ENGLAND C manager Paul Fairclough advised Worcester City’s George Forsyth to choose carefully when considering his future.

Fairclough took charge of an FA Select side and named Forsyth, the only player from City's level or below to feature for the team, as captain for Tuesday’s 2-2 draw against Herefordshire FA’s XI.

The 22-year-old, whose displays this season have led to approaches from Walsall Wood, Gresley and Ilkeston Town, put in an assured 90-minute performance anchoring a three-man midfield at Edgar Street.

Forsyth has been offered a contract until the end of next season at Worcester but plans to decide what to do over the summer.

A host of the region’s non-league gaffers were there, including City boss John Snape and player-coach Mat Birley, and Fairclough expects the ex-Wolves youngster to have caught the eye.

“George wants to play football, he doesn’t want to act as the net in a game of tennis with the ball flying over him all the time. He is a player who wants to get on the ball,” said Fairclough.

“If he can play in an environment where he is allowed to receive possession and play forward to players who want to take the ball I think he can really flourish.

“He has a good stature and is very composed on the ball. You can see he wants to play and he was in the right place to do that in this game.

“He looked very comfortable on the ball and kept things ticking over for us, made himself available and played from behind the ball to receive from the back four and wide players which was exactly what I asked of him.

“I had to keep pushing him at the end because he got a bit tired but I thought he did very well.

“As a person he comes across as a deep thinker who perhaps gets a bit disillusioned at times. He needs to be with someone who does not necessarily make him the focal point of the team but makes things go through him.

“The boy can tackle as well and can compete in the air, he is six-foot-three with great technical ability for someone of his size.

“I don’t know how Worcester play, I have not seen them this season but he needs to be playing regularly in a team that wants to play football.

“There are teams with that environment around. If they were watching this game they would have seen the boy could play and how he wants to play.”

Evesham United goalkeeper Andy Hannah played the second 45 minutes for the FA side, replacing ex-Robins keeper Harvey Rivers at the break.

TIMELINE

Herefordshire FA 2 (Roberts 22p, Molyneux 47) FA Select 2 (Leachman-Whittingham 21, Whitehead 80)

7: Jamie Molyneux released down the left, he scuffed his shot but from the recycled ball James Roberts drove at Harvey Rivers who caught with ease.

14: Will Christopher played a blind short pass back to Rivers which John Mills seized upon only to get caught by the outrushing keeper.

Mills dusted himself down but side-footed the penalty wide of the right post.

GOAL 21 (1-0 FA): Shaquille Leachman-Whittingham cushioned in a downward header from close range having moved across his marker to meet a tantalising corner.

GOAL 22 (1-1): A second penalty for Herefordshire, Kyle Finn was brought down seconds after the restart with Roberts slamming home from 12 yards high to the right of Rivers.

GOAL 47 (2-1 Herefordshire): Molyneux took a crisp low ball to left corner of the box, one touch and fired low across replacement keeper Andy Hannah.

58: Snapshot on the swivel from substitute Ben Whitehead, into Jahquil Hill’s midriff.

60: Molyneux fed Roberts in the middle, point-blank range, Robbie Cundy nipped in with a vital touch to prod to safety.

69: Whittingham played down the inside right of the box, burst past full-back but shot drilled over at near post.

GOAL 80 (2-2): George Forsyth took a 20-yard free-kick after Louis Spalding had been clipped en route to the box, it ricocheted up off the wall for Whitehead to nudge past Hill.

83: Glorious chance for Whitehead, Forsyth released Dan King down the right to thump in a fast low delivery but the striker’s first-time finish was wide of the near post.

Herefordshire XI: Hill (unattached), Gwynne (Westfields), Rawlings (Westfields), Wharton (Hereford), Green (Hereford), Edwards (Cardiff Met), Finn (Hereford), Dinsley (Hereford), Mills (Bath, on loan at Westfields), Roberts (Hereford), Molyneux (Westfields)

Subs: Kahaki (Westfields – replaced Edwards, 59), Plane (Westfields – replaced Green, 71), Wildig (Hereford Lads Club – replaced Finn, 80), Jones (Wellington – replaced Mills, 83), Moreira (Westfields – replaced Molyneux, 63).

Unused: Purdie (unattached).

FA XI: Rivers (Truro City), Christopher (Cirencester Town), Binns (Cinderford Town), Cundy (Bath City), Brown (Slimbridge), Forsyth (Worcester City), Raynes (Bath City), H Spalding (Swindon Supermarine), Anderson (Stourbridge), Powell (Stourbridge), Whittingham (Redditch United).

Subs: L Spalding (Cirencester Town – replaced Binns, 77), King (Slimbridge – replaced Powell, h-t), Macdonald (Cinderford Town – replaced H Spalding, h-t), Whitehead (Cirencester Town, replaced Anderson, h-t), Hannah (Evesham United – replaced Rivers, h-t).

Attendance: 336.

Referee: Robert Massey-Ellis (Army FA).