Saturday, September 6, 2003

THE points keep piling up for top-of-the-table City but pretty to watch they're not.

Substitute Stewart Hadley's late strike masked a less than glittering display but if the manner of their play is less than pleasing on the eye there's no arguing with the results.

Relying on Leon Kelly and Mark Owen to batter the opposition into submission John Barton's side sacrificed style to launch missile after missile for the strikers to hunt down behind the Dorchester lines.

It was effective for 20 minutes during an initial onslaught that should have brought a goal but with Kelly unable to come up trumps and Adam Webster missing two gilt-edged chances, City needed super sub Hadley to rescue three points in the dying minutes.

"Dorchester looked a bit shaky early on and we needed a goal desperately," said Hadley. "But after that initial spell it looked 0-0 all day. It's important not to concede a goal and if it's going to be a draw it's going to a draw but luckily we got a late winner.

"It's not been the prettiest football the last few games but sometimes you play badly and win, other times you can play brilliantly and end up losing."

In between City's opening gambit and Hadley's goal it was undoubtedly dire stuff from the home side. Confidence appears in short supply, despite topping the Dr Martens Premier Division, and until Magpies keeper Mark Ormerod flapped at an Adam Wilde corner, enabling Hadley to head in from six yards, the match was heading for a stalemate.

It was a scrappy goal but for Hadley a timely reminder that he's not just on the bench to keep it warm. He can offer a viable alternative up front.

While Owen and Kelly are peas in a pod, Hadley possesses vision and touch that would be a useful foil to combine with Kelly's raw power.

On a day when City legends from the past were honoured, including all-time favourite Harry Knowles, it was the hero of the new generation, Kelly, that provided the biggest threat, particularly early on.

There's nothing subtle about Kelly, nor was there about the diet of long balls he was fed, but he galloped after each one as if his life depended on it and unhinged a nervous looking Magpies defence.

One surging run was brutally checked by Alex Browne to earn the visitors' captain a yellow card.

Kelly's efforts spurred on his team-mates but despite two Webster headers whistling narrowly wide and over respectively in the 12th and 17th minutes the game remained deadlocked. Allan Davies flashed in successive shots from a short corner while Wilde tried his luck from a free kick sending Ormerod tumbling low to his left to spill the awkward shot round the post.

Wilde went even closer in the 20th minute with an opportunistic lob just kept out by the Dorchester keeper.

But once the early bombardment faltered City's reluctance to build possession ended up hurting them more than Dorchester with Browne and Co mopping up the tirade of long balls and enjoying more possession.

Worcester's defence was largely untroubled though as the half wore on, the nimble Matt Tubbs exploited a few chinks in the armour to fire off a few shells at Danny McDonnell.

On the stroke of half time, City's defence went to sleep and Justin Keeler lifted a shot onto the bar with McDonnell stranded. It was a warning Barton's team failed to heed when moments later Tubbs glanced just over.

The second half was largely forgettable, bar a couple of optimistic penalty appeals and an out-of-the-box experience by Ormerod which presented Wilde with a fleeting chance he was unable to capitalise on.

With the direct approach floundering City introduced Hadley and David Foy but to no great effect with still too much reliance on hoofing it forward quickly for Kelly.

As the game moved into its final quarter Davies reacted sharply to stifle Tubbs who then went even closer in the 86th minute, heading over unmarked.

Two minutes later thanks to Hadley the frustration of watching aimless long balls was forgotten amid jubilant scenes.