WORCESTER City were denied victory by a resilient Tuffley Rovers side in their Hellenic League Premier opener at Claines Lane on Tuesday night.

The visitors had their keeper Luke Merchant to thank for a terrific individual performance, particularly in the second-half as City piled on the pressure. 

The likes of Liam Lockett, Calvin Dinsley and Connor Gater all had great chances to give City a deserved goal but Merchant and the Tuffley defence held firm to earn themselves a battling point against one of this season's title contenders.

City went into the game as heavy favourites against a Tuffley side who finished just above the relegation zone in the Hellenic League Premier in 2022/23.

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Dylan Hart had the game's first chance, flicking a header just wide of the post before the striker nearly got on the other end of a low cross from the lively winger Lockett. 

The visitors spent the majority of the game on the back foot but they did have their chances and Cameron Monteith had to react quickly to hack a goal-bound effort off the line.

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Connor Walters then spurned a good opportunity to give Tuffley a shock lead but it was wasted after he was sent clean through from a goal-kick. 

Worcester continued to dominate the ball and had a couple more chances before the break to take the lead, but Lockett's left-footed effort drifted just wide and Gater's header was somehow kept out by Merchant right on the stroke of half-time. 

The first chance of the second-half came just before the hour as Lockett went past a number of Tuffley defenders before his shot on target was once more kept out by Merchant. 

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That save seemed to spur City on and they had three brilliant chances in quick succession to take the lead in a chaotic two-minute spell. 

Firstly, captain Adam Mace had a strike from distance saved before Hart was unable to find a way past the excellent Tuffley keeper. 

But the best chance fell the way of Dinsley, who went clean through before Merchant came out and made the crucial stop. 

The one chance Merchant could not do anything about was Gater's header in the 73rd minute, but just was his luck, the header from five yards somehow cleared the goal.

City piled on the pressure late on and tried to force a winner but Tuffley dug deep and saw the game out for a hard-earned point to deby City victory on their Hellenic League debut.