IT HAS been more than 30 years since Worcester City last defeated Football League opposition in the second round of the FA Cup.
On that occasion – December 11, 1982 – City got the better of Wrexham in a 2-1 victory at St George’s Lane in front of 5,000 fans.
Paul Moss scored both goals to go with the brace he bagged in the previous round’s 5-1 thrashing of Macclesfield.
The left winger, who netted 105 times in 213 appearances for Worcester, also got them off and running at Coventry City in the third round before the Sky Blues hit back to win 3-1.
Moss and the FA Cup went hand-in-hand, with the prolific marksman also scoring twice to defeat Aldershot in a first-round replay the following season and bagging two more in the 3-2 second-round loss at Maidstone.
Tomorrow, the City hero, now 57, will be a keen viewer as Carl Heeley’s current crop attempt to emulate the team of three decades ago and defeat Football League opponents to book a prized place in the third round.
He will also have an extra reason to chart the Blue and Whites’ progress given that the Birmingham-born player moved down to Worcester from Scunthorpe in 1982.
“I always watch for Worcester’s results,” said Moss, who now lives in Birmingham. “It was a great part of my career.
“I didn’t really know what to expect at Worcester because the professional game was very different.
“I can remember when the Lane was packed to the rafters and fans spilled on to the pitch in those cup games. They were great atmospheres.”
He continued: “I had a really good run in the FA Cup. I scored both goals against Wrexham and they were identical – free kicks to the right of the area into the near post and I glanced a header in. They fell for the same trick twice.
“Immediately after the Wrexham game I was whisked off to a BBC radio van and I remember talking to Des Lynam – I hadn’t even got changed. I scored against Coventry to go 1-0 up but they were in the top division then and it was a taller order to beat them. We lost 3-1.”
Moss, who also played for Hull City after starting off at Wolves, added: “They were great days. Before Worcester, I had some great times but I always remember that it seemed to mean much more to the fans at City. The FA Cup, especially for teams at City’s level, has still got some magic about it.”