An elderly man walking his dog was approached by a tattooed man who pushed him up against a fence post and demanded that he handed over his phone and money.
The victim told the man no, before the man swore at him, but he refused again. The man then defended himself with the offender leaving the scene empty handed.
Officers are now appealing for witnesses to come forward to try to catch the man.
Detective Constable Lisa Porter is leading the investigation. She said: “This must have been a terrifying experience for the victim. Thankfully no one was injured and we’d like to thank the victim for coming forward and reporting the crime to us.
“We are now appealing for any witnesses or anyone with any information that can help with our enquiries.
“The incident happened around 10-11.30am on 24 September on a footpath which runs parallel with a train line from Carlton Road in Worksop, which leads to Queensway.
“The man has been described as white, around 25-30yrs, 5’9 – 5’10 tall, medium build with shaved hair at the sides with black swirl tattoos on the sides of his head above his ears.
“Please call 101, quoting incident number 293 of 24 September 2020.”