Our live feed has now finished.
- FT: CITY 3 (Brown 5, Lockett 73p, Harrison 86) HAUGHMOND 1 (Taylor 26)
- CITY eventually wore down 10-man Haughmond through wave after wave of second-half pressure.
- Demetri Brown’s fifth-minute opener was cancelled out when Reece Taylor’s whipped free-kick was deflected past Dan Jezeph by Kurtis Mewies.
- However, Haughmond’s threat was all but stifled when skipper Jack Griffiths was given a straight red card for pulling back Marco Adaggio when clean through 11 minutes before half-time.
- The visitors still stood firm against one-way traffic but while tricky conditions made fluent football difficult, City stuck to the task and moved back in front when Liam Lockett was needlessly bundled over in the box by George Carpenter heading into the final quarter of an hour.
- Lockett confidently lashed home the spot-kick with Jordan Harrison converting Lockett’s cutback with four minutes left to finish off opposition that looked a spent force once the second went in.
- Brown made his return from a hamstring strain, coming in for Jordan Harrison up top.
- City’s other two changes were enforced with full-backs Luke English (suspended) and Jamie Smith (unavailable) replaced by Mewies and Dan Okojie. Chris Withington slotted in at right-back.
- The deadlock was broken when Lockett's ball was well taken by Brown who opened up his body and struck instinctively with his second touch low inside the near post.
- City had most of the pressure but Haughmond had their moments and levelled from a harmless-looking free-kick from the left wing in the 26th minute.
- Taylor’s ball from deep was heading straight to Jezeph who had called for it only for Mewies, the one-man wall, to send it looping over the custodian just as he had stepped off the line.
- Matters were then in the balance until a mad minute.
- Brown hacked away a corner from the near post but Taylor drove back through the crowd only for Craig Jones to clear from in front of the line and from City’s break, Griffiths was sent off for halting Adaggio’s dash to goal.
- City steadily turned the screw, Adaggio’s cutback nicked away by Luke Ward who got a vital touch wide on Brown's follow up from 10 yards.
- The hosts camped in Haughmond’s half after the interval but largely lacked punch against two banks of four and one man left up top to feed off scraps.
- Upping the tempo did the trick, though, with Lockett latching on to a recycled ball on the right of the box, drawing in Carpenter to nudge him over with the midfielder’s back to goal.
- It was a daft penalty to give away, Lockett was pinned to the right of goal and seemingly going nowhere but he got up and confidently rifled low to the keeper's right.
- Chances kept coming for City, Mewies having a drive blocked by keeper Sam Jones's stray leg and Adaggio firing wide of the near post from 10 yards.
- The third came when Lockett took on his man from a tight angle on the right, pulling back to Harrison to slam inside the near post.
- City: Jezeph, Withington, Okojie, Jones, Hall, Mewies, Lockett, Rowe, Brain, Brown, Adaggio.
- Subs: Willis, Harrison, Ebanks, Mooney, Bajrami (g/k).
- Haughmond: Jones, Hartley, Fletcher, Griffiths, Ward, Rogers, Carpenter, Taylor, Hole, Easthope, Ryan.
- Subs: Boldeston, Williams, Parry.
- Attendance: 280.
- OTHER BOXING DAY MATCHES
- National North: Kidderminster Harriers v Hereford FC
- Southern League Premier Division Central: Alvechurch v Bromsgrove Sporting, Stourbridge v Redditch United
- Division One South: Evesham United v Cirencester Town
- Midland League Premier Division: Stourport Swifts P-P Sporting Khalsa
- Hellenic League Premier Division: Lydney Town v Westfields (1pm)
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article