Bishop's Stortford 2 Worcester City 1 (From Worcester News)

Bishop's Stortford 2 Worcester City 1

5:20pm Sunday 17th January 2010 in

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WHEN Richard Dryden looked into the stands at Woodside Park, he must have begun to dream.

With more than £13million worth of talent from the past in Teddy Sheringham and Dean Holdsworth sat behind him, the Worcester City boss could only begin to imagine what it would be like to have even a small fraction of that amount at his disposal.

Instead, the Lane chief is not only battling against relegation in Blue Square South but he is struggling to keep hold of his best players.

Last Thursday, Dryden was facing up to life without his skipper Tom Kemp as he looked set for a move to AFC Telford United on a free transfer.

A row over £12.50-a-week in expenses meant the former Kettering defender joined the rest of the squad in Hertfordshire but whether he will be at the club this evening remains to be seen.

However, while no-one at the Lane will actually admit the miniscule wage bill at City needs to be slashed, Kemp will not be the only star name leaving the club in the foreseeable future.

When the 23-year-old centre-half limped off after pulling his hamstring, Dryden had a glimpse into the future without him and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

City were leading 1-0 at Bishop’s Stortford when the soon-to-be departing skipper exited the field in the 69th minute but five minutes later they were trailing as the defence switched off.

The game at Woodside Park was both side’s first piece of action since New Year’s Day and it showed badly.

Neither team have been able to train much following the big freeze and it appeared for the opening 20 minutes that both sides had forgotten the game of football is played inside the white lines of the pitch.

The game threatened to spark into life in the 12th minute when Rob Elvins was scythed down by Scott Shulton on the halfway line and, as the City forward picked himself up, he deliberately planted his elbow into the back of the Stortford defender.

A mini-brawl broke out and, as Elvins was pulled away, referee Charles Breakspear called skippers Kemp and Matt Jones together and booked them both, while the City striker escaped unpunished.

The former Aldershot man had the game’s first opportunity to break the deadlock when he broke free in the Stortford area but Elvins’ first touch let him down and when he finally got his shot off Nicky Eyre had a comfortable save.

Bertie Brayley should have given the hosts the lead 10 minutes before the interval as he glanced a header inches wide.

Dryden looked to spark some life into a disappointing match after the break when he hauled off Alfie Carter and Elvins, replacing them with Matt Dinsmore and Marco Adaggio.

The injection of pace looked to have paid dividends as the visitors took the lead with only three minutes of the second-half gone.

Graham Ward drove up the right flank and whipped the ball into the centre.

Craig Wilding rose to head the ball down into the path of Marc McGregor and he calmly tapped it past Eyre.

City must have felt they were finally putting their away-day woes behind them, having only picked up one win on their travels all season, but the travelling bug was to hit them once more.

After seeing Kemp depart, possibly for one final time, City fell to pieces.

Former Hereford midfielder Glen Southam fired over a cross and Charlie Sheringham, in front of his former England international father, was allowed time to control the ball, turn and fire home.

Having provided the equaliser, Southam turned match-winner as he comfortably beat Kemp’s replacement Kevin Spencer and drilled the ball under keeper Jake Meredith.

City piled on the pressure to take home a share of the spoils and Matt Birley came close to ensuring that happened when he rattled the Stortford crossbar in the final minute.