The scoreline certainly did not reflect the pattern of the game, and ultimately they were made to pay for a sluggish opening twenty five minutes from which they never fully recovered.

Ben Pope and Lloyd Dawes put the Rebel into a commanding lead early on, but the Moles were woken from their slumber following Reis Stanislaus’ goal after half an hour.

Dawes restored the Rebels’ two goal lead midway through the second half against the run of play, and Molesey’s difficult job was made almost impossible two minutes laters following Joe Pratley-Jones’ controversial red card for a professional foul.

With the ten men continuing to press to get back into the game, Omar Bugiel rounded off the scoring with a breakaway goal in stoppage time.

Pratley-Jones returned to the starting line up at the expense of the unfortunate Dre Grobler, in the only change to the side that won at Three Bridges seven days earlier.

Molesey’s indifferent form over the past two months has largely been down to the conceding of soft goals, and both of Worthing’s early goals were certainly preventable.

Bugiel had already drawn a good save from Liam Allen in the opening ten minutes, before Dawes was afforded way too much time on the left wing to put in a high looping cross.

The ball seemed to hang in the air an age, and when it did eventually drop Pope leapt above Luke Elliott to plant a header into the far corner.

The second goal came about when the Moles only half cleared a corner and Craig Lewington then gave the ball away inside the box. Dawes made him pay by firing beyond Allen to double the Rebels’ lead.

James McShane hit an effort just past the post and Staforde Palmer fired over when well placed as the Moles lowly came back into the game, and they halved the deficit when Rob Sheridan’s cut back fell invitingly for Stanislaus to prod home.

The remainder of the half saw the Moles throw themselves at the Rebels in search of an equaliser, with Palmer and Stanislaus both going close.

There were appeals for a penalty when McShane’s cross hit Gary Elphick’s arm, although it would have been harsh given the short distance the ball had travelled as well as the lack of movement towards the ball by Elphick.

Elphick then popped up at the other end to plant a close range header wide from a tight angle.

The Moles continued to press in the opening stages of the second half, and the centre halves very nearly combined to get them back on level term, with Sheridan’s cross being headed inches wide by Ollie Robinson.

Rikki Banks made a fine save from Palmer, and an even better one from another Robinson header, and the Moles were made to pay when Dawes grabbed his second following fine work down the left by Zack Newton.

Pratley-Jones was given his marching orders when he clearly pulled Pope back, who was chasing down a through ball from the impressive Corey Heath.

However, Allen was, as usual, lightning quick off his line and appeared favourite to get to the ball before the Worthing man, making the colour of the card seem extremely harsh.

The Moles continued to press, and the introduction of both Grobler and Ato Okai gave them some drive and energy, but the Rebels were always a threat on the counter.

Dawes almost capped his fine display with a hat-trick, but was denied by an excellent Allen save, before Bugiel was played in and dinked the ball over Allen to round off the scoring.

Worthing will no doubt feel that they deserved the three points, whilst the Moles will wonder what might have been had they turned up at three o’clock rather than twenty five past.

They’ll need to be on their game from the first whistle next week for what promises to be a keenly local derby against fierce rivals Walton & Hersham.