A LATE Dan Westwood equaliser denied Worcester City a perfect response to their Westfields horror show as his goal secured Sporting Khalsa a 2-2 draw at the Aspray Arena.

Jamal Lawrence’s superb solo effort and an 81st minute finish from James Baldwin saw City come from 1-0 behind to lead.

A comeback win for Worcester would have gone some way to healing the wounds left by their 6-1 thrashing by Westfields in their previous Midland League Premier Division fixture.

But with four minutes remaining Westwood got the better of stand-in skipper George Forsyth before rolling the ball home.

Sports reporter Geoff Berkeley picks out the five talking points.

SAM’S SPILLAGE LEAVES GLOVES UP FOR GRABS.

With Dan Jezeph facing a six-month ban following his outburst against Westfields, City are looking for a number one.

Sam Gilder was handed the gloves on Saturday but he failed to impress.

The experienced stopper was at fault for Khalsa’s opener on 17 minutes when he spilled Lee Chilton’s driven effort into the path of Dave Meese who put the ball away.

Gilder was also unable to keep hold of a long-range strike from Liam Armstrong in the second half while his distribution did not fill City’s fans with much confidence.

Matt Gwynne is Worcester’s other goalkeeping option and after Gilder’s display he may find himself back in between the sticks soon.

JAMAL’S DEBUT JOY WITH SOLO STRIKE.

At 1-0 down and with the home side pushing for a second Worcester were in need of a moment of inspiration. Step forward Jamal Lawrence.

The 22-year-old picked up the ball just inside Khalsa’s half before slicing through the heart of their defence.

Using his pace and power Lawrence managed to hold off a chasing defender, kept his balance and slid the ball past keeper Dale Reaney to draw his side level.

It was a stunning goal by the ex-Cheltenham Town man who made the move from Gloucester City last week and will give him a big boost as he looks to make his mark at Worcester.

HOW DID THE OTHER NEW BOYS GET ON?

While Lawrence will rightly get the plaudits for his wonderful run and finish it was fellow debutant Kaoui Attoumani who won the ball in midfield.

The Frenchman, nicknamed Special K, was a handful for Khalsa to deal with as he battled for possession.

Although he did not always come out on top the rangy Attoumani gave City a physical presence in the middle of the park.

Defender Grant Horton was another player making his first appearance in Worcester colours.

The teenager, who has joined City on work experience from Cheltenham, struggled at times but stuck to his task.

KHALSA EVENTUALLY PAY PRICE FOR HIGH LINE.

It did not take long to spot Worcester’s game plan. With Khalsa holding a high defensive line City tried to ping the ball in behind for the likes of Jordan Harrison and Lawrence to chase.

On nine occasions City were caught offside but their persistence paid off.

After James Baldwin was flagged twice by the linesman the substitute made it third time lucky.

Liam Lockett fed the ball through to Baldwin who beat the offside trap before rounding Reaney and rolling the ball into the empty net.

CITY BOUNCE BACK AFTER THRASHING.

Having had two weeks to mull over their Westfields walloping this clash was always going to be a test of City’s character.

It did not go Worcester’s way in the first half at Khalsa but unlike against Westfields they refused to crumble and turned the match around in the second period.

Westwood’s late strike denied City maximum points but boss John Snape who made several changes to his side will be buoyed by the reaction of his players.