DECLAN Somel thumped home from close range in the 94th minute as Walsall Wood put a dent in Worcester City’s slim promotion hopes on Tuesday evening.

The substitute wheeled away in celebration and City boss Tim Harris was seen with his head in his hands as Demetri Brown’s opener was cancelled out with one of the very last kicks of the game.

The result means City are now nine points behind second placed Boldmere St Michaels, who won 2-0 at Uttoxeter Town, with nine games left to play in the regular season.

Only the runners up in the Midland Football League Premier will get the chance to secure promotion alongside the title winners and after the game manager Harris admits a lack of experience costed them in the dying seconds of the match.

“The conditions weren’t great, the officials weren’t great but we got ourselves into a position in a scrappy game to win it,” he said.

“We had to grind it out but unfortunately right at the death we didn’t do that and it’s disappointing as we had a chance to get all three points which would have been massive for us.

“When you are deep into a game you have to look at yourselves and look at your character and the leadership.

“But we put bodies on the line tonight, the boys were committed. But it’s that lack of experience in key positions and at the death they found themselves in a position to equalise which should never have happened.”

Before the game it was revealed that striker Demetri Brown was back playing for City on dual registration terms with Rushall Olympic.

But Harris admitted that Worcester might not have consistent access to the forward.

“We have to set the record straight here as Dimi has come in and done a job for us tonight and helped us out,” he added.

“He is Rushall’s (Rushall Olympic) player and I don’t know if he will be available to us this Saturday or how much we are going to have him but it was a chance tonight for him to come in and see what he could do.

“He is a great lad and loves the club. He scored a poachers goal and that’s what we need.”