Match Report
Worthing United 3–1 Loxwood
Southern Combination Football League Division One
Saturday 8th August 2026
Loxwood’s league campaign began with a disappointing 3–1 defeat away at Worthing United, in a game where a difficult opening half ultimately left the Magpies with too much to do.
Loxwood started the game well, settling quickly and looking positive in the opening exchanges. However, an error at the back handed Worthing the breakthrough on 11 minutes, with Liam Appleton taking advantage to put the hosts 1–0 ahead.
Things went from bad to worse just five minutes later. Loxwood compounded the first mistake by conceding a penalty, which Daniel George Kingston duly dispatched in the 16th minute to double Worthing’s advantage.
From that point, credit has to go to Worthing. They produced some very good football during the remainder of the first half, controlling key areas of the pitch and nullifying much of what Loxwood were trying to do. The Magpies struggled to regain the rhythm they had shown early on and went into the break 2–0 down.
Loxwood emerged for the second half with a much-improved intensity. Wezley Brown replaced Luke Roberts at half-time, and the Magpies began to enjoy sustained periods of possession and pressure as they looked for a route back into the contest.
The changes continued as Jake Gadd replaced Mason Massey on 59 minutes, before Archie Goddard came on for Billy Tomlinson on 71 minutes.
The pressure eventually paid off. On 75 minutes, Lewis Huggins found the net, reducing the deficit to 2–1 and giving Loxwood a genuine opportunity to complete the comeback.
Unfortunately, the momentum disappeared almost immediately. Just a minute later Loxwood switched off, allowing Worthing to move far too easily through the midfield and defensive lines. Ahmed Kamil took advantage to score in the 76th minute, restoring Worthing’s two-goal cushion at 3–1.
Loxwood made two further changes, with Leon Isaac replacing Lewis Huggins on 83 minutes and Theo Brown replacing Archie Cooke on 87 minutes, but from there the game largely petered out with little of real note at either end.
It was a disappointing result for Loxwood following an encouraging pre-season. The second-half resurgence demonstrated a much better level of performance, but the damage inflicted during the opening period proved too much to overcome.
Ultimately, it was a game in which Loxwood gave themselves too much to do.
Next up for the Magpies is a tough trip to Wick on Friday night in the FA Vase, with an opportunity to respond quickly and get back to winning ways.