Vanarama National League North
Jonny Bonell reports from Aggborough
Attendance: 577
TEN-MAN Worcester City picked up their first victory of the National League North campaign with a hard-fought, and fully deserved, 2-1 success against early pace-setters Lowestoft Town.
Daniel Nti was the star of the show as he scored one, created the other and proved too hot to handle all afternoon as Worcester claimed three points at the third time of asking in August.
A draw at Gainsborough and defeat to Tamworth had dampened early season optimism at Aggborough and it looked like it could be another long afternoon when Chris Henderson put the visitors ahead in the first half.
But goals from Nti and a Sean Geddes penalty – which sandwiched Ashley Vincent’s straight red card – turned the game on its head and ended Town’s 100 per cent start to their season.
The only effort of any note in a largely subdued opening 20 minutes came with less than 60 seconds on the clock as Henderson’s diagonal ball over the top caused havoc in the Worcester back line.
Nathan Vaughan came rushing out of his goal and missed the bouncing ball but luckily for the City stopper Daniel Crow somehow lobbed his effort over the top.
And it took until the 29th minutes for the next major chance – and subsequently the opening goal – to arrive as Henderson breached the hosts’ back four thanks to neat play from Crow and Jake Reed and rifled an effort into the top right corner from an acute angle.
Carl Heeley’s men responded well, however, and it took just nine minutes for them to get back on level terms when the giant Clayton McDonald headed on an Ellis Deeney cross and Nti reacted quickest to hook the ball past Jake Jessop.
But less than two minutes later the Blue and Whites’ hopes of a first league victory were dealt a major blow when an off-the-ball tussle between Vincent and Jack Ainsley saw the former Shrewsbury striker grapple his man round the neck and throw him to the ground. Referee Steve Copeland had no hesitation in brandishing a straight red.
The numerical advantage certainly wasn’t telling in the second period as Worcester came out fired up and should have taken the lead when Nti raced through on goal but Jessop made himself big and tipped the forward’s effort wide.
Pressure continued to fall on the visitors’ goal as McDonald’s pin-point cross was headed inches wide by Alex Gudger, the lively Nti’s curled effort was denied by Jessop before the Lowestoft stopper tipped over Geddes’ powerful drive.
Nti was proving a constant thorn in the Town side and despite screwing a shot over from ten yards he made amends with 15 minutes to go when he made a mockery of substitute Shaun Bammant and was felled by his man in the box to win a penalty.
As he did so often last season, Geddes calmly stepped up and stroked the ball down the middle to put City ahead.
And Worcester weren’t to rest on their laurels as both captain Deeney and Geddes both went close but the ten-men didn’t need another goal and saw out the win to claim their first three points of the season.