WORCESTER Saints were leading Wolverhampton Wizzards 15-7 with only one minute of normal time remaining but managed to lose their TotalRL.com Rugby League Conference match 17-15 at Finstall Park, Bromsgrove.

When Craig Tildersley scored in the right hand corner it appeared to be little more than consolation for the hard working Wizzards side.

The try was unconverted and when Andy Jenkinson scored for the Saints straight from the restart the points seemed to be comfortably in Worcester's possession.

But the referee ruled the pass from Martin Roadknight was forward.

From the resulting scrum, the Wolverhampton Wizzards gambled by kicking ahead and the wicked bounce of the ball beat Richard Whitehouse and the flying Gary Morgan ran 50 metres to score under the post.

It only remained for Lee Mannifield to convert an easy kick for Wolverhampton to gain their first win of the season.

Wayne Illidge had given the visitors a third minute lead, scoring an unconverted try. Worcester then replied with Jenkinson scoring and Whitehouse adding the extra points.

Roadknight further increased the lead with a drop goal for the Saints.

Soon after Morgan kept Wolverhampton in the hunt with a drop goal for Wizzards.

Then a penalty, converted by Mannifield, brought the scores level with just seven minutes of the half remaining.

Kenny Hadley scored just on half-time to give the Saints an 11-7 interval lead.

A try in the opening minutes of the second-half from Paul Barnett appeared to give the game to Worcester, and Wolverhampton were further hampered when Phil Coulby was stretched off the field with a rib injury.

But Wolverhampton never gave up and Worcester were forced to defend for long periods of the second-half.

A Whitehouse try was disallowed and Martin Wiltshire and Brett Toole almost created the opening that would have sealed the game for Worcester.

In a game which boiled over at times, Jenkinson and Mannifield were sin-binned and to compound Worcester's misery Barnett was sent off in the final minute.

Saints' squad was: Whitehouse, S. Roadknight, Barnett, Wiltshire, Hadley, Jammal, Jenkinson, Barnett, M. Roadknight, Toole, Mounter, Laishley, Jenkinson, Jesson, Gulliver, Bryant, Samra, Jenkinson, Hadley.