WORCESTER climbed to the brink of the Northern Premier League Midlands play-off places with a hard-fought win at fellow promotion hopefuls Long Eaton.

The Leicestershire side went into the game boosted by a seven-match unbeaten run but second half goals from Liam Lockett and Felix Miles ensured the points headed back to Worcestershire.

Chances were at a premium in the first half although the lively Lockett forced home keeper Lewis King into two decent saves, the first low down to his right on 20 minutes and then to push a curling effort over the bar on the half-hour.

The hosts saw plenty of the ball but the closest they went was a James Taylor header which flew over the target.

It all changed at the start of the second period as City came out with all guns blazing. Within a minute of the restart, Zac Guinan had sent Miles in on goal only for the Blues keeper to rush from his line to deny him.

Penalty appeals were waved away when Guinan appeared to be hauled down inside the area soon after before the visitors bagged the opening goal on 54 minutes. King darted from his goal to clear but the ball fell to Lockett out wide and the midfielder lofted it back into the empty net from 30 yards.

The celebrations were cut short though with Long Eaton back on level terms two minutes later when a low cross into the box from Owen Betts picked out James Shaw to slot home.

There was no shortage of chances now, the majority of them falling to the visitors. Just after the hour both Miles and Kyle Belmonte were denied by the crossbar and then, moments later, King did well to thwart Taylor Townsend after he nipped on to a through ball.

Twenty minutes into the half Guinan put a header wide before King was called on again, this time to turn a Lockett drive behind for a corner.

The winning goal came on 74 minutes when Miles skipped past a defender before calmly placing the ball beyond the Blues keeper.

Key midfielder Jordan Lymn was forced off with an injury and the final stages were punctuated with a series of fouls and subsequent yellow cards, four of them coming as tempers boiled over in added time following a reckless challenge on Belmonte. 

Long Eaton United 1, Worcester City 2