Worcester City 2 Cambridge City 0

MARK Owen claimed his first league goal in more than a year to cap Worcester City's return to winning ways against a battling Cambridge City.

It was a timely boost for the forward who had managed just one goal in 10 previous starts as he sought to recapture the form that prior to his injury made him one of the deadliest strikers in non-league football.

Owen's joy at scoring was doubled by the fact that the 2-0 victory also returned John Barton's team to the top of the Dr Martens Premier Division as they exorcised the memory of disappointing defeats at Bath and Hucknall.

Leading score Darren Middleton had given City a strong foothold in the match after just 10 minutes -- calmly dispatching his ninth goal of the season when the Lilywhites failed to clear a David Holmes pass.

Where Barton's team were forced to bemoan their luck in last weekend's FA Cup exit at Hucknall, this time round the Lilywhites had to endure a torrid time in front of goal -- Colin Vowden and Adam Wilde both scooping shots over in the early exchanges when well placed to equalise.

Football however is blindingly simple -- take your chances and you win -- a point skipper Carl Heeley was quick to make.

"It's about scoring not missing and we had as many chances as they did in the first half," he said.

"We're down to the bare bones but I thought we were the better side though in the second half we dropped off the pace a little bit and allowed them to clip balls in behind us."

A big plus factor for Barton must have been the display of Dan Jones, who from the moment he swept a perfectly executed 40-yard pass to Allan Davies in the first minute looked comfortable and at home in the City backline.

Strong in the air, accomplished on the ball, he looked every inch a strong prospect and a vital one with City's current injury crisis.

Heeley paid tribute to both Jones and Owen while also acknowledging the importance of the victory.

"Dan did ever so well, he's been patient, waiting for his chance and it's come along and he's grasped it with both hands, all credit to him," he said.

"It's also important that Mark starts banging in the goals because we have had a problem hitting the net. He's improving slowly and this goal will do him the world of good.

"We've had two defeats so it was important to nip that in the bud and we've also not conceded. It was great to keep a clean sheet and these are the sort of games we must win because they were not a bad outfit with a lot of experienced players."

The match was largely a game of two halves for City who were bright and inventive for the first 45 minutes with the ever-consistent John Snape and the impressive Pat Lyons directing operations.

Adam Webster and Owen were willing runners but the Middleton goal apart were always a scuffed shot or boot width away from seriously testing Martin Davies.

Cambridge missed their best chance when defender Vowden somehow looped a shot over the bar.

In the second half City's tempo faded and as the visitors made inroads Danny McDonnell was forced to save well from Scott Houghton.

A Rob Nightingale volley that whistled inches over the bar issued a reminder that Worcester needed a second goal to wrap up three points.

On 81 minutes City obliged courtesy of the excellent Lyons who launched a perfectly-weighted pass to find Owen.

Using Middleton as a decoy, Owen cut in and from an angle just inside the box fired in a low drive that clipped defender Che Wilson and flew into the net past a helpless Davies.

Huge cheers greeted the goal, as much for Owen after his courageous fightback to fitness as for the fact it sealed the points but Owen's gain could yet be City's if he can find the net with the frequency of old.