High-flying Wingate and Finchley earned a scrappy win against bottom side Worthing on Saturday.

The first half an hour was devoid of a genuine chance and neither side looked close to making the breakthrough.

The closest either team came to scoring in the opening exchanges was when Marc Charles-Smith headed Nathan Mavila’s cross wide.

However, just after the 30-minute mark, Shane Gore was forced into a magnificent save when a curling cross was met by Rian O’Sullivan, whose effort seemed destined to nestle in the back of the net before it was tipped over.

Worthing went close again not long after as Rodrigo Schmitdinger drove forward and released a shot which fizzed over the bar.

But Wingate took the lead five minutes before the break courtesy of Rob Laney, who met a Reece Beckles-Richards corne with a header that trickled over the line after keeper Cavagnari got something on it.

The lead was nearly doubled when Spencer McCall headed just over from a Beckles-Richards cross and Beckles-Richards saw a venomous strike from inside the box hit the side netting.

Much like the first half, the second half’s opening exchanges didn’t see any real attempts on goal, but Worthing were again denied by Gore on the hour when O’Sullivan attempted an overhead kick which was acrobatically tipped over.

Laney and Beckles-Richards both saw low shots saved by Cavagnari as the match drew to a close, with the former having the easier chance of the two from inside the six-yard box.

Worthing continued to push forward for an equaliser but failed to fashion a genuine opening, although Reece Hallard volleyed over from the edge of the box in their last chance of the match.

Wingate’s sixth consecutive league win pushes them up to third, level on points with second-placed Leiston ahead of their trip to Brightlingsea Regent on Tuesday.

Wingate and Finchley: Gore, Williams, Mavila, Kizzi (Vanderhyde 11), Cronin, Rifat, Lucan (Obafemi 61), McCall, Charles-Smith (Pattie 74), Beckles-Richards, Laney. Unused subs: Sharpe, Dickson.

Attendance: 125.