Match Report

FC United maintained their unbeaten home record with a 1-1 draw against Worcester City at Broadhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.

FC United maintained their unbeaten home record with a 1-1 draw against Worcester City at Broadhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.

Coming into the game on the back of a narrow defeat at Salford City on Tuesday it was always going to be interesting to see how the Reds bounced back, but a well organised opponent and difficult conditions meant that the performance was far from the response many had expected against a team who had picked up just one point from their first four games.

Dale Johnson managed to put the Reds a goal up as he broke free and slotted under Nick Draper in the City goal after just 17 minutes and you may have been forgiven for thinking that three points was just a formality from there.

But if the home team ever needed a reminder that the game was far from over they got one just seconds after the restart as an unmarked Chekaine Steele somehow manged to put his header over the bar from inside the six-yard box.

It was a slow first half from FC United and this was punished just after the half hour mark as Colby Bishop’s looping header beat Dave Carnell and levelled the game.

The Reds returned to the pitch early for the second half looking hungry to get into the swing of things but it quickly became apparent that the away team would be happy with a point and set up to be difficult to break down and waste away any seconds they could at every available opportunity,

This coupled with heavy rain and a swirling wind around Broadhurst Park made for a very frustrating second half for the players and fans alike with FC reduced to long shots or even longer balls into the box that were easily picked up by a confident looking Draper.

George Thomson had returned to the starting line up having come from the bench midweek nursing a slight knock and last season’s player of the year looked like the man who would be the one to make anything happen, moving around to get the ball and looking to get the tempo going.

But chances were few and far between and this certainly wasn’t one of those games that you come away from wondering how we’d not got a winner, more a respect for the organisation the away team brought to the field.

In stoppage time another United attack was thwarted after Ebby Nelson-Addy committed a cynical pull back to stop the attack but collected his second yellow card in a move which saw all chance of a late goal killed off.

Three games in FC United have not yet lost at Broadhurst Park this term and if you compare to the corresponding fixtures last season (where we lost against all three opponents in Telford, Stockport and Worcester) it has to be considered as a strong start ahead of next weekend’s Bank Holiday double header.

Website man of the match: George Thomson – Looked the most confident and capable of the FC United players that could make a difference in a tight and often frustrating afternoon on the pitch.

Match Report by Craig Phillips.