FOUR goals in a madcap seven minutes and a third red card in as many matches conspired to give Worcester City a huge scare in the FA Vase.

City took a 2-0 lead through Dave Reynolds in the 40th minute yet got pegged back to 2-2 only to edge ahead before the interval.

It seemed all over when Reynolds notched his second to restore the two-goal advantage but Brad Birch was sent off for an alleged elbow two minutes later.

Sherwood hotshot Liam Theakstone halved the deficit with 25 minutes to go and then hit the post but there was no sizeable flurry at the end as Worcester won 4-3 for the second FA Vase round in a row.

The hosts started brightly and Lee Hughes opened the scoring with a swirling finish inside the far post from Mat Birley’s cross in the 12th minute.

Hughes hit the post and Reynolds was pushed over in the box but soon scored himself, stretching to nudge a low reverse pass from George Forsyth past Liam Kerry.

City seemed to be in cruise control but within a minute, Theakstone burst in behind and hesitant keeper Matt Gwynne clattered into him. Ewan Robson slammed home from 12 yards and nerves began to jangle.

Worcester hacked clear a corner in nervous fashion but Ricky Starbuck’s curved low ball back into Theakstone saw the striker outmuscle Alexandru Albert and tuck under the advancing Gwynne to level.

However, a quick burst through the middle released Forsyth down the right and his teasing centre was thumped inside the near post by an unmarked Jamie Smith from eight yards.

Reynolds started and finished the move that saw Birley roll Hughes down the left of the box and round Kerry to cut back to his strike partner to regain a two-goal lead.

But there was another twist as Birch, frustrated by being held back, was sent off by referee Josh Warren for swinging an arm to try to brush off an opponent.

The jitters were back when Steve Sowter played substitute Liam Beardsley down the right and Theakstone was on hand to scramble inside the near post.

All too frequently, Sherwood passed effortlessly through the middle with the biggest worry arriving when Theakstone’s shot on the swivel from 25 yards shot came back off Gwynne’s left upright with the stopper beaten.

The pressure was on at both ends in the final 20 minutes but the best opening fell to City when Hughes’s shot from distance was fumbled by Kerry with James Baldwin caught on his heels. 

City: Gwynne, Forsyth, Griffiths (Sarmento, 66), Albert, M Smith, Hayward, Birley, Birch, Hughes, Reynolds (Baldwin, 83), J Smith. Unused subs: Mole, Fedotovs, Dayus (g/k).

Sherwood: Kerry, Robson, Shaw, Harris, Starbuck, York, Adcock (Curzon, 83), Wiesztort (Topliss, 63), Warner (Beardsley, 63), Theaksone, Sowter. Unused subs: Naylor, Robinson.

Attendance: 408. 

Referee: Mr Josh Warren.