Worthing have been urged to keep showing the winners’ mentality which can secure the title.
Former Albion under-23s duo Jack Spong and Danny Cashman scored in the second half to secure a 2-1 win over Bath City in Vanarama National League south.
It was always hard work, rarely fluent and got a bit nervy at times.
But Worthing are now a point behind leaders Dorking Wanderers with a game in hand.
Spong found the bottom corner from just outside the box on 47 minutes after a first half in which neither side created much at all.
Their hopes of closing significantly on leaders Dorking Wanderers were hit when .Kieran Parselle scored amid disarray from a corner on 72 minutes.
But Cashman reacted quickly and found the bottom corner seven minutes later after Nixky Wheeler’s ball in had caused problems.
Bath argued that Cashman had backed into the keeper before seizing on the ball as it dropped.
But Worthing were happy to get a win on an evening when they could have dropped points.
Agutter said: “It wasn’t vintage. I don’t know how much you would pay to watch that.
“But that is the sort of games where teams we are competing with have dropped points.
“We just end to keep trying to pick them off, keep grinding, keep doing the ugly stuff.
“This time of the year is all about mentality, personality.
“Everyone knows what they are doing in terms of the plan. Tactically we know where we are but it’s not about that.
“It is about mentality, personality, and we are showing spades of that as a squad.”
Worthing’s coaching team includes Aarran Racine, who was in charge when Rebels lost in the play-off final last season after a brilliant run-in, and ex-Albion skipper Dean Hammond.
Agutter said: “I am lucky with the staff we have got.
“Azza, Deano are guys have been there and done it.
“At the back end of last year, with the form those guys had then, if they had had that all season, they would have won the league.
“But it’s a collective effort. It’s not just one or two or just the staff driving it.
“It feels like across the board we are on the same page which is good.”
Spong was back in midfield having filled it at wing-back in last Saturday’s win at Chelmsford.
Agutter said: “That’s an example of not sulking, not thinking about himself.
“He is thinking about the team, putting the team first and just getting on with it, which we are seeing across the board at the minute.”
