SHABIR Khan is facing a long spell on the sidelines after he was stretchered off with a suspected broken elbow in Worcester City's Blue Square North derby victory over Redditch United.

Captain Chris Smith headed home Jamie Price's 14th-minute corner to stretch manager Richard Dryden's unbeaten run to six games in front of a bumper Boxing Day gate of 1,366.

However, the match was overshadowed by the injury to Shabir on 77 minutes, who left the field on a stretcher in agony following a tangle with Redditch sub James Johnson.

The pair had challenged for the ball but Shabir fell awkwardly in the centre circle with his left arm appearing to get trapped under his body as concerned team-mates and medical staff came to his aid.

On-loan goalkeeper Cameron Belford also finished the match is some discomfort, playing for most of the second-half with a knee problem in the absence of a replacement on the bench.

The on-loan Bury custodian, though, was in fine fettle throughout an untidy local derby, punching the ball with authority and pulling off a couple of timely saves.

He was in action early on as Redditch, who alternated between 4-4-2 and 3-4-3, forced two corners inside the first minute.

The visitors enjoyed the better of the early exchanges and it took time for an unchanged City to settle into their stride.

A 12th-minute booking for Redditch player-coach Carl Heggs for a foul on Kevin Spencer got the sizeable crowd going and they were in raptures two minutes later.

Price whipped in a dangerous corner from the right and skipper Smith burst into the six-yard box to power a header past Danny Lewis.

The goal was Smith's first since September 15 but it was the fourth consecutive match in which a Price delivery had been a major contributing factor.

Belford was next into the book minutes later when he clashed with Danny Spencer after rushing 30 yards out of his goal to clear the ball from the feet of the Redditch striker.

Craig Wilding and Adam Webster both went close for City but the game went quiet until Matt Clarke brought it back to the boil with a shove on Mark Danks, for which he was cautioned.

The second-half was much more lively and within the first few minutes Belford had saved well from Danny Spencer and Webster just failed to connect with Danks' cross-shot.

The Redditch striker was again denied by the increasingly immobile Belford just past the hour, moments before Graham Ward replaced Danks in a move which saw Webster partner Wilding up front.

By now the game was an end-to-end battle but the injury to Shabir, following an innocent challenge by sub Johnson, silenced the crowd.

With the City player in obvious distress, a stretcher was quickly summoned and he was carried off to the subdued applause of concerned spectators, and replaced by Rapinder Gill.

Redditch, though, were still determined to find an equaliser and it needed Belford to push away Danny Spencer's strike four minutes before Johnson blazed their best chance high and wide when in the clear.

Belford avoided embarrassment in the final seconds as he just managed to stop Danny Spencer's header squirming through his legs on the line.

That scare survived, City, winding down the clock in the corners, were soon celebrating back-to-back 1-0 victories as they continue their push for the play-offs.

City: Belford 8*, Kevin Spencer 6, Shabir 7 (Gill 77, 6), Smith 7, Clarke 7, Price 8, Webster 7, Nwadike 7, Wilding 7, Danks 6 (Ward 63, 6), Clegg 6. Subs not used: Wood, Colley, Walker.

Attendance: 1,366.

Referee: Mark Howes (Solihull) 6.