WORCESTER showed their class today against a New side who looked throughout as though they were chasing their title rivals. The reigning champions must surely be the favourites for the league now, having dispatched their main opposition with such ease, and relishing prospect of a season filled with games such as this.
The match began with some very scrappy exchanges. Neither side could find a way to dominate possession and as a result the watching crowd had to wait until the 11th minute for the first real attempt at goal – a speculative New effort which was comfortably over the bar.
As the game went on though, Worcester began to gain the upper hand in the midfield battle. Blues player Lucian Weston once again proved his class: his distribution was excellent as he repeatedly picked out the runs of his forwards. As a result, his side began to hold onto the ball and could build attacks.
Their first goal came on the half-hour mark, with the ball finding its way to Kunal Desai who wasted no time in firing a shot across the keeper and into the bottom left of the New goal. Worcester support grew louder from the sideline as spectators could see they were now firmly on top.
Things went from bad to worse for New when, after ten minutes of almost constant attack, Worcester broke through again. Dominant left back Tim Squires made one of his trademark surging runs into the opposition half, and when New goalkeeper Sam Evans couldn’t hold on to his stinging shot, Kunal Desai was on hand to nod in his second goal.
At this point, with only five minutes left in the half, Worcester launched an all out display of fantastically free-flowing one-touch football to the delight of the thirty or so fans on the touchline. That they didn’t manage to score again in this period was more due to their own misfortune than any particular skill amongst the New defenders.
New may have hoped for a change of luck in the second half, but Worcester didn’t let up, carrying on from where they left off and playing some very attractive football. It took just five minutes for Desai to secure his hat-trick, receiving the ball from outstanding left winger Danny Plaxton and deftly chipping it over the onrushing goalkeeper to find the back of the net.
With the game effectively finished as a contest, New managed to take advantage of Worcester easing up to win two penalties in the space of two minutes, only managing to convert the second.
However, it was too little too late and the New players were all too aware of this. By the time Worcester managed to steal a scrappy goal with fifteen minutes left on the clock, both sides had accepted the result was secure.
The Worcester players were obviously delighted with their victory against a side that had been touted as rivals for the title, and will be hoping to maintain their 100% record next week. For New it seems to be a matter of reassessing their aspirations, with left winger James Sutton stating “We’re not title contenders, we’re just hoping to play Premier Division football next year.”
While it is premature to talk of relegation, they will certainly have to improve to maintain respectability in this division.
Desai-three for Worcester as New crumble
