Fresh from their County Cup Final victory in midweek, Worcester City returned to league action for the final time this season. However, it was the visitors who started the brighter, as a shot from a Spalding corner forced an early save from goalkeeper Sam Kane.

City were presented with a golden opportunity to take the lead when a lofted pass found Charlie Lutz through on goal. Lutz managed to flick the ball over the advancing keeper but lost his footing at a crucial moment, preventing him from getting a shot away as the game remained goalless.

Spalding threatened again soon after, coming close on two separate occasions. Curtis Thompson and Bartosz Cybulski both tested the in-form Kane, who reacted well to get a hand to each effort and clear the danger.

The visitors eventually made their pressure count, as Tom Pugh struck a superb effort from outside the area, beyond the reach of Kane, to break the deadlock.

City looked to respond and nearly found an equaliser from a long throw by Charlie Wise, but the delivery evaded everyone in the box as Spalding continued to assert their dominance.

That dominance was reflected in the scoreline before the break, as Bartosz Cybulski doubled the visitors’ lead. Good work from Abduramane Sani created the opportunity, allowing Cybulski to calmly finish past Kane and give Spalding a 2-0 advantage at half-time.

Worcester made a fast start to the second half and were rewarded within minutes of the restart. Logan Stoddart was played through on goal and finished well to pull one back for City just three minutes after the interval.

Any hopes of a sustained comeback were quickly halted, however, as Jack Roberts completed a well-worked team move to restore Spalding’s two-goal cushion.

City continued to battle and reduced the deficit once again when substitute Zac Guinan reacted quickest to finish from close range following a scramble in the box.

Spalding responded once more, with Cybulski adding his second of the afternoon to re-establish a two-goal lead at 4-2.

Yet City refused to give in. Charlie Lutz brought Worcester back into contention for a third time, meeting a long ball and producing a composed looping finish over the goalkeeper.

The comeback was completed late on when Charlie Wise capitalised on a defensive lapse from a corner, poking home from close range to draw City level.

Both sides pushed for a winner in the closing stages, but no further chances were converted, and the match ended in a thrilling 4-4 draw.

Following a successful return to Step 3, alongside retaining the County Cup, the club would like to thank all supporters for their continued backing throughout the campaign and looks forward to welcoming everyone back to Sixways for pre-season.

Match report by Harry Wilcox