Saturday, October 13, 2001

WORCESTER City's 3-2 victory over St Blazey in the third qualifying round of the FA Cup was marred by serious injury to leading goalscorer Mark Owen and the dismissal of Allan Davies.

Owen was stretchered off after 10 minutes following a freak accident in which he sustained a broken tibia and fibula as he was struck by a clearance.

Substitute Mark Shepherd with two and Phil Stant scored the decisive goals for City, but after the match assistant boss, Mick Tuohy, described Owen's loss as a "massive blow."

"It was a freak accident, I think he was attempting to keep clear of the ball which hit him in the face, he fell awkwardly and his ankle was at right angles when he was stretchered off," said Tuohy.

"He was in severe pain and it is a massive, massive blow and it is of great concern for us.

"The biggest problem we've got now is that Mark Shepherd has got a three-match suspension coming up and that on top of Mark's injury will give us a major headache."

The tie started scrappily with neither side able to stamp their authority on the match but City broke the deadlock after 20 minutes when veteran forward Phil Stant grabbed a goal out of nowhere.

He latched on to a hopeful punt forward by Marc Burrow and as Stant wrestled with the Saints defence he managed to hook the ball past the advancing goalkeeper Stephen Taylor.

The reigning South Western League champions, undefeated this season, spurned a glorious chance to equalise on 34 minutes when Glynn Hooper headed a Dave Jones cross straight at Paul Wyatt.

Shepherd doubled City's lead four minutes into the second half when he finished off a neat move involving Stant and Darren Middleton who crossed for the substitute to score from six yards.

Two minutes later Worcester added a third and decisive goal when Middleton raced onto a Jon Holloway ball, lifted it over the goalkeeper for the lurking Shepherd to rifle the ball high into the net.

City's celebrations came to an abrupt halt when Davies was shown a straight red card for apparent remarks made to the referee.

Penalty

St Blazey continued to show glimpses of form and pulled a goal back through Steve Daly from the penalty spot after a trip on 76 minutes.

Three minutes later Dominic Richardson was left unmarked at the back and he shot low through Wyatt's legs to provide a nervous final 11 minutes for ten-man Worcester.

After the match two-goal striker, Shepherd, admitted it had been a hard match especially after Davies' sending off.

"It was backs against the wall with 10 men but we battled on and got the result," he said.

"The game started scrappily but Phil got the goal and then my two after the break killed the game off," said the former Moor Green striker.

"Although they had a lot of pressure and chances so did we on the break and it was one of those games where you had to take your chances and thankfully they didn't take theirs."

GOALSCORERS: Stant 20 (0-1), Shepherd 49 (0-2), Shepherd 51 (0-3), Daly pen. 76 (1-3), Richardson 79 (2-3).

STAR PLAYER: Phil Stant.

CARDS: Worcester; red -- Davies (abusive language. Yellow -- Ellis (dissent), Cottrill (foul).

Attendance: 596.

Referee: Mr R. Lark (Barnstaple)

St Blazey: Taylor, Gosling, Parsons (Pugh 88), Adrian Street, Burton, Jones (McKune 90), Band, Harrington (Sullivan 75), Hooper, Richardson, Daly. Subs not used: Andrew Street, Smith.

Worcester: Wyatt 6, Davies 4, Burrow 6, Heeley 6, Weir 6, Holloway 7, Middleton 7, Ellis 6, Owen (Shepherd 10, 7), Stant 8 (McFarlane 87), Cottrill 6 (Jukes 73, 6). Subs not used: McDonnell, Reed.