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- FT: City 2 (Withington 45+2, English 103) Shepshed 1 (Melbourne 1)
- LUKE English’s blockbuster saw 10-man Worcester City overcome Shepshed Dynamo 2-1 to reach the last 32 of the FA Vase.
- City survived conceding inside 36 seconds and Kurtis Mewies picking up a second yellow card just before the hour mark to go within four stages of a Wembley final.
- Going down to 10 men seemed to play into City’s hands with the visitors looking lost with the ball rather than playing over the top to a lively front three.
- Matt Melbourne’s direct run towards the right corner of the box caught the hosts by surprise with the Shepshed forward isolating his man before firing low across Dan Jezeph in the opening minute.
- To their credit City stuck to the plan and increasingly dominated the ball for the rest of the half, albeit with most of the play being in front of a well-drilled Dynamo backline.
- The half-time team talk would have changed two minutes past the 45 when Sean Brain hassled Reif Armstrong and cut back to Chris Withington to slam in from close range.
- It changed the mood but sustained attacks either way were few and far between in the second half, Liam Lockett going close with some trickery that saw Jake Betts awkwardly thump away.
- The flashpoint came in the 57th minute when Reece Morris’s clever lay off to find Liam Hurst’s run saw Mewies take leave of his senses and pull his rival’s shirt while on a booking. His dismissal was inevitable from that point despite the first card being harsh.
- City wobbled for a few minutes but soon regained composure and while Shepshed had all of the ball they rarely looked like forcing a credible opening.
- If anything, City looked more likely on the break but could not quite muster a decider in the 90 minutes.
- The pattern of play was much the same in extra-time with City finding the breakthrough two minutes before half-time of extra-time, Jordan Harrison’s header looping into the air for English to dart in and lash home from 15 yards.
- Shepshed continued to pressure without testing Jezeph other than Harry Wakefield's half-volley which was driven into the stopper’s chest.
- The sheer volume of bodies in the box made for a tense finish but there was no proper drama with City safely in the hat for tomorrow's draw.
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