Saturday, April 24/04 - CITY had a dose of their own medicine rammed down their throat by Grantham Town - and it proved a bitter pill to swallow for manager John Barton.

The Gingerbreads stoppage-time winner killed off a sterling comeback, leaving Worcester's boss fuming once again over some poor defending, including a freak goal, that caught out last week's match-winner Carl Heeley.

Despite their best football in weeks, the visitors, down to the bare bones with four youth team players on the bench, undid it all at a stroke with some shoddy defending that bordered on the criminal.

Danny McDonnell, brilliant all season, had his least impressive display, while the basic stuff of picking up your man was ignored to gift Grantham the winner when Adrian Speed climbed to head in unmarked in the 93rd minute.

That was a hammer blow for a City side who at 3-1 down had demonstrated battling spirit to draw level with second half-strikes from Heeley and Barry Woolley.

"You don't look any further than the goals you've conceded. To score three away from home and lose tells its own story," said Barton.

"We got back to 3-3 then gave away a free kick and a free header. I'm really angry. The people I usually defend should be put on the spot to answer a few questions."

City dominated the opening 20 minutes as you would expect against the Dr Martens Premier Division's bottom club but failed to make that pay. Mark Owen should have scored, Adam Wilde nearly scored with a lob and Woolley looped a header onto the bar but it was Grantham who broke the deadlock.

Dominic Hallows long throw from the right into the six yard box assumed hypnotic proportions because McDonnell stood rooted to his line, his defenders likewise enabling Simon Dakin to head in.

Jai Stanley equalised from the spot within 60 seconds and going forward City had a good shape, particularly down the left where Liam McDonald at left back was constructive and Wilde was enjoying one of his better days.

But for all of their good build up play, Mario Ziccardi had little to do with City's biggest threat from Woolley at set-pieces.

Defensively Woolley and Heeley mopped up everything in the air but the Gingerbreads exploited Peter Sutton's pace down the right, several times catching City pushing up too far.

However it was a comedy of errors that led to Grantham regaining the lead. Heeley was in two minds as he shepherded a bouncing ball back to McDonnell, caught between heading it back to the keeper or hooking it clear. He opted for the latter only to see his clearance strike the looming Sutton on the head and see the ball rebound straight over McDonnell's head.

If that was a freak goal, Grantham's third was a picture of indecisiveness. Jamie Clarke nipped behind Heeley to latch on to a long ball and with McDonnell slow off his line, the striker's angled shot beat the keeper and hit the bar where the lurking Scott Huckerby headed in from a yard out.

Defensively at times City looked vulnerable with the wily figure of Tony Hemmings, in between a heated exchange with Jon Holloway, causing problems. Up front Woolley was proving to be City's biggest asset, winning several headers from set pieces and creating half chances.

He was in the thick of it for the second goal when Wilde's corner fell invitingly for Heeley who fired in from eight yards. City pressed for an equaliser and Woolley's back header struck the post before being scrambled clear.

The momentum was firmly with the visitors who finally drew level on 88 minutes when Woolley poked in a rebound after Owen's snapshot.

That should have been at least a point but McDonald conceded a free kick in the 93rd minute which Speed rose to head in unchallenged at the near post.