Saturday, March 27, 2004

A SET of stud marks is the customary calling card of a defender but Allan Davies left an altogether more memorable imprint on Saturday with a stunning goal.

His 20-yard pile-driver sparked City's sixth successive home win at St George's Lane against Welsh outfit Merthyr Tydfil.

Adam Webster wrapped up the points with his fifth goal in five games, 15 minutes from time.

In a pulsating climax to the contest, man-of-the-match Carl Heeley put a rare foot wrong to concede a penalty but Danny McDonnell pulled off another memorable spot-kick stop to deny Craig Steins.

If Messrs Adam Wilde, Jai Stanley and Pat Lyons represent the footballing brain of City's team, it's heartbeat is provided by the likes of Davies, Heeley and John Snape.

Davies endured an indifferent start to the season but the full back's return to form epitomises the spirit of Barton's side.

The 31-year-old, who demonstrated his versatility by switching to left back on 57 minutes to cover for the injured Shabir Khan, was duly modest about his second goal of the season but more pleased with the overall team display.

"It's always nice to score but the main thing was that the team performance was good," he said

"They pushed us all the way but we showed grit and determination. If we stay in the game, we've always got players that can score goals. I don't think we were doing that earlier in the season when we were gifting goals, chasing the game and leaving ourselves exposed.

"The mentality now is that as long as we stay in the game, whether it's the 80th or 85th minutes, you can see with the pace we've got up front, we always look like scoring."

City have now recorded eight wins from their last 12 Dr Martens Premier Division clashes, and this latest against a lively and awkward Martyrs side, ranked among the best.

On a bouncy, bobbly pitch, that, at times, rendered the game more pinball than football, City claimed victory through a combination of team performance, embroidered with flashes of quality.

The in-form Martyrs, breathing Welsh fire after toppling leaders Crawley Town in midweek, asked no quarter, and gave none, as young Khan's nasty head wound testified following a 'collision' with Cortez Belle. The bean-pole striker was a handful in the air but Heeley in particular rose to the challenge.

The game was finely poised throughout with the increasingly influential Lyons sparking City's best moves but the Martyrs spurned the chance of first blood on 18 minutes when Danny Carter's sortie into the box set up Steins but his angled shot from eight yards was blocked by the advancing McDonnell.

As City found earlier in the season, missing gilt-edged chances often returns to haunt you, and two minutes later Davies assumed the role of tormentor when he unleashed an unstoppable shot to break the deadlock.

A slide-rule Lyon pass should have created a second goal but an unmarked Wilde, speeding in from the left, side-footed across and wide of Neil Thomas's goal.

Despite the lead Worcester required vigilance, not least when Belle robbed Khan on 53 minutes but the striker fired over.

For all the Martyrs' menace though, City had the better openings. Wilde's 30-yard free kick was tipped round the post by Thomas who also saved sharply from Stanley after his initial set-piece had been charged down.

City though needed a second goal for security and it duly came via a goalkeeping gaffe.

Thomas's fine reaction save to keep out a Leon Kelly snapshot ended in farce when he teetered over, spilling the ball in the process and enabling a grateful Webster to prod the ball in from a yard out.

Merthyr were handed a lifeline with four minutes to go, immediately after a rampaging Kelly run and shot, when the excellent Heeley for once mis-timed a tackle.

Substitute Garry Shepard went tumbling but, for the second consecutive home match, McDonnell saved a spok-kick, diving brilliantly to his left to thwart Steins.