CRAIG Wilding was on the scoresheet again as Worcester City progressed to the FA Trophy first round proper.

Wilding pounced with 13 minutes remaining at a saturated St George’s Lane to smash the ball into an unguarded net after Marco Adaggio’s shot had come back off the post.

His goal came 21 minutes after Matt Birley had brought City level just 60 seconds after Adrian Sear’s shock opener.

It was Wilding’s sixth strike of the campaign, and second in a week, having only managed seven in the whole of last season.

Named player-of-the-month for October, the club’s top-scorer is fast discovering a new lease of life in midfield and justifying manager Richard Dryden’s decision to free him from the forward line.

His latest effort proved enough to see off the challenge of Burnham and ensure City banked a crucial £4,000 in prize money.

However, it was not a walk in the park for Worcester against a team two divisions below them and they had to battle in atrocious conditions.

The rain swept across the pitch throughout and was a contributing factor in a season-low crowd of just 377, most of whom were huddled under whatever cover they could find.

Burnham arrived at the Lane having only conceded seven times in the Zamaretto League Division One Midlands this season and they weren’t about to make life easy for the hosts.

Jamie Jarvis’ team stuck men behind the ball, invited City to call the shots and then looked to hit them on the break.

As such, it was a test of Worcester’s patience, not to mention guile, as they chiseled away at their opponents in search of a breakthrough.

But it was Burnham who almost sprung a surprise with just 16 seconds on the clock as Ryan Bird broke free and forced Jake Meredith into a save.

City, however, had the better chances in the first period with the best falling to Adaggio in the 24th minute. Birley’s perfectly weighted pass split the defence, Adaggio sprinted into the area but the striker was thwarted by keeper Paul McCarthy.

Opposite number Meredith was then called into action to prevent a freak goal, getting back in the nick of time to gather the ball after Wayne Daniel’s clearance had ricocheted off Bird.

But if Meredith’s luck was in, Adaggio’s was certainly out moments before half-time.

At the heart of many of his side’s attacks, the striker again found himself well-placed in the area but, after McCarthy had parried Matt Dinsmore’s shot into his path, he slipped at the crucial moment.

City kept up the pressure at the start of the second-half but fell behind amid some static defending in the 55th minute.

Stuart Swift whipped in an inviting free-kick from the right and Sear, unmarked, powered a header past Meredith.

Cue jubilation from the visitors as Sear was mobbed by his team-mates.

But their joy was short-lived as, barely a minute later, the ball fell to Birley on the edge of the area and he struck it beyond McCarthy into the bottom corner.

Having finally got the goal their play deserved, Dryden’s men went for the kill and Dinsmore sent a volley inches wide of the far post.

Burnham, though, were not finished. Oli Godwin forced Meredith into a save and the keeper then excelled himself with a fine block from Dean Papali after Kevin Spencer’s error.

A trip to Buckinghamshire for a replay was not particularly appealing and that scenario was eliminated with the 77th minute winner. Daniel’s cross was turned onto the post by Adaggio and Wilding arrived to fire City into the next round.