MIKE Symons powered Worcester City into the FA Cup fourth qualifying round for the first time in six years and with it a trip to Bromley.

The club’s leading scorer planted a bullet header beyond Seagulls keeper Lloyd Irish five minutes into the second-half at St George’s Lane to secure the date on Saturday week and bag £7,500 in prize money.

Worcester played well in patches and finished strongly in front of the largest crowd of the season, the first time the four-figure barrier has been broken this term.

Greg Mills, recalled to the team, was a livewire, and provided the corner for Symons’ seventh goal of the season, before making way for Charlie Reece.

Likewise, Matt Breeze, whose equaliser at the weekend earned this replay, was constantly in the thick of things, while striker Danny Glover epitomised the hosts’ desire in closing the opposition down.

At the back, Lee Ayres also produced a commanding performance alongside Jacob Rowe in the absence of captain Stuart Whitehead, who was missing through work commitments. Weston had the better of the early exchanges with Nat Pepperell firing inches wide and Matt Sargeant, a hero with his last-minute save at the weekend, tipping Naby Diallo’s scorching strike over the top.

City were pinned back until the midway point of the first period but they gradually found a way through and began to dominate.

Mills provided the main threat on the left, responding to his recall with purpose and it was the winger who also came closest to breaking the deadlock. His audacious effort from out on the touchline cannoned back off the post and had keeper Lloyd Irish grasping at thin air.

Although the ball did not fall kindly for the hosts on that occasion, it sparked City into life and further chances fell to Breeze and Glover, the latter glancing a header just over.

They took the lead five minutes after the restart, Mills delivering an inviting corner to the near post and Symons met it with a powerful header.

The hosts sought to press home their advantage and were again denied by the woodwork when Breeze’s header, following another cross from Mills, was superbly tipped on to the bar by Irish and scrambled clear.

Worcester looked to surge forward at every opportunity as the game opened up but remained vulnerable with such a slender lead and it needed a fine block from Sargeant to deny sub Kane Ingram.

Reece and Michael Taylor reinforced City’s attacking prowess late on, the latter replacing Symons who looked to have sustained an injury.

It was frantic at the end as Weston got desperate but Worcester’s FA Cup adventure continues.

City: Sargeant 8, Weir 8, Deeney 7, Thorley 8, Ayres 9, Rowe 8, Mills 8 (Reece 69, 7), Elvins (c) 7, Symons 8 (Taylor 81), Glover 8, Breeze 9*. Subs not used: Birley, Edwards, Shabir, Thompson.

Attendance: 1,013.