City are hoping for overnight joy (From Worcester News)

City are hoping for overnight joy

11:00am Friday 27th January 2012

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By Steve Carley »

WORCESTER City hope their second overnight stay of the season will help them record the first points of 2012.

The St George’s Lane club visit Workington tomorrow (3pm) aiming to end a run of four straight defeats since the turn of the year.

Given the distance to the Blue Square Bet North outpost — a mere 500-mile round trip — City have opted to travel today and stay at a hotel in Penrith in order to keep themselves fresh for the encounter.

The ploy reaped rewards for the 2-1 win at Blyth Spartans in October as the players were able to relax on the morning of the match, having stayed over in Newcastle, rather than face a six-hour coach trip.

City have received undisclosed financial support to fund the Cumbria trek and manager Carl Heeley believes it will be beneficial to his players.

They can also travel knowing the weather forecast is favourable after being turned around while already at Borough Park last January because of a frozen pitch.

Heeley said: “Workington has not been a happy hunting ground for us but it’s another opportunity and we are going to prepare as well as we can.

“I want to see some determined players trying to get us back on a winning run. There will be times when even the best teams in the country will have terrible runs and it’s about getting out of it as quickly as possible.”

City, who eventually went down in last term’s rearranged game 2-0 in April, need a victory to avoid losing further ground on the play-off places. They are currently seven points adrift.

Darren Edmondson’s Workington, who are 18th in the table but steadily improving, have only lost once in their last six league games.

Tomorrow’s match will be another chance for new defenders Stuart Whitehead, Ellis Deeney and Tyler Weir to forge an understanding as City bid for their sixth clean sheet.

Goalkeeper James Dormand is making progress after suffering a calf injury in last Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Colwyn Bay but is not expected to be involved, meaning Matt Sargeant steps up.

Versatile midfielder Rob Elvins is also on the road to full fitness having been out with shoulder ligament damage since the start of December but Heeley is not likely to risk him.

Captain Kevin O’Connor is walking a disciplinary tightrope after picking up his ninth yellow card of the campaign, one more would incur a two-match ban.