Worcester City 5

Redditch United 1

ENCOUNTERS like this prove that football matches are sometimes not always about results.

Reds fans who decided not to brave the sub-zero temperatures swirling around the haunted surroundings of St George's Lane on Monday night, will probably read this scoreline and freeze with fright.

But a 5-1 Worcestershire Senior Cup quarter-final defeat didn't really reflect, United's ingenuity, workrate and sheer guile on a night when they matched their Dr Martens Premier Division neighbours Worcester pound for pound - barring in front of goal of course.

The hosts had around seven clear-cut chances and took five of them where as Redditch only got one dividend from a dozen punts.

Defending set pieces and finding some height in his team to deal with the direct aerial threat posed by robust opposition will be a topic on his homework list but, on the whole, United could hold their heads high.

"I've said to the lads afterwards that was probably the best we've played for a month," confirmed Brown afterwards. "The game hung on the two goalmouths. We had twice as many chances as them and gave away silly goals.

"If we perform like this in our league, then we're wipe the floor with teams because we moved the ball well, certain individuals had an excellent game and our back three was awesome apart from set pieces.

"I was unhappy on Saturday against Bedworth but if we could bottle what we had tonight then we would easily win our championship."

In an entertaining affair, United played the much cultured football in the opening stages with the slick Alex Cowley a real menace to City.

Time after time, they found a cutting edge with only the finish blunted as Matty Hall and Mark Shepherd missed early chances.

City 'keeper Danny McDonnell was also forced to make a double save as he first pawed away Hall's cross/shot and snatched the ball away from the lurking Shepherd on 18 minutes.

Reds were in total control against their rigid hosts but then City finally earned themselves a corner and a goal on 27 minutes.

Despite their swirling football, Reds went on to find themselves 3-1 down by half-time as first Adam Webster headed home from another corner on 41 minutes and then a great inswinging ball from Adam Wilde was dispatched by poacher Owen two minutes later.

The Reds, though, were thrown a lifeline just before halftime as Liam McDonald hacked down impressive midfielder Craig Woodley inside the box with Hall blasting home the spotkick.

But the second half produced much of the same frustration for Brown as his side created chances without reward.

It was only during the last 20 minutes that Reds looked a little flustered as powerhouse substitute Leon Kelly ghosted past Neil Manton and teed up Owen for his hat-trick on 78 minutes.

Kelly completed the scoreline nine minutes from time as he drew out the Reds defence and poked the ball past the onrushing Ladek.

It was five-star stuff from City's prospective but strangely a performance that could fuel the rest of United's promotion campaign. Now who said 'football's a funny old game'?

Redditch United: Craig Ludek, Quentin Townsend (sub Neil Manton 69), Gary Sucharewycz, Mark Taylor (booked 46), Gary Knight (sub Danny Scheppel 64), Craig Woodley (booked 81), Matty Hall, Martin Myers, Richard Burgess (sub Jimmy Quiggin), Mark Shepherd, Alex Cowley. Subs not used: Richard Field, Nicky Clark.