WORCESTER City manager Richard Dryden admitted to letting his players know exactly what he thought of their efforts in the 1-0 defeat against Welling United.

Lee Clarke’s 53rd-minute penalty condemned City to their 10th defeat of the season and kept them perched perilously above the relegation zone on goal difference.

However, the St George’s Lane outfit have now played at least one more game than their fellow strugglers after Weston-super-Mare’s match at Eastleigh was postponed.

Dryden felt his side had the beating of Welling in the first-half but struggled once they had fallen behind.

He said: “That’s the first time we have been beaten in five. I spat out a few dummies in the dressing room after the game because I am disappointed to lose.

“Until the goal went in, I don’t think we deserved to get nothing out of the game.

“I thought we looked like a side who should have been in front at half-time but goals change games and confidence and that certainly happended.

“It probably gave them an extra 10 per cent being 1-0 up and they relaxed more on the ball and we gave it away in good areas again.

“What I said after the game I have probably said 10 or 15 times this season, it’s like a broken record.”

Carter, judged to have fouled Loui Fazakerley for the spot-kick, thought the Welling player made the most of the challenge and Dryden thinks there could have been a case to answer.

He said: “I didn’t see the penalty, it was too far away from where I was with a lot of bodies in the way,” before adding: “Alfie said he didn’t touch him and that he went down pretty easily and, to be fair, their physio said the same. But, if you’re not tackling goal-side of the player, you are leaving yourself open to being punished and we were.”

The City manager was, however, pleased with the performance of debutant Danny Carey-Bertram.

“I thought he did OK,” Dryden said. “At one stage it looked like it was just going to peter out to a 0-0. We probably had the two best chances with Marco Adaggio in the first-half and Alfie Carter in the second.

“But Danny linked up well, got in good areas and he’s definitely going to be a major plus for us this month.”