Published Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Always the gentleman his first task immediately after the final whistle was to offer a handshake to his opposite number from Estonia.
His outstretched hand was eventually met by his adversary who hadn't even the courtesy to say a word or involve himself in any eye contact.
Next up for Worthington was a salute to the fans who had earlier been calling for his head - jeers and boos were the response from what I think was a minority on the Kop and a section of the South Stand.
I say that because the boos were almost universal when the referee marched off the pitch and I could tell from the decibel level that the negative reception Nigel was afforded by the fans wasn't nearly as widespread.
After the game while waiting UTV's turn to conduct the usual post-match interview the Ballymena man must have sat patiently for all of 20 minutes answering questions from a bevy of print journalists.
"Make this quick!" Nigel told me. "I've got a sore leg, I pulled a muscle out running. Two questions, okay ?
"That's a bit of a lame excuse, pardon the pun. Three questions maybe? But I need three long answers," was my response.
"Oh alright then," Nigel replied with a smile despite knowing then that his days in the job were numbered.
I'm not going to analyse Nigel's managerial record here nor am I going to ask did we get value for money from that £450,000 salary.
What I will say though was it was always a pleasure interviewing Nigel and he was a true gentleman, well he still is. Let's hope is successor will be such a pleasure to deal with.
Talking of gentlemen Northern Ireland football has lost another in the shape of now-retired team captain Aaron Hughes who was denied the opportunity to bid farewell to the fans last Friday night due to injury.
I felt a sense of denial as well it has to be said. There would have been perfect symmetry had I been able to interview him after the game.
Although he won't remember it, I first interviewed Aaron when he was a 16-year-old hockey player at Cookstown High School.
He had just helped his school win one of the local trophies but it was to prove to be one of his last games of hockey.
I remember writing a brief article for the Belfast Telegraph which was headlined along the lines of 'Local hockey star bound for Newcastle United'. The rest, as they say, is history.
Aaron was and still is the perfect ambassador for Northern Ireland. Interviewing him was always a real pleasure.
I will always remember one occasion when he was one of the guests at the official opening of new playing facilities near his home in Co Tyrone.
A youngster asked him how he got into football. Rather than ignore him or offer some brief explanation Aaron sat down and became engaged in a lengthy chat with the boy relating how he got spotted when playing for a Boys Brigade team and graduated to the Milk Cup squad etc etc.
I was quite happy to wait for my turn to do the UTV interview on that occasion. I am just sorry I didn't have the chance to say "goodbye Aaron and thanks from everyone at UTV for all your help over the years" on Friday night.
Nigel and Aaron - you will both be missed.