Worcester City 3 Stamford 3

LEON Jackson added a bitter-sweet FA Cup memory to his collection after putting Worcester City 3-1 up and then being red carded for violent conduct.

Stamford then heaped further misery on the City ace when they snatched a stoppage time goal to leave this second qualifying round tie finely balanced at 3-3.

It was a harsh decision on Jackson, an honest player without a vicious streak in his body, but even with his dismissal in the 70th minute City should have won this contest more than comfortably.

The visitors, nicknamed the Daniels after Britain's biggest man Daniel Lambert, who weighed in at a whopping 52 stone, looked to have a fat chance of taking anything from the match when Pat Lyons and Darren Middleton put Worcester two up after 31 minutes.

The strikes were contrasting in nature but perfectly executed.

The first came through Lyons at the back post finishing off a David Holmes inspired move, neatly tapping in Middleton's cross from the left.

When Middleton then stamped his mark on the game with a stunning 25 yard shot to put City two ahead the clash was effectively over - or so it seemed.

But with manager John Barton's pre match warning to avoid any slip-ups still ringing fresh in their ears, the City defence conspired to tumble over every conceivable banana skin they could lay their hands or feet on.

Firstly in a moment of glaring misjudgement Paul Carty chose to head back to Danny McDonnell but his weak effort was intercepted by Malcolm Ndewke to peg a goal back.

Worse was to come though as failing to heed the lesson, City then tossed another goal away seconds after Jackson had put Worcester 3-1 ahead in first half injury time.

McDonnell managed to punch straight to Richard Bailey who dummied inside John Snape before unleashing a fierce drive to leave the score at 3-2.

Perhaps it had been too easy for City, minds already on a free week and the next round, but there had been warning signs in the first half that they couldn't let concentration levels slip.

Kevin Ainslie had bisected the back four, forcing Carl Heeley to make a last ditch tackle to deny Gareth Pritchard while Bailey had seen a header cleared off the line by Jon Holloway.

Momentum initially waned in the second half but a burst of Worcester pressure resulted in further chances for Holmes and Adam Webster, the former forcing a corner from his back post shot.

With 20 minutes remaining Jackson climbed innocuously to challenge for a ball with Danny Steadman. It looked nothing more than the normal rough and tumble of players leaping for a ball, but with the Stamford player crumpled in a heap, referee Glen Aston reached straight for his pocket and a red card and City were down to 10 men.

If Jackson felt the injustice of that incident, McDonnell, the bedrock of City's outstanding start to the season, was left to contemplate the fickle hand of fortune that for a goalkeeper is just a second away.

With the clock showing 92 minutes played, Stamford laid siege in the City half and for a minute the penalty area resembled a human pinball machine as the ball ricocheted around the box with Barton's team unable to clear.

The ball was eventually played across the six yard box where a looping header dropped for McDonnell to gather but under pressure the keeper saw the ball slip from his grasp, allowing Ndekwe to bundle home an equaliser.

It was a shattering blow but Barton's team should have the firepower to finish the tie at Stamford - banana skins not withstanding.

GOALSCORERS: Lyons 14 (1-0), Middleton 31 (2-0), Ndekwe 38 (2-1), Jackson 45 (3-1), Bailey 45 (3-2), Ndekwe 90 (3-3).

STAR PLAYER: Pat Lyons.

CARDS: Red; Worcester; Jackson (violent conduct). Yellow; Snape (foul); Stamford: Peaks (foul).

Attendance: 810.

Referee: Mr G. Aston (Kingswinford).

Worcester: McDonnell 5, Davies 6, Carty 7, Heeley 7, Holloway 6, Snape 7, Jackson 6, Lyons 8, Webster 7 (Owen 78), Middleton 7, Holmes 7. Subs not used: Smith, Jones, Willetts, Wyatt.

Stamford: Horrigan, Donald (Thompson 64), Peaks, Blowers, Rhule, Green, Bailey, Steadman, Ndekwe, Pritchard, Ainslie. Subs not used: Fisher, Yardy, Donaldson, Handley.