It’s advantage City thanks to Elliot
ELLIOT Hartley came off the bench to put Worcester City in the driving seat in their Isuzu FA Vase semi-final with Great Wakering Rovers at Sixways Stadium.
The City substitute smashed home a fine winner to give his side the advantage ahead of Saturday’s second leg and extend their winning run to 23 matches.
But while City boss Chris Cornes said there is more to come from his players, he insists he won’t be taking anything for granted.
“We are not going to get carried away,” he said. “The players are disappointed because the performance wasn’t what it was in other big games this season.
“The environment we have created in the group means it takes care of itself, they will not get carried away. If you walked in our dressing room now, you would think we had drawn or lost.”
True to form, City started on the front foot and nearly got their noses in front on five minutes when Jordan Lymn fired narrowly over the bar from 25 yards.
Izah Reid also went close in the early exchanges, turning the ball into the side netting as he stretched to get on the end of a ball from Kyle Belmonte.
And the hosts should have taken the lead midway through the half when Lymn was slipped in behind and rounded keeper Luis Shamshaw but he could not get enough on his shot, allowing
Oliver Jenkins to recover and clear the ball away.
But it was the visitors who had the best chance of the half, Hafeez Elegushi stealing the ball and bursting through. But his touch around Hayden Whitcombe took him too wide meaning he could not get a shot away before the keeper recovered.
Rovers went close again into the restart, Harry Talbot rounding Whitcombe, only for the keeper to get back up and save the resulting shot.
City thought they had taken the lead on 66 minutes when Chris Knight headed the ball into the net from an Adam Mace corner, but referee Garreth Rhodes blew for a foul in the box.
But 10 minutes last Hartley’s crisp left footed effort bent the ball into the top corner from the edge of the box – a goal worthy of winning any cup tie.
Reid could have doubled their lead in the closing moments, but he slipped while shaping up to shoot and fired over the bar.
Wakering have it all to do in the second leg but boss Marcus Bowers insists they will not be fazed.
“We are disappointed but also pleased,” he said. “We deserved a goal today, our performance was good, it is probably the best we have played for a while.
“The boys dug deep and they stuck to the game plan.
“We will make chances against anyone because we are really good going forward. We are confident.”