A first half goal spree was enough for Worcester City to triumph in their FA Trophy second round replay against Shropshire rivals and Skrill North play-off contenders, AFC Telford United, to extend their unbeaten run to five games.

A first half header from Daniel Nti, followed by an Ellis Deeney goal and a smart finish from Aaron Williams bagged a hungry looking City an away tie with Hampshire outfit Aldershot of the Conference Premier in the next round as City stunned their high-flying counter parts.

Dominic Dell made his first start for City coming in for Ethan Moore, and Danny Glover returned to the starting eleven in place of Steven Leslie. Mike Phenix, Sean Cooke and Chris Lever all returned to the starting line-up for the Bucks.

City started brightly as they zipped the ball across the New Bucks Head pitch and carved out the first real chance of the game inside ten minutes. Danny Glover slipped a diagonal ball through to Daniel Nti in the area, only for the frontman’s fierce strike to be beaten away by Ryan Young, who was in fine form in Saturday’s draw.

City’s positive start was rewarded as Ellis Deeney’s twentieth minute back-post corner was met by the unmarked Daniel Nti, who nodded home into the bottom corner from inside the six yard box.

City doubled their lead just two minutes later as Ellis Deeney’s cross from around twenty-five yards out caught an unorganised Telford defence unaware and bounced into the bottom corner of Young’s goal.

Young was nearly caught out again in the twenty-seventh minute as the he failed to deal with George Williams’s long throw and Dominic Dell, who looked destined to bag his first goal in a City shirt, headed over the bar from just yards out with Ryan Young stranded just before the half-hour mark.

But just seconds later, the Blue and Whites, who have found goals hard to come by this season, trebled their lead as Dominic Dell’s through ball unleashed Aaron Williams inside the area, with the wide-man hammering the ball into Young’s bottom right hand corner.

City were running riot.

The Bucks created little with Farrell coming closest for the home side as his shot from the edge of the area bobbled wide of Veiga’s goal towards the end of the half.

City squandered a chance to make it four in first half stoppage time as Dominic Dell’s dynamic run saw him enter the Bucks area, unselfishly teeing glover, whose placed effort curled just wide of the post. City should have been out of sight.

Worcester were frustrating the hosts and the anguish of the United fans was palpable with boo’s ringing around the New Bucks Head greeting the half time whistle.

The visitors continued to threaten after the break and within ten minutes of the restart the lively Dominic Dell cut inside from the left hand side and struck a right footed effort from the edge of the area just past Young’s right hand post.

Despite leading by three, Ethan Moore was brought on for Dell midway through a second half that lacked the intensity of the first.

Nti, who played on the wide right where he finished on Saturday, lashed over on the half volley from George Williams’s long throw in the seventy-fifth minute.

Sean Cooke cut inside from the left but fired wide approaching the eighty minute mark, and Telford looked as if they were out of ideas to break down a stubborn City who have now kept twelve clean sheets this season.

Substitute Sean Clancy was fouled on the edge of the area on the eighty-minute mark for the hosts. But Tony Gray hammered his powerful free kick over the bar, and time was running out for the home side to have any chance of salvaging something from the game.

But the United continued to press, as Sean Cooke teed Sean Clancy with just minutes remaining, but the wide-man sent his speculative half volley straight into the hands of a diving Veiga, who, after Saturday’s heroics, had little to deal with in the City goal.

United came close in stoppage time as Sean Cooke struck the outside of Veiga’s neat post with a free kick from the edge of the area.

But it was too little too late and City’s first half goal spree was enough to ensure their place in the next round.

“We were fluent, we’ve took our chances and in all honesty it could have been more”, said Carl Heeley.

“It’s another clean sheet. We’re delighted with that, we take great pride in our defensive record. We’re incredibly tough to break down and all we needed to do was to try and covert a few of the chances and I’m delighted that we’ve actually done that this evening.

“It’s a great win for the club”, Heeley added.

Attention for City will now switch back to Skrill Conference North action with the visit of Oxford City to Aggborough on Sunday (3pm).

Report by Alex Harris