10:01pm Tuesday 15th December 2009
By Steve Carley
WORCESTER City failed to build on their FA Trophy triumph as they lost in freezing conditions at Thurrock.
City, 3-1 winners against Grays Athletic on Saturday, trailed after just 60 seconds at Ship Lane but had restored parity within 10 minutes through Craig Wilding’s eighth goal of the season.
Matt Bodkin sealed the points for Thurrock in the Blue Square South clash with a moment of individual brilliance 10 minutes into the second-half and it needed a commanding performance from keeper Jake Meredith to stop the Essex side adding more.
It means City are still looking for their first away win of the season and have just one more attempt — at Basingstoke on December 28 — to bring an end to that sequence before 2009 is out.
Manager Richard Dryden named an unchanged side but on-loan forward Danny Carey-Bertram and Matt Birley, cup-tied and suspended respectively at the weekend, were on the bench.
However, City’s exploits were quickly forgotten as they made the worst possible start by conceding in the first minute.
Bodkin whipped in a cross from the right and David Bryant glanced a header across Meredith in-off the far post.
But the visitors hit back with Wilding’s second free-kick in four days after Thurrock’s Craig Pope was booked for a poor challenge. The midfielder, who scored the third against Grays, placed the ball and his 20-yard piledriver was deflected home.
Alfie Carter, again deployed on the left of a front three, sent a shot on the turn into the arms of Joe Woolley but the visitors failed to threaten for the rest of the first-half.
Meredith kept the scores level with a fine double save four minutes before the break.
Meredith was in action again immediately after the interval, doing well to punch Kenny Clark’s header off the line from among a throng of bodies.
But the keeper had little chance in the 55th minute as Bodkin restored the lead for Thurrock with a fine goal.
Lee Flynn headed clear from a City corner, the ball fell to Bodkin and he carried it the full length of the pitch, sprinting past several tackles with ease before firing a sweet strike across Meredith into the bottom corner.
Dryden threw on Carey-Bertram and Birley for Carter and Rob Davies just past the hour in a bid to inject some life into his team and take the game to Thurrock.
Within minutes, though, Fola Orilonishe’s effort was cleared off the line and Meredith reacted to save low from Matt Paine. The keeper stood strong again in the 78th minute to deny Bodkin.
City, though, piled forward late on and Graham Ward had four corners cleared in quick succession during six minutes of stoppage-time but the visitors were unable to find a way through.
City: Meredith 8*, Ward 6, Clyde 7, Wilding 7, Daniel 6, Kemp 6, Davies (Birley 62, 6) 6, Walker 6, McGregor 6, Elvins (Dinsmore 82) 6, Carter (Carey-Bertram 62) 6. Subs not used: Spencer, Bridges.
Attendance: 221.
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