Four months after one of the darkest days in the club’s history, Worthing can see a bright future.

Adam Hinshelwood has made a big impression since taking over as manager.

The former Albion defender has brought a number of younger players to the club as well as embracing the club’s youth team.

The team are on a winning run, they are through to the quarter-finals of the Sussex Senior Cup and crowds are up.

Ben Pope recently became the youngest scorer in the club’s history and the youth team are through to the Ryman League Cup semi-finals for the first time in 32 years.

Off the field, the club have put in a planning application to install a 3G surface at Woodside Road, which directors believe would help secure the long-term financial future of the club.

Last October the club’s reputation was sullied after “drunken mid-air antics” and “a fracas” on a flight back from a game in Guernsey.

They attracted national headlines for the wrong reasons and subsequent punishments for the behaviour of certain individuals on the flight.

That was followed by the departure of joint-managers Lee Brace and Kieran Collins who cited internal issues as part of the reason behind leaving.

But director Ian Hart is delighted with the turnaround in fortunes.

He said: “You have to have dark times to really appreciate good times. We knew we were going to have to take a couple of steps back before we moved forward.

“Three of us joined the board in July because they had reached a situation at the club and it was almost a crisis situation.

“Now everything is so positive moving forward.

“A lot of credit has to go to the drive, determination and hard work of Lee Noakes, Julian Church and Alistair McKail.

“As a board we have been overwhelmed with the response we have had to our plans for a 3G surface, not just from football people but from local people, local councillors and the mayor.

“They realise how important it is to the short-term, medium-term and long-term future of the football club.

“There was an open day on Wednesday at Maidstone regarding 3G pitches and you had representatives there from Horsham, Lewes, Steyning and the Sussex County Football Association as well as Worthing. Clearly we are not alone with these thoughts.

“Critics will always point to the disputes Maidstone are currently having with the use of these surfaces but ultimately how can you tell a non-league team they can’t play fixtures on this surface, the same surface they play Champions League and World Cup qualifiers on?

“Maidstone are playing 11 games a week on their pitch. Take out the club games, you look at hire fees, bar revenue, snack bar revenue, you look at foot traffic in the football club. It has to happen.”

Hart, who doubles up as under-18s manager and director, is delighted with the job Hinshelwood is doing at Woodside Road.

He said: “Adam is a great, young manager with a whole fresh outlook and he has a great support team in Jon Meeney and Mick Fogden.

“Ben Pope originally wasn’t coming to us. He was going somewhere else. Adam, myself and other people at the club sold him Worthing Football Club.

“He has come on as substitute on his debut and become the youngest scorer in the club’s history. He hasn’t even left school yet.

“Harvey Sparks, the youth team captain, scored in the Senior Cup on Wednesday, set up by Charlie Dennis, another youth team player.

“Two of the young players who may have been on the bench for that game, Greg Gander and Harry Smith, have been on tour with England Colleges this week in Rome.

“You have Jimmy Punter in the youth team picture now, a fourth generation Punter to play for the club.

“Crowds are up as well. Everything is positive.”