WORCESTER City slumped to their fifth successive defeat as a solitary strike from Vauxhall Motors midfielder Karl Clair was enough to give the hosts all three points at Rivacre Park.

While Worcester enjoyed plenty of possession, they rarely threatened in front of goal and looked like a side who were low on confidence and lacking ideas.

Motors had the better of the early chances and nearly went ahead after just five minutes when new signing Karl Noon burst clear of the static Worcester defence.

But City keeper Glyn Thompson was quick off his line and did well to smother Noon’s effort to safety.

On 15 minutes, lively Motors winger Craig Mahon picked the ball up in his own half and went on a mazy run to the 18-yard box before unleashing a fine strike which flashed inches wide of Thompson’s left-hand post.

With 22 minutes on the clock, a fully committed challenge between Ellis Deeney and Steve Wainwright resulted in both players requiring treatment and both had to be substituted.

Deeney had looked lively in the opening stages of the game and had to leave by ambulance with a suspected broken leg.

Worcester reshuffled and brought on Lee Ayres at centre-half and Shabir Khan switched to left-back.

The first decent chance for City fell to Tom Thorley on 29 minutes but his 20-yard effort was easily saved by Motors keeper Zac Jones.

For the remainder of the first-half, Worcester applied a bit of pressure in search of the opening goal.

While Danny Glover did well to hold the ball up in the final third, the movement and link-up play was poor from his team-mates.

The only goal of the game came after 55 minutes when Clair picked the ball up from 20 yards out and his right-footed effort took a wicked deflection off Ashley Sammons and looped over the helpless Thompson.

Worcester finally woke up and started to create chances in search of an equaliser.

On 61 minutes, Glover fired a 20-yard free-kick well over the crossbar then, five minutes later, Michael Taylor swivelled in the area but his left-footed effort was straight at Jones.

Manager Carl Heeley brought on Greg Mills for the ineffective Taylor on 69 minutes which livened up the Worcester forward line.

But they could still not find a way past a stubborn Motors defence which was well marshalled by captain Tom Hannigan.

Mills chipped the ball into a dangerous area on 83 minutes but there was no one on the end of it.

Three minutes later, the Worcester substitute pulled the trigger from 18 yards out but his shot was straight at Jones.

In the closing stages, Worcester desperately piled on the pressure but this was easily soaked up by the home defence.

Worcester have now dropped to 12th in the Blue Square Bet North table and, more worryingly, they have failed to score in their last three matches.