Elite Play-Offs

Today we welcomed Bromley FC to our pitch at Perdiswell for an eagerly awaited quarter final fixture in the Elite Play-Offs. It was a very hot morning and the pitch was in excellent condition. Both teams had a number of key players out, so this was going to be a difficult one to call!

Q1 - As is often the case with two good teams, they tend to cancel each other out and this is what happened for long periods of the game. The early stages were a fairly scrappy affair with both teams limited to long range efforts. It was difficult to see how either side would break the other down and it was from a Bromley free kick which saw the deadlock broken. The ball was swung into the box and the bounce somehow managed to elude the Worcester keeper, the ball bounced over him and into the net. 0-1

Q2&3 - Bromley were largely content to sit back in the second and third quarters and soak up the Worcester pressure although Worcester did not really trouble them, as Worcester struggled to find a way back into the game. Worcester did have the ball in the net which was a fine headed effort from Tom Griffin although it was ruled out for offside. This was not a game for the faint hearted with both sides being committed in the challenge and tempers flared on occasions, such was the desire shown by all of the players. Bromley thought that they had scored a second but this too was ruled out as the ball hand gone straight out from a corner before being headed in at the back post.

It was following a change in formation which started to pay dividends for Worcester and they forced a number of corners but were still unable to find an equaliser. 0-1

Q4 - Worcester started the final quarter in a determined fashion and again thought that they had found an equaliser when Prince Henry beat the Bromley keeper with a low drive from the edge of the area only to see his effort ruled out for an offside infringement. Worcester deservedly drew level after a good ball up the line from Tom Mills found Prince Henry. Prince beat his man and delivered a pin point cross to the back post where Cameron Monteith beat the keeper with a low shot from close range. Worcester were now starting to dominate and with extra time looking increasingly likely they took the lead with a goal in the last minute of the game. The goal came from a free kick which was played to the back post by Olly Berry where Tristan Webby was on hand to power his header into the roof of the net from close range. 2-1

This was an extremely competitive game of football played between two good sides. The final whistle saw scenes of wild celebration from the Worcester boys – onto the semi-final!