Worcester City look to iron out the negatives as they head to Leamington for final friendly

The Blue and Whites head to Leamington tomorrow (3pm) for their final friendly before the season opener against Harrogate Town next Saturday.

Heeley said his side’s “exceptional” first-half display against Romulus on Wednesday was among plenty of positives during their pre-season campaign.

But, having almost let a four-goal lead slip at the Victoria Ground as they held on for a 4-3 win, he admitted there were flaws his players needed to address.

“There are a lot of positives and negatives, so it’s about trying to iron out those negatives,” he said.

“In the first half (against Romulus) we had a lot of energy but once we made some changes we lost our impetus.

“When we lost a couple of defenders (through injury), the back four were playing out of position.

“We were way off it in the second half but have learnt something and will correct it.”

Defenders Kieran Morris and Tyler Weir both suffered injuries against Romulus and are expected to miss City’s trip to the Southern League Premier Division outfit.

Heeley said he was disappointed with the way his team reacted when City started to empty their bench in midweek.

“If you look at the two halves, they were totally contrasting and it is no coincidence it happened when we made five or six changes, so there is a lesson to be learnt there,” he said.

“We were exceptional (in the first half). We had great energy, looked a major threat and took all of our goals well.

“Then we got sloppy and the changes had an effect on the game but we are going to have to make changes in the season and that can’t happen to us again.”

Keeper Nick Draper, who had to make a series of late saves to secure City’s victory over Romulus, says their second half slump has given the team a “wake-up call”.

“I think we switched off and that sometimes happens when you are 4-0 up,” he said.

“But it’s almost a good thing it happened now so we can get it right before we start the season.”