Monday, December 27, 1999

THE Worcester City bandwagon just keeps rolling on!

The 4-0 trouncing of Gloucester City at St George's Lane was their fifth victory in a row and their third on the trot in the league.

Worcester have now climbed a further place to 17th in the Dr Martens League Premier Division.

It has to be said that injury-hit Gloucester looked a poor side, but John Barton's men did a comprehensive demolition job.

The City boss said afterwards: "We played well today. OK, Gloucester have got their problems, but some of the stuff we have played and our appetite and zest for the game was superb.

"We asked for a high tempo to the game -- I thought we needed that to help us win the match, and we did."

Midfielder Andy Ellis added: "We have put a little bit of a run together now. I think we expected to win today, but we acquitted ourselves quite well.

"After the first-half it was all over. To get that second goal just before half-time was a real fillip for us."

The change to a 4-4-2 system seems to have brought the best out of certain players who had disappointed earlier in the season under Graham Allner's 4-3-3, most notably Ellis who is a much better player with someone like Ian Cottrill foraging alongside him.

Such was their early dominance, in front of their biggest crowd of the season, that it would have not have flattered City if they were four or five goals up in the first 25 minutes.

Cottrill headed home Mark Owen's pinpoint cross for his first goal of the season on 11 minutes, and Worcester forced Gloucester goalkeeper Ryan Gannaway to make several fine saves, while Owen hit the post and Cottrill had a shot cleared off the line.

But failure to convert their chances always kept City on edge, especially as the visitors had their one good spell during the game just before the break.

But in the dying seconds of the half, Worcester finally gained some breathing space when Cottrill crossed for Owen to score with a header.

Seven minutes into the second-half, the points were sealed when Bradley Sandeman released Keith Knight down the right, and his low cross was swept home by Steve Lutz.

On 59 minutes Knight, having his best game for City against his former club, released Owen, to slot home his 15th goal of the season.

Worcester: Watson 7, Sandeman 8, Willetts 7, Tucker 8, Weir 8, Ellis 8, Deakin 7, Cottrill 8 (Heeley 64, 7), Owen 8 (Bowen 72), Lutz 9, Knight 8 (Purdie 80).

Star man: Steve Lutz.

Attendance: 1,609.