Saturday, November 27, 2004

JOHN Barton could only reflect on the genius of Worcester's City very own cable guy Leon Kelly after his brilliant brace saw off plucky Prescot in the second round of the FA Trophy.

City favourite Kelly has been anything but a goal-machine in recent months, with just one strike at Vauxhall Motors to his name during a barren nine-game spell.

But, as the saying goes, form is temporary and class is permanent, and Kelly returned in style at St George's Lane to smash home two ruthless finishes which finally obliterated the brave Merseysider's chances.

His instinctive run and razor-sharp touch from Les Hines' delicious cross put City in front on 49 minutes and, following Adam Flynn's equaliser for Prescot, Kelly settled the tie with a smashing low drive from Adam Webster's defence-splitting pass.

It was a dream double which had his manager demanding more of the same.

Barton said: "I thought Leon worked really hard again. His work-rate got him into good situations and he deserved his two goals.

"He's been a bit disappointed with his own form of late. It's probably been his most ineffective spell since he came to the club. But those goals will do him good, and do us good as well.

"I thought both our goals were excellent. We weren't too sharp with their goal but it was a difficult tie and we achieved our object of getting through to the next round.

"Give them credit, Prescot took us all the way. We knew they were going to play above what we had already seen of them and it was always going to be a tricky one."

The UniBond Premier outfit more than impressed with their effective counter-attacking style and at times, particularly in the first-half, outplayed City when given possession of the ball.

Livewire Sam McNutt was a constant threat and it was no coincidence that Worcester dominated events, and looked considerably more at ease, when the young winger tired after the interval.

Cables' players had everyone baffled at kick-off when donning shirts with numbers not normally linked with their respective positions.

Centre-halves Flynn and David Chadwick wore nine and 10, while McNutt held three and striker Karl Connelly five.

It may have been a superstition of the Liverpudlians, and they certainly used a chunk of luck in the opening ten minutes when Kelly failed with three opportunities to give City an early lead.

Kelly had a goal disallowed for offside, a snapshot from Pat Lyons' pass then dragged wide, while a third effort was saved by the feet of Cables 'keeper Andy Paxton.

Webster also mis-fired on 13 minutes when he wasted Jai Stanley's clever throughball by shooting straight at Paxton.

At the other end, a fine run and cut-back by Connelly reached an unmarked McNuff, who spared City's blushes when his scuffed shot from eight yards was parried by James Coates.

Chances kept on coming for both sides, Flynn clearing off his own line on 19 minutes as Lyons looked to pounce, while Cables skipper Eddie Taylor blasted over from the penalty spot with the goal at his mercy.

City grabbed the lead five minutes after the break with a wonderful team goal.

Liam McDonald and Lyons combined to send Hines down the left wing and his low cross was buried by the onrushing Kelly at the back post.

Connelly should have equalised on 61 minutes when pouncing on an error by Carl Heeley, but his effort was turned away by Coates.

However, Flynn turned in the leveller when City failed to clear the resultant corner.

It was left to Kelly to grab the glory on 81 minutes, latching on to Webster's defence-splitting pass before smashing low past Paxton.

Connelly almost salvaged a replay for Prescot in the dying seconds when he headed against the outside of the post.