SUBSTITUTE Lee Hughes lashed in the extra-time winner that saw Worcester City progress 4-3 despite trailing twice at Boldmere St Michaels.

Curvin Ellis got the final touch having made a nuisance of himself at a 13th minute corner for the Mikes, getting a decisive deflection on Nicky Dodd’s on-target header.

City’s afternoon got worse when captain Brad Birch was forced off through injury midway through the first half but the visitors gradually grew into the game and levelled four minutes before the interval.

Mark Danks picked up the ball in a deep position and released Dave Reynolds down the left of the box to roll under the advancing Lewis Feeney.

Worcester led for the first time seven minutes after the restart when Jamie Smith lofted in for Reynolds to have two shots blocked and while Danks suffered a similar fate first time around, his precisely-weighted follow up dropped under the bar and beyond Feeney’s despairing dive.

Danks should have made it 3-1 seconds later but had his six-yard effort was bravely charged down by Harry Craven after a cheeky back heel by Josh Sarmento had opened up the space.

Worcester kept flooding forward and Reynolds then flashed across goal before the tide began to turn.

Dodd had two far-post efforts scrambled away as home substitute Kieren Westwood wreaked havoc down the left but the inevitable equaliser finally came two minutes from the end of normal time through the same combination.

And extra-time was only 34 seconds old when the hosts moved back in front. Cameron Gayle was fouled on the left and the quick, high free-kick that followed was turned in by Joe Smith after his first attempt had hit both posts.

City were all over the place in the aftermath with Dodd crashing a fierce drive against the crossbar five minutes into the additional 30.

Having gathered their composure, Worcester got back on level terms once more when Alexandru Albert’s high ball was flicked on by a Boldmere defender under pressure from Danks and Reynolds was on hand to lash low across Feeney.

Jack Skinner wasted two good openings to nudge Boldmere back in front only for Hughes to step up 11 minutes from the end.

The ex-West Bromwich Albion hitman rolled back the years, thumping in a close-range header from Kyonn Evans’s centre and the Mikes were unable to find a response late on.

BOLDMERE: Feeney, Gayle, Abraham (Westwood, 66), Shaw (Holmes, 75), Craven, Milligan, Dodd, Ellis (Joe Smith, 63), Lyng, Nesbitt, Skinner.

Unused subs: Wagstaff, Morris.

CITY: Gwynne, Chiwara (Evans, 75), Griffiths, Albert, M Smith, Hayward, Sarmento (Hughes, 58), Birch (Birley, 23), Danks, Reynolds, Jamie Smith.

Unused subs: Baldwin, Dayus (g/k).