Salford City 3 Worcester City 0

FROM the moment Worcester City’s team coach was brought to a standstill on the M6, it was clear it was not going to be their day.

After setting off from Bromsgrove at 9.45am, it took City more than five hours to get to Moor Lane, forcing the kick-off to be delayed by 45 minutes.

And, to top it off, their return journey probably felt even longer as they mulled over a disappointing 3-0 defeat to big-spending Salford City.

Both sides had chances, but Salford were more ruthless as an early Nick Haughton strike was followed by goals from Mike Phenix and Scott Burton.

The result was also another reminder of where 13th placed City sit in the Vanarama National League North pecking order.

In the nine matches against teams in the top half, Carl Heeley’s men have picked up four points, including a 2-0 win at Brackley in September.

But when considering Salford’s financial clout thanks to a billionaire businessman and five former Manchester United players, it is perhaps no surprise cash-strapped City came away empty-handed.

With the odds stacked against them, Heeley and his players would have been hoping for a smooth trip to Greater Manchester.

But it was anything but as heavy traffic meant most of the team did not arrive at the ground until 3.10pm, leaving them just 35 minutes to prepare.

And matters got worse just 11 minutes into the game when Salford opened the scoring.

After Ebby Nelson-Addy mis-controlled Junior English’s pass in midfield, Jordan Hulme broke forward and found Haughton, whose shot proved too good for goalkeeper Ethan Ross.

Although Ross produced a fine save to divert Simon Grand’s cross over the bar shortly after the first goal, City played some decent football in the opening stages.

Lee Hughes came within a whisker of getting his side back on level terms when he produced a wonderful turn in the box before hitting the far post with a placed effort.

Tyler Weir, who was getting forward regularly from left-back, also found himself in a great position after being put through, but Jay Lynch stood firm.

Ross made an even better save just before the break when he got a hand to Richie Allen’s thumping shot which looked destined for the top corner.

But not for the first time this season, City conceded from a corner as Phenix headed home Sam Walker’s delivery.

The visitors also lost centre-back Sam Oji through injury, but they still created a golden opportunity after the break.

Cieron Keane played a neat one-two with Hughes, but the left-midfielder’s shot was comfortably smothered by Lynch.

Moments later, Salford landed another blow as Burton’s 25-yard strike flew past Ross after taking a huge deflection.

City kept plugging away, but with Junior English and Ebby Nelson-Addy failing to stamp their authority in midfield, the away side looked in control.

To add to Worcester’s woes, Hughes was shown a yellow card in bizarre circumstances after walking off the field before referee Kevin Mulraine was aware City were making a substitution.

It capped off a frustrating day for the Blue and Whites who will hope for much better days on the road.