The opening ten minutes were controlled by City, with the best effort falling to Connor Stanley when the winger came close to stabbing home from a deflected pass out wide from Dan Sweeney.

A loose City pass then saw the ball fall to a visiting Stratford player, but the forward was unable to find a teammate in the area and Downing recovered to block the danger.

The following twenty minutes proved uneventful, as neither side was able to pose a real threat.

With five minutes remaining of the half, City began to spring into life, playing more attacking balls into the Town area, but the final touch to break the deadlock was missing.

Neither side managed a clear-cut chance before the break, with the match remaining goalless at the interval.

Minutes after the restart, City took a well-deserved lead as Dan Sweeney capitalised on a long throw at the back post to break the deadlock in an important fixture during the run-in.

Following the goal, City looked on top and threatened to add a second, while remaining disciplined in a low block when defending.

City had a great chance to double their lead when a defensive mishap allowed Sweeney to run through on goal, but his driven effort drifted narrowly past the post.

The visitors had a few chances of their own late in the second half, but none troubled goalkeeper Sam Kane.

With less than ten minutes remaining, Stratford created a few nervy moments, but City were able to relieve the pressure.

The game took a turn when Kory Roberts was shown a straight red card for bringing down Brandon Smalley on the edge of the area.

The red card brought an end to any remaining threat, as the fixture concluded with a vital 1-0 victory for Worcester City after nine minutes of added time.

City will be back on the road next Saturday with a long trip to mid-table side Bishop’s Stortford in the Southern League Premier Central.

Match report by Harry Wilcox