LIAM Lockett has been terrorising Hellenic League Premier defences all season long for Worcester City and his hat-trick at the weekend highlighted how devastating he can be.

'Locko' bagged three inside 22 minutes in City's 4-1 win at Brimscombe & Thrupp on Saturday in which he gave the Brimmy right-back a torrid time. On each occasion, he ran at defenders and left them dazed before showing brilliant composure to fire home.

"Locko (Lockett) is fantastic and his second goal when he' drifted past a couple and you just sense that fans get off their seats when he has the ball ," said manager Chris Cornes.

The City winger now has 35 goals in all competitions and is one off leading marksman Jaydn Crosbie (Mangotsfield United).

Cornes knows that having his star players, like Lockett, on top form, is key to City going on to achieve a remarkable quadruple this season.

"He blows hot and old in games at times but he does have two or three players around him usually trying to defend him," added Cornes. "But when he gets one-on-on, he backs himself and that's what he has gone on and done.

"He scored three goals out of the top drawer and happy days for him. He could have had a couple more but it's a huge positive to have players like him playing as well as they are."

Lockett's treble was three more goals for City, making it 162 across all competitions in the 2023/24 campaign. At this rate, they could go on to notch 200, which would be a remarkable achievement.

But whilst they are clearly proving too hot to handle for most, Cornes remains slightly frustrated that his side do not score more and that was his message to his players following the 4-1 win on Saturday at Brimmy.

"We played really well in the first-half," he said. "But the weather played its part in the second and we struggled to get to grips with it.

"But it's a win. It could have been eight at half-time let alone the rest of the game and that's something I gave them a rollicking about at half-time and at the end of the game; we need to score more goals and that's a negative for me.

"It's alright winning but we should be scoring a lot more goals. But it's three points chalked off and ultimately another step towards what we are trying to achieve."

City head to third-placed Royal Wootton Bassett Town in the league on Tuesday night as they go in search of a 20th consecutive win in all competitions.

It starts a run of four games in eight days for Cornes' men but they know that 14 more points (five wins) from their last nine will be enough to claim the title.

After Tuesday, attentions will then turn to Saturday's Isuzu FA Vase semi-final first-leg with Great Wakering Rovers at Claines Lane.