WORCESTER City manager Richard Dryden believes his side should have taken all three points against Blyth Spartans.

The St George's Lane clash ended in a 2-2 draw after goals from young stars Matt Dinsmore and sub David Burtoft, 15 minutes into his debut, cancelled out first-half strikes from Blyth's Chris McCabe and Robert Dale.

But Dryden was confident his team would go on to win the game and claim a vital victory in the race for the Blue Square North play-offs.

He said: "I'm really disappointed we haven't got three points. I can't knock their effort or commitment because they have a right go and teams who don't have a right go don't come back from 2-0 down. You don't get given two goals when you're 2-0 down, you've got to work hard for it and we did but I'm disappointed we haven't gone on to get three.

"Even at 2-0 down I thought we'd win the game if we had stepped it up another five or 10 per cent, which we did in the second-half to be fair to the lads."

He added: "I think we have lost two games in two months which isn't bad. But the last two home games we have drawn two each. I think we have dropped four points in two games at home and that would have got us quite close to the play-offs. But we beat Southport away so it's all swings and roundabouts."

Dryden was also frustrated at the way City reverted to hitting long balls after they had clawed their way back working the flanks.

He said: "We got back to 2-1 by playing the ball to wide people and getting balls in the box and we got to two each doing that. When we got to two each we lost our width. Why stop doing the things that have got you success?

"That's a little bit disappointing for me because in the last 15 minutes I thought we were there to get three points and we stopped doing the things that got us our success."

Blyth's time-wasting antics and debatable penalty award in first-half stoppage-time further annoyed the City boss.

He said: "I'm not sure about the penalty. He (Bell) was going at Cameron at speed but I'm not sure if he took him but the referee was pretty positive about it. I don't think the keeper touched him to be honest but football is about opinions and it will give the fans something to talk about.

"Blyth came here and took an age to take goal kicks and throw-ins and had people going down for minutes on end. I'm disappointed we haven't won the game."

Teenager Dinsmore capped a man-of-the-match performance with his first league goal, while new signing Burtoft scored with one of his first touches in a City shirt six minutes later.

The Worcester boss said: "They are good players now, not just for the future, and we have got to look after these lads because they are good players, they are two massive plusses when you lose someone like Mark Danks."

Rapinder Gill also won praise from his manager for his performance out of position at left-back in place of suspended Kidderminster loanee Jonny Harkness.

"He did well," Dryden said. "He's there basically to defend and let the other ones go and play but he has done well."