BRANDON Smalley scored an injury-time winner as Worcester City reignited their play-off hopes with a 1-0 victory against Needham Market.
Smalley scored five minutes into injury time at Sixways Stadium as City returned to winning ways against their play-off rivals.
The result means Worcester sit eighth in the Southern League Premier Central table, four points outside of the play-off places.
Needham looked to threaten early on as Jake Dye saw his cross from the right deflect off a City defender and strike the outside of the post.
And City goalkeeper Sam Kane then sprung low to his left to hold Marcel Lewis’s sliced effort following a short corner from the right.
Worcester responded with a chance of their own as Matt Richards saw his effort loop off a defender and inches past the post with Needham goalkeeper James Bradbrook scrambling across his line.
Kane then stuck out his right boot to keep out Kyle Hammond’s low shot after a cross from the left made its way to the Needham player at the back post in the box.
Needham felt they should have had a penalty before the break when Myles Cowling went down under a challenge from Luke Rowe in the box.
Kane came to Worcester’s rescue again after the interval as the City shot-stopper pushed Hammond’s powerful free-kick to safety.
The Worcester keeper then parried Cowling’s dipping effort from 25-yards out before he gathered the ball at the second attempt following a rapid counter attack.
A scramble in the Needham box saw Richards have an effort blocked after Smalley went to ground under a challenge in the penalty area.
The visitors almost caught Kane out in injury time as the keeper tipped Hammond’s lofted effort from distance behind for a corner when off his line.
However, City snatched the points at the death as Smalley guided Harry Burns’ pass into the left corner of the goal on the volley from 10-yards out.
