WORCESTER City brought a smile back to the faces of their fans as they completed the double over St Albans.

Following yet another week when the off-field saga has shown little sign of going away, Richard Dryden’s side started December afresh with a much-needed first victory in four games.

Matt Dinsmore’s fine breakaway finish and captain Craig Wilding’s deflected strike within seven second-half minutes of each other earned City another success away from St George’s Lane.

The visitors had chances to add to their tally, while keeper Danny McDonnell produced two outstanding saves to ensure Worcester’s fifth clean sheet of the campaign — and second against the Saints.

Few would have predicted such an outcome at half-time following a first-half that was so poor you would not have blamed supporters had they demanded a refund.

Both teams were devoid of quality and chances were sparse, to the extent City manager Dryden threw his notepad to the floor in a seldom seen show of exasperation.

Yet City were a transformed outfit after the break and played more like the side that left both Hampton and Richmond and Havant and Waterlooville with three points.

It’s no coincidence either that Dinsmore has started and scored in two of those matches — at Hampton and again at Clarence Park — as Dryden opted for a three-pronged attack in a 3-4-3 system.

Employing Dinsmore, who replaced Michael McGrath in the only change from the Chelmsford defeat, alongside Wilding and Marco Adaggio worked then and it succeeded in Hertfordshire.

The diminutive striker’s goal 10 minutes into the second-half was an example of his raw pace and cool ability to finish under pressure.

However, the chance came out of nothing but it was the catalyst to drag the match out of its slumber.

Gary Walker cleared his lines from a St Albans free-kick by simply lashing the ball down field.

With the majority of players still in the other half, the ball landed in Dinsmore’s path and he outsprinted his marker before sliding the ball past rapidly back-tracking keeper Paul Bastock.

The bit between their teeth, City might have doubled their lead four minutes later but for the efforts of Bastock. Adaggio had a strike blocked by the on-rushing keeper and he managed to readjust to stick out an arm to deny Wilding’s follow-up.

But the travelling support didn’t have to wait long for the second goal, which arrived in the 62nd-minute. Wilding took aim around 20 yards out and his fierce drive ricocheted off a defender and dipped wickedly over Bastock.

Having not seriously threatened the St Albans goal for the entire first-half, City were now in full flow and wanted a third.

But the hosts, anonymous for large parts of the second period, managed to punctuate their lacklustre effort with two serious chances.

Former Worcester defender Jon Munday, on as a substitute, forced McDonnell to tip his effort past the post. But McDonnell saved his best until 13 minutes from time when he showed superb agility to get down low to push away James Quilter’s snap shot.

City continued to push for a third but the closest they came was Adaggio’s looping header over.