WORCESTER City must break a water-tight deadlock tomorrow or face a Tuesday night FA Trophy replay if past clashes with Chippenham Town are anything to go by.

The two sides have twice locked horns to play out goal-less draws at St George's Lane in consecutive seasons but since then their fortunes have differed.

While City achieved the step-up to the Conference North only to stall in mid-table, Chippenham were held back in the Southern League Premier Division but now lead the pack.

As a result, tomorrow's first-round encounter will be a difficult one to call as John Barton's side look to improve on a disappointing Trophy effort in the last campaign.

City were beaten 2-0 by Marine in the second stage of non-league's premier club competition and lost 'keeper Danny McDonnell to a red card.

They need a money-spinning Trophy run and are buoyed by 2-1 home wins over Altrincham and Stafford Rangers which extended their unbeaten efforts to five games.

Barton admitted: "People may talk about turning points but I think we've got to let it go a bit further yet before we can call it that.

"We haven't quite hit the level of football that we hit at the start of the season which I thought was excellent in some of the games.

"But we have shown all the more nasty and untidy things. We've been heavily committed, while the attitude and application has been spot on.

"When some of the other players return, the quality of football will improve accordingly.

"Games with Chippenham have always been pretty tight and they have a sprinkling of names you can recognise from previous encounters.

"I think you can disregard their current status as if you look at where they were a few months ago, it would have been an equal fixture."

The Stafford victory in the Carthium Cup on Monday was achieved with a string of young stars, including goal-scorer Liam McDonald, Shabir Khan and Tom Warmer.

Barton is staying tight-lipped over whether he recalls experience for the bigger stage in the form of centre-half Colin Hoyle and midfielders Pat Lyons and Paul Carty.

With striker Mark Owen out for around six weeks with cracked ribs after four goals in as many games, Leon Kelly and Adam Webster should resume their partnership up front.

Chippenham will call on ex-England Under 18s goalkeeper Chris Astley, a former Bristol Rovers youth teamer, as regular number one Mark Hervin is coaching in India for a brief spell.

Boss Steve White is particularly short of forwards as Martin Paul is struggling with a calf strain, leaving just James Constable and fireman Sam Allison to choose from.

White, the old Hereford United favourite, guided his men to an important 3-2 triumph at Kings Lynn last Saturday which left them a point ahead of Merthyr Tydfil in the table.