Saturday, April 5, 2003

WORCESTER City ended with only nine men as their late-season slide continued with a 1-0 defeat at Cambridge City.

Young defender Dan Jones was dismissed for a second bookable offence in stoppage time, while midfielder David Foy got a straight red card for apparently throwing a punch in the unseemly melee that followed.

The frustration of the City players was understandable as they'd dominated a large part of the game but once again were made to pay for not taking their chances.

Cambridge took what was only their second meaningful chance in the 52nd minute, and other results meant that John Barton's men, who have now won just once in their last six matches, slid to fifth place in the Dr Martens League Premier Division -- their lowest position since August.

It's hard to see them finishing any higher if confidence doesn't improve in the remaining five games, having evaporated in a run of just one victory in their last six games.

Worcester restored Allan Davies to the starting line-up at the expense of tonsillitis victim Mark Shail, with Jones partnering Jon Holloway in the centre of defence to allow skipper Carl Heeley to push effectively again into midfield.

They had all the chances of note in the first-half as they played some nice pockets of football without finding that killer touch.

From an indirect free-kick contentiously awarded just inside the area for dangerous play, former Cambridge favourite Adam Wilde, who was closely marked throughout, saw his deflected shot cleared off the line by home defender Matt Rice.

Foy's right-wing free-kick was deflected against his own post by Cambridge's Colin Vowden, while Adam Webster's lovely angled volley after taking the ball on his chest flew inches over the bar.

Arguably the closest they came was in the opening minute of the second-half when Webster laid off Davies' cross to Darren Middleton, whose first-time shot was superbly turned against the bar by Cambridge 'keeper Martin Davies.

Cambridge, who hadn't threatened Danny McDonnell's goal at all in the first-half, finally sensed that they could capitalise on City's failure to make their territorial advantage count.

McDonnell had to make his first save from Stuart Niven's fierce drive before the decisive moment in the 52nd minute.

It came courtesy of an error by defender Paul Carty, who misplaced a header under pressure into the path of Robbie Simpson. McDonnell came out to block his effort but the ball rebounded to Danny Bloomfield who had an easy task to slot home.

The goal gave Cambridge new spark and City were visibly deflated, and McDonnell had to make three other key saves to prevent the home side stretching their lead.

Not even a couple of substitutions and a switch to three at the back could change it around for City, although sub Mark Owen's header kept Davies at full stretch while the Cambridge 'keeper did very well to turn away a dangerous Wilde cross.

But as Worcester pushed forward there was always a chance they could be caught short at the back, and so it proved in stoppage time when Cambridge substitute Leon Gutzmore was felled by Jones just outside the area as he bore down on goal.

This marked a brief free-for-all among players from both sides, the clear feeling among certain Worcester players being that Gutzmore had dived.

But once order was restored Jones -- who was booked late in the first-half for kicking the ball away -- received a second yellow card from referee Mark Ives.

Although it was difficult to tell who were the main offenders in the melee, such was the volume of bodies from both sides involved, Mr Ives also spotted a punch thrown by Foy and he quickly followed Jones into the dressing rooms.