WORCESTER City have a habit of proving their doubters wrong - and thanks to a sublime late finish from Daniel Nti they did it again as they clinched a stunning 3-2 win over AFC Fylde.

After a week which saw them suffer a gut-wrenching defeat to Corby Town and lose their captain Ellis Deeney in acrimonious circumstances it looked set to be a difficult afternoon against the high-fliers.

But they put all that turmoil behind them with an impressive display as Amadou Bakayoko and Nti struck inside 20 minutes.

City also had a man advantage after Josh Langley saw red, but still doubts crept in as the hosts clawed their way back and made it 2-2.

However, Nti silenced City’s critics when he played a one-two with Connor Gater before sending the ball into the top corner.

It was a moment to savour for Carl Heeley and Matt Gardiner who have had a disappointing start to 2016 and will now hope to use this victory as a spur in the Vanarama National League North.

They will also be keen to extend the loan deals of West Bromwich Albion youngsters George Cleet and Shaun Donnellan who have made a big impact in a short space of time.

Donnellan, especially, appears to be getting better by the game as he showed equal assurance as a central midfielder. But it was the performance of Nti which had in-form Fylde on the back foot as his speculative shot was fumbled by Ben Hinchliffe and Bakayoko was on hand to give City an early lead.

Things then turned nasty on 20 minutes when Langley lashed out at Josh Smith resulting in a straight red and a penalty which Nti put away.

The hosts looked stunned and they should have been further behind as Bakoyoko missed two glorious chances.

With Dion Charles, though, Fylde always looked dangerous in attack and after being chalked off a goal for offside, the midfielder got on the scoresheet with a driven effort from the edge of the area.

One of City’s main weaknesses has been their inability to defend set pieces and this was exposed just after the break when Danny Rowe headed home from a corner.

Despite being down to ten men, the Lancashire side had all the momentum and it seemed only a matter of time before they took the lead.

But Worcester battled bravely in testing conditions as Tyler Weir twice cleared off his line.

Wayne Thomas also entered the fray as City looked content to see out a draw, but Nti had other ideas.

With eight minutes left, the winger twisted and turned before firing home the winner which was enjoyed by City’s rain-soaked travelling supporters.

Worcester now face the challenge of second-placed North Ferriby United at Aggborough next Saturday, but who would bet against them pulling off another shock result?