YOUNG midfielder Reece Day came off the bench to score the winner as Worcester City survived a real scare from Cinderford Town in the first-round of the Marsh Challenge Cup.

Goals from Jamie Insall and Liam Lockett had put a dominant City side 2-0 up in the 56th minute of the game, but two goals in two minutes from Jack Fox pulled the visitors level totally against the run of play.

Kyle Belmonte converted a penalty to make it 3-2 just three minutes after they had thrown their lead away before City's stand-in keeper Joe Stockton wiped out Cinderford's Craig Norman to hand the away side a penalty of their own.

Fox obliged from 12-yards with the fourth goal in a hectic 13-minute period to make it 3-3 before Day stabbed home Elliot Hartley's square ball two minutes from time to put City into the second round.

Having dropped points for the first time in 11 league matches on Saturday, City looked keen to bounce straight back on Tuesday evening, playing with purpose from kick-off.

Youngsters James Batchelor and goalkeeper Joe Stockton were given rare starts, but it was an otherwise strong 11 from City boss Chris Cornes, who would have enjoyed what he saw for 60 minutes.

They were dominant and playing some lovely football and the likes of Batchelor and the returning Kyle Belmonte were both denied by an inspired Cinderford keeper, James Smallcombe.

But he could do little about the opener as striker Insall fired low into the far corner to break Cinderford's resistance four minutes before the break.

City picked up where they left off in the first-half as they hunted a second, which arrived 11 minutes into the second period. Lockett moved the ball from his left to right foot inside the Cinderford box before calmly tucking the ball past Smallcombe.

Most in the ground would have assumed that would be that in terms of a result, but it actually signified the beginning of a crazy 13-minute spell.

Jack Fox managed to squeeze through the middle of City's defence before slotting past Stockton and then a mistake from Calvin Dinsley in his own half enabled Fox to pinch the ball and find the equaliser less than 60 seconds later.

City went up the other end and won a penalty three minutes later which Belmonte converted, before Stockton wiped out Cinderford's Craig Norman in the home box to give Fox the opportunity to complete his hat-trick and make it 3-3 with 17 minutes to play.

City captain Adam Mace was sent to the sin bin and Craig Norman had two glorious chances to give Cinderford the lead, but it would be the home side who pinched the win as substitute Day latched onto Hartley's square ball in the box.