Saturday, February 5, 2000

CAN Worcester City go all the way to Wembley in the FA Umbro Trophy?

After Saturday's 1-0 win at Stalybridge Celtic in the fourth round, John Barton's in-form side have to be considered as a good outside bet to go all the way.

Sam Bowen's lone first-half strike was enough to win a very tricky tie at the Unibond League Premier Division side.

City have now won seven games on the trot and 13 out of 17 matches since Barton took over. Now, after two fine wins in the competition, no-one is going to fancy getting them in today's fifth round draw.

On a bog of a pitch, it was a day when sheer guts and determination would count for much more than skill.

And City showed that in abundance as they reached the last 16 for the first time since the 1981-82 season, to the delight of a vociferous travelling army of well over 300 fans.

Everyone in a City shirt was a hero but perhaps nobody more than goalkeeper Danny Watson, who has not been at his best in recent games.

He showed great command of his area and dealt with everything thrown at him with great confidence. His most crucial save came eight minutes from time when he superbly turned Eddie Johnston's close-range header round a post.

Watson said afterwards: "Everyone dug in and battled well, and it was a great performance from the front all the way to the back.

"We got the goal and although in the second half we were always going to be up against it, everyone battled and did their jobs."

Barton added: "The pitch was very sapping and there were a lot of heavy legs at the end but we are delighted to have won.

"They have probably had 75 per cent of the play and a lot of possession without really creating anything that was too clear-cut.

"We have capitalised on a mistake by their 'keeper and, in the second half, we have dug in.

"In terms of a quality performance, it just wasn't there, but we stuck with the game, stayed with it right to the end and toughed it out with the opposition.

"Danny has had a very good game. He has done his job competently and efficiently and he shoed good hands throughout the game.'

City didn't create that many chances with the home side having most of the game, but they got the vital break in the 27th minute, which had an element of the bizarre about it.

Steve Lutz hoisted a long ball into the penalty area which Stalybridge 'keeper Gary Ingham appeared to have safely covered, only for Bowen to nip in front of him to nod in from close range for his sixth goal in the last three games.

After that, it was mainly a case of City trying to repel increasingly frantic pressure from the home side.

But there is a new-found resolve about City now and they showed maximum determination to hang on to their advantage, with Stalybridge only once seriously testing Watson through that Johnston header.

The defence did its job highly efficiently with special mention for Kevin Willetts who coped very well with Celtic's dangerous wide men on the left flank.

The returning Mark Tucker and Carl Heeley were at their most solid in the centre to curb the threat of the home side's star striker Winfield Steele, who hit the side netting on the only occasion he got behind them.

Paul Carty and Lutz carried plenty of bite in midfield while Nathan Jukes worked hard in his left-flank role. Mark Owen could have extended City's lead late on but blasted well wide in a great position.