Worcester City’s dramatic slump in fortune continued at St George’s Lane when they were well beaten by a fairly average Welling United team. City were hit by a nearly injury blow when Dave Bampton’s role was effectively ended as a result of a crude and dangerous tackle in the middle of the field that earned the Welling player a yellow card when red was more appropriate. Gary Walker replaced him soon afterwards but it was Welling who looked the stronger team, aided by a fierce wind. They took the lead with a neat finish on 31 minutes and City never really looked like rescuing a point.
The introduction of Matt Dodd in the second half sparked a brief City revival but there is obvious need for more fire power up front and more guile in midfield. It is to be hoped that new players will soon be found to boost the strength of a team who look well out of sorts and are now struggling to get the ball in the net. Fibal score City 0 Welling United 1.
City's Bank Holiday fixture against Bath City was decided by two poorly struck penalties – one of which went into the net and one which was saved. Sadly for home fans the one that counted was scored by Bath's Stuart Douglas just before half time. It was also a day to forget for the referee who seemed at times to be officiating on a different match to the one being played at St George's Lane.
The first half belonged to the visitors who kept Worcester pinned back into their own half of the field for much of the first 45 minutes. Every marginal decision seemed go in Bath's favour except for what seemed a perfectly good Bath goal after 5 minutes. Bath won a rather dubious free kick which was neatly played across the City box where Danny McDonnell was unable to smother and the ball ran kindly to the feet of a grateful visiting striker. It looked to be a perfectly good goal but was ruled out by the referee.
As it looked increasingly like half time would arrive with the game goalless Stuart Douglas and Graham Ward had a tussle for the same ball. It was a nothing incident but the referee deemed it worthy of a penalty. The penalty was poorly struck by Douglas but City's Danny McDonnell had chosen to dive in the other direction.
The second half was a complete contrast to the first as City pushed forward in search of the equaliser. Indeed such was the City pressure that Bath rarely got the ball to their forwards. The Bath defence held firm and when it was breached City's shooting was wayward. However City's Gary Walker deserved better as he saw his blistering drive into the top corner of the goal turned over bar by the Bath keeper. Bizarrely all the decisions in the second half seem to go in City's favour including the award of a penalty ten minutes from the end when Craig Wilding was said to have been fouled. Mark Owen's kick was easily saved by Steve Perrin in the Bath goal but City should still have scored as the rebound fell to Marco Adaggio but he blasted the ball over the bar from eight yards out.
Worcester City suffered a reality check at St George’s Lane after being outplayed by a competent Hayes & Yeading United side.
The visitors had the ball in the City net as early as the 4th minute but the effort was ruled out for offside. That should have alerted City to the visitors attacking potential but fans were still reflecting on the let-off when Hayes & Yeading United took the lead with a neat finish from Will Hendry.
City though ought to have been level after Marco Adaggio was brought down in the penalty area when clean through on goal. Amazingly the referee awarded instead a free kick to City on the edge of the area. A penalty was awarded though soon after but at the other end. A quickly taken free kick ended with the referee deciding that the City keeper, Danny McDonnell, has brought down a visiting striker although most of the crowd thought that it was in fact a clean save. On such incidents as these are games decided and so if proved after the penalty had been cleanly put away.
Heavy rain and a brief protest from agitators greeted the players at the start of the second half and the mood did not improve when Hayes & Yeading added a third goal from another free kick mid way through the half.
As the game wore on the decisions on the pitch seemed to go increasingly in favour of the visitors, culminating in a bizarre booking for Jamie Price after the City midfielder had been the victim of a awful challenge that could easily have seen both players on the way to casualty. The referee however awarded a throw-in to City which just about summed things up as City slipped to defeat by 3 goals to 0.
City fans got their first taste of what it will take to be competitive in the Blue Square Conference South this season when a highly talented St Albans City team visited St George’s Lane on Monday night.
It was immediately obvious that they were very strong in the passing game as they tore into Worcester from the start, controlling the midfield and putting immense pressure on the City back four. With the midfielders frequently forced back into defence City had little opportunity to show any attacking ability.
The City goal however remained intact and then suddenly City took control and scored when the athletic Marco Adaggio’s overhead kick crashed back off the underside of the crossbar and with the aid of a fortunate bounce crossed the goal line The referee, who controlled the game well, signalled for a goal and City were in front.
It was a lead they never looked like relinquishing as City finally got to grips with the pace of the game. Indeed City could have had a second goal before half time when Marco Adaggio appeared to be pushed off the ball in the penalty area but nothing was given.
The second half, as so often last season, belonged firmly to City, as they found their attacking boots. Any nerves that remained went once Matt Dinsmore had powerfully headed home a left wing cross early in the second half. City could have added more goals before the end as the visitors wilted under the pressure. St Albans though were still dangerous on the break but when they shot the ball wide from barely one yard out it seemed to sum up their evening and their disappointed fans, a goodly number of whom had made the trip to Worcester, knew the points belonged to City.
The final score before a good crowd of 944 was City 2 St Albans 0.