Mark McGhee has seen too much pre-season action down the years to get excited by Albion's rollercoaster of an evening in Pookaville.

Even when he has seen them come close to surrendering a four-goal lead to non-league opposition.

The Seagulls' pre-season is off and running in terms of goals and wins after this night of fun against the team Rebels manager and director Alan Pook re-built.

But a first goal for teenager signing Colin Kazim-Richards and a first 45 minutes for defender Jason Dodd were probably the best results of the night for the men from Palookaville.

McGhee still recalls some horror results with previous clubs in past preseasons which had no bearing at all on the bigger picture of the League campaign.

But the events of last night certainly kept a big crowd entertained as Albion started slowly, quietly asserted themselves by half-time, then roared into a 4-0 lead before seeing the Rebels pull three back in the last quarter against a youthful back line.

The Seagulls, despite the absences of Kerry Mayo, Guy Butters and Adam Virgo, got through 21 players. Youth team leftback Sam Rents got a full 90 minutes and no else played more than 45.

McGhee said: "The fact it ended up 4-3 was of absolutely no significance and relevance whatsoever.

"I tried to put two teams out of equal strength and both performances had different elements to them that were very pleasing.

"It was another pre-season exercise. It was only the second game we have played and I was very pleased with it.

"We were concentrating on our passing and movement and there was a lot of really good stuff in both halves McGhee picks out Pookaville pluses so I was totally satisfied by it."

McGhee will also be pleased Worthing were good enough to punish any Albion failings.

They almost went ahead on 31 minutes when Mark Knee's fierce volley was headed off the line by Gary Hart after Albion failed to deal with a corner.

Then Kazim-Richards, who had already helped create a great chance which Albert Jarrett dragged wide, really came to the fore.

His goal, on 37 minutes, came following a neat build-up down the left. Leon Knight's cross was directed towards Kazim-Richards' chest and his control initially appeared to have let him down.

However, as the ball ran away from him, he reacted quickest and flashed a rightfoot drive high past Mark Ormerod.

Kazim-Richards then hit the bar from 25 yards when there appeared to be nothing on and supplied the pass from which Knight curled a shot against the woodwork.

Albion made ten changes at half-time and the new line-up wasted little time in securing the first win of pre-season.

Dean Hammond drilled a leftfoot shot inside the far post from just outside the area on 51 minutes.

Two minutes later Chris McPhee was brought down by Stewart Holmes and confidently side-footed home the penalty himself.

Albion had another spot kick three minutes later, somewhat generously awarded for handball by Marc Cable, but Jake Robinson blazed over the bar.

The Seagulls' fourth goal, on 66 minutes, was their best of the match with Dean Cox guiding a deft right-foot chip over Ormerod after build-up between Charlie Oatway, Hammond and McPhee.

Rebels replied a minute later, Sam Francis heading in at the far post from a cross by Collins.

Jamie Brotherton, a 16-year-old Worthing apprentice then scored a goal which rivalled Cox's, lobbing the ball over a defender and arcing a volley over goalkeeper Richard Martin, whose poor throw out was at the root of the goal.

Richard Pacquette thumped a drive against a post and then added Rebels' late third, whipping a right foot shot across Martin.