Worcester City 0-1 Bradford Park Avenue
Vanarama Conference North
Jonny Bonell reports from Aggborough
Attendance: 540
IT WAS a case of missed opportunities for Worcester City as they surrendered their unbeaten home league record by losing 1-0 to second-bottom Bradford Park Avenue on Sunday.
Worcester created the bulk of the chances but Chib Chiblaka’s header inflicted the damage 11 minutes from time to give the visitors the three points and boost their survival hopes.
Avenue’s goal led a charmed life throughout with the hosts hitting the woodwork twice and John Danby showed his credentials by keeping out everything the Aggborough-outfit threw at him.
Defeat leaves Worcester in 12th in the Conference North, still five points adrift of the play-offs, but without a goal since December 20.
Assistant manager Matt Gardiner said: “(We are) Very disappointed.
“Obviously it (Aggborough) has been a bit of a fortress for us in 2014 and ironically out of the last three or four games we probably created the most chances today.
“When you don’t take the chances against a bottom three team, you could see them fighting, and if you go a goal behind it is difficult, but we have to score earlier to put them away really.”
The last time the two sides met Worcester were on the wrong end of a 6-1 trouncing and keen to make amends for that Carl Heeley’s men went straight for the jugular.
Debutant Kyle Haynes, brought in to replace George Williams, showed flashes of the man he had succeeded by marauding the right hand side and supporting the three-pronged attack when he could.
The woodwork would keep Avenue in the game twice in the opening 20 minutes as Mike Symons’ low cross was partially cleared to Ellis Deeney whose strike took a nick off Joe Colbeck and was fumbled onto his own post by Danby.
And just five minutes later Symons again did well in the box and teed up Danny Jackman who crashed his 25-yard drive off the opposite upright.
In terms of possession the two teams were evenly matched but all the chances were falling to the hosts and Heeley could only watch on as Jordan Murphy burst into the box but was denied by Danby before Jackman sliced his effort wide from the edge of the area.
If City needed a warning that their relegation-threatened rivals weren’t going to hand over the three points it came six minutes before the break when a long ball into the box caused all sorts of problems and Chiblaka hit a fierce shot which Haynes somehow blocked on the line.
That wasn’t to be the end of chances before the interval, however, as Murphy received the ball from Jackman in the six-yard box, rolled his man but Danby made himself big and again kept the winger at bay.
The second half started in much the same vein as the first with the Blue and Whites exerting wave after wave of attacks as Jackman dipped a half-volley wide before Sean Geddes was inches away to adding another spectacular goal to his growing collection when his chest and volley flew just past the post.
Danby had resisted everything the hosts had thrown at him and after 52 minutes he proved his worth when he somehow clawed away Geddes’ point-blank header from inside the six-yard box.
All of Worcester’s pressure was almost undone with 20 minutes remaining when Chiblaka tip-toed his way through a static defence and fired a low strike which Nathan Vaughan managed to keep out and pounce on the loose ball.
And the sucker punch did come after 79 minutes when substitute Steve Boothman found space on the left and whipped in an inch-perfect cross for the unmarked Chiblaka to head past the helpless Vaughan.
There was still to be one more golden chance before the end as Geddes ball picked out Wayne Thomas at the back post but the defender’s shot was somehow deflected behind as Worcester’s wait for their first win this year continues.