draw, available to watch live via Periscope from the @FA Twitter account from 10.30am.
