Worcester City 2-0 Stockport County
Vanarama Conference North
Jonny Bonell reports from Aggborough
Attendance: 731
CARL Heeley has often dismissed any talk of a play-off push for Worcester City but after he watched his side brush aside Stockport County 2-0 on Saturday, it will be hard for him to dampen those hopes.
Worcester were in control from start to finish and goals from Mike Symons and Sean Geddes handed the hosts another three points to move City up to tenth and just two points behind their visitors.
A bad-tempered affair saw both sides end the game with ten men as Jack Ryan was dismissed for two quick yellow cards while Shab Khan received a straight red for slamming Charlie Russell to the ground after a horror challenge from the Stockport man.
Manager Heeley said: “I think it was the least we deserved because at 1-0 anything can happen.
“I thought we were in total command and we just needed that second goal to finish it off. We got in behind their full-backs with the two wingers and caused them problems.
“The final ball all too often wasn’t quite there because I think if it had of been you would have been looking at six or seven we were that dominant.”
In a breathless first ten minutes the visitors had the first chance of proceedings when Richie Baker played a neat one-two with Ryan and fired a half-volley which Ryan Boot had to claw round the post.
But back came City, with youngster Dean Waldron orchestrating things at the heart of the midfield,as Micah Evans’ goal-bound effort was blocked away before the on-loan winger drilled a dangerous ball across the face of goal which marginally failed to find a blue shirt.
The pace somewhat settled for the following ten minutes but Evans sought to change that after 23 minutes when he made a mockery of Kyle Jacobs and Mark Lees down the left and pulled the ball back for Geddes whose cushioned strike was tipped over the top by Danny Hurst.
It was turning out to be a great advert for Conference North football and Geddes should have broken the deadlock with 35 minutes on the clock when Tristan Dunkley’s pull-back found its way to the midfielder who curled over the top from ten yards.
That miss was all forgotten about three minutes later as Geddes produced a measured chip to find Symons unmarked in the box. The big striker took a touch, composed himself and fired a smart finish into the far corner.
After impressing in the midweek cup win over Redditch, Waldron kept his place in midfield and nearly rewarded Heeley’s faith a minute after the restart when he took aim from 25-yards and forced Hurst into a smart stop.
Symons was showing the sort of form as to why Heeley had brought him back to the club in the summer as he brought down an Ellis Deeney delivery on the chest before turning and firing a volley which Hurst got down to well to.
The Hatters’ miserable afternoon was compounded after 62 minutes when Ryan received a second yellow card – the first eight minutes before due to an altercation with Wayne Thomas – and his marching orders for going in late on Khan.
Then came the killer blow for County after 73 minutes and it was simplicity at its best from the Blue and Whites.
Heeley’s side made it from the edge of their own box to the edge of Stockport’s in four passes – thanks to Thomas, Kyle Haynes, Waldron and Evans – the latter pulling the ball back to Geddes who stroked the ball into the bottom corner to round off a superb counter-attack and double the lead.
The game did end on a sour note for Worcester as with just five minutes remaining Khan took exception to a nasty lunge from Russell and threw the midfielder to the floor. Referee Anthony Coggins brandished a straight red for Khan and gave Russell a yellow.
Ugly scenes ensued as both sets of players and staff had to be restrained but the victory was no more than Worcester deserved as they made it four wins in their last five encounters.