Quiz: Name the 12 players with one goal for Worcester City since the start of 2017-18

HOW'S your knowledge of Worcester City's one-goal wonders? 

Some number crunching has flagged up 12 players who have notched once and once only while playing competitively in blue and white since the club moved to the Midland Football League in the summer of 2017.

All competitions are included but not friendlies and those who have scored once since but got goals prior to the MFL era are not on the list. 

Can you raid the memory bank and recall the dastardly dozen from the game they scored in? 

You have five minutes from clicking play. Enter surnames in the box and they will pop up if you're right. 

Speedway: Edinburgh's Richie Worrall turned down two Premiership offers

EDINBURGH Monarchs rider Richie Worrall revealed he had turned down two offers to double up in the Premiership in 2020. 

He returns to Armadale, the circuit at which he enjoyed so much success during the latter part of 2018, having recovered from breaking his ankle in four places in June last year. 

That ended his campaign with Poole and Leicester but while he is back and raring to go, he has his reasons for not taking on both of Britain's professional leagues this time. 

Pick up this week's Speedway Star magazine to find out why in an exclusive three-page feature in which Worrall talks about life away from the track, how speedway can be like Keeping Up with the Kardashians and the coronavirus crisis. 

It starts on page 39. 

ALSO IN THIS WEEK'S MAGAZINE

- Banking on Becker - Team boss Garry May on how his late team change should not affect the balance at Somerset (page 14)

- It's good to talk - Ipswich gaffer Ritchie Hawkins lifts the lid on how ringing round season ticket holders had lifted everyone's spirits (page 15)

South Normanton Athletic take voluntary relegation from Midland Football League

VOLUNTARY relegation seems set to take South Normanton Athletic back down two levels after being provisionally accepted back into the Central Midlands League.

The Shiners announced the decision to resign from the Midland Football League over the weekend despite being well placed for a best finish in club history.

Sat 11th in the Premier Division with games in hand on a cluster of clubs above them, Marc Strzyzewski's men had spent much of the season on the edge of the top six following two campaigns in the lower reaches of step five for the Derbyshire outfit.

Central Midlands League status would see a return to the level South Normanton, reformed in 2009, got promoted from in 2014. 

Chairman Phil Bailey said confirmation of step seven status for next season had been received on Tuesday (April 7 2020).

*To find out why the decision was taken and what direction Athletic hope to take from here, pick a copy of Sunday’s Non League Paper.

Report: Lymington Tn 3-1 Bournemouth - Wessex Premier

FRUSTRATED: Poppies
boss Ken Vaughan

AS much as Bournemouth Poppies will be sick of the sight of Lymington Town for one season, Ken Vaughan’s underachievers could learn a lot from the Southampton Road strugglers.

Andy Leader’s men completed a Wessex Premier double over the Poppies to put back to back league wins together for the first time this season and move out of the bottom two.

Their six point haul from matches against Bournemouth doubles their win tally for the campaign as the hard working New Foresters turned their visitors over through sheer determination.

Town shocked the Poppies with a 3-0 win at Victoria Park on the opening day but failed to win again in the league until December.

Leader was forced to completely rebuild his new side over the summer and is finally starting to reap the rewards, but in truth this was another Bournemouth display that was well short of what was required as inconsistency continues to frustrate Vaughan.

Having reached the FA Vase quarter-finals last term, Poppies were expected to mount a serious challenge this season with the likes of Scott Joyce and Fawzi Saadi on their team sheet.

But Joyce’s injury woes, along with the loss of dependable defender Wayne Crutcher to work commitments and popular keeper Max Frampton to Christchurch have left Vaughan juggling players at an alarming rate.

And the inconsistency in selection has made its way to the pitch, a fact proved by Poppies’ latest setback.

The visitors’ defence were absent without leave as Roy Viner and Luke Watts missed gilt-edged chances with close range headers in the opening ten minutes before Sam James flashed a shot narrowly wide of the far post with Kenny Vaughan Jnr stranded.

Former Bashley midfielder Matt Vokes waltzed through the middle of the park with ease to flash a shot just wide as the Poppies rarely looked like competing and it came as no surprise when Lymington finally got their breakthrough via another gift.

A poor clearance came back into the penalty area where Fawzi Saadi needlessly clattered into Vokes to concede the softest of spot-kicks which James duly despatched.

Watts cut into acres of space and floated an effort just wide and Poppies failed to heed the warning as another Viner effort whistled across goal on the half hour.

Bournemouth finally found their composure, stringing some passes together before the break but made little impact until the restart.

But Lymington were left to rue missing their multitude of chances two minutes after the break as Poppies hit back and seemed set to take the game by the scruff of the neck.

Saadi made up for his earlier aberration by planting Connor Phillips’ cut back low to Stuart Williamson’s left, levelling the match much to the relief of the visiting contingent. Poppies had got away with their first half pummelling, or so they thought.

The visitors were on the front foot but got caught by a sucker punch just after the hour as a long throw found Viner at the near post to turn Ollie Phillipson-Masters and rifle home via the crossbar.

It was another preventable goal and it hit Poppies hard. Vaughan’s men never recovered from the setback as a buoyant Town sought victory with gusto.

And the win the hosts craved was finally sealed with seven minutes to play as a half cleared corner fell to defender James Fry on the edge of the penalty area whose tame effort should have been saved but crept past Vaughan Jnr. 

However, there could be little argument that both teams got exactly what they deserved and the contrasting looks on the players' faces as they trudged off the pitch told its own story.

While they have struggled this season, Lymington have never thrown in the towel and their recent run is testament to that. As for Poppies, the white flag has been waved too often by talented but, at times, half-hearted players. Those behind the scenes at Victoria Park deserve better.

*POPPIES boss Ken Vaughan blasted his players in his post-match interview for the Bournemouth Echo. His thoughts can be found here.

LYMINGTON TOWN: Williamson, Baker, Blake (Gray 90+2), Fry, Ansell, Rizzo, James (Sen 70), Vokes, R Jones, Viner (Fairhurst 80), Watts.

Goals: James 25(p), Viner 62, Fry 83.

BOURNEMOUTH: Vaughan, Ayrton, Lockyer, Ward, Batchelor, Saadi (Bautista 85), Martinez (Warren 73), Phillipson-Masters, Joyce, Caslake (Clarke 64), Phillips. Unused subs: Watt, N Jones (g/k).

Goal: Saadi 47.

STAR MAN: Rhys Jones (Lymington Town)

Hard to pick anyone out from a fine team display, but Lymington’s pocket rocket worked tirelessly and showed more desire to win the ball against players with greater physical stature. Watts and James were a thorn in Poppies’ side all night too.

Report: Bashley 3-1 Kettering Town - Southern Premier

STAR MAN:
Rob Gradwell

FROM zero to hero in seven short days, Bashley fans just don’t know what to expect from Rob Gradwell.

The much-maligned striker’s abject display at Totton was the tip of an all-too-familiar iceberg, but his undoubted effort was finally matched with end product in this clash as he saved his side from an embarrassing defeat to basement boys Kettering Town.

Since scoring within a minute on his debut against Gosport Borough, the former Basingstoke forward has hardly wowed the crowd at Bashley Road.

And when he appeared from the bench with half an hour to play on Saturday, questions were asked as the hosts were in command but still seeking the killer touch.

Visiting centre half Henry Eze had been a vital component in Kettering’s ability to stifle the hosts, but the man mountain’s life became much more difficult as soon as Gradwell entered the fray and it became a matter of time before Bash blew the house down.

The Poppies dominated the opening 45 minutes, making the best of a sticky pitch, playing with verve and vigour against Frank Gray’s men who were clearly devoid of confidence.

Returning loanee Lewis Wilson added thrust to Town’s attack, showing strength and pace against Bashley’s backline.

The Northampton Town protégé’s snapshot on the turn forced Bash keeper Stuart Moore into a fine low save as early as the fourth minute before catching Ian Richardson in possession to draw another flying stop from the on-loan Reading custodian.

Both teams looked edgy and prone to error, but Kettering’s more incisive play saw them deservedly take the lead when Wilson latched onto Eze’s long ball, outmanoeuvring Richardson and stretching to prod beyond the on-rushing Moore.

The visitors gradually sat deeper once they got their noses in front but try as they might, everything Bash threw into the penalty area was comfortably dealt with by Eze with the home team looking visibly drained.

Bashley upped the ante after the restart but efforts on goal were speculative rather than spectacular as Josh Casey drew routine saves from Yannick Nlate.

That was, of course, until the hero of the hour arrived, pulling Eze all over the place with the rest of Kettering’s backline crumbling.

The space the burly front-man created allowed the likes of Casey and Charlie Knight to get on the ball and the former Salisbury City duo combined for Knight to test Nlate with a fizzing effort across goal before Gradwell’s header was hacked off the line by Chris Logan.

The leveller wasn’t far away though and it was that man Gradwell who made the breakthrough with some sublime skill, taking a great touch from Casey’s ball before playing a one-two with James Stokoe and sending a chip sailing over Nlate to equalise.

There was only going to be one winner from here as Logan again saved his side by denying Stokoe on the goal line, but Kettering never truly cleared and Knight cut in from the left to drill across Nlate, this time finding enough power to beat the on-loan Stoke City keeper.

Kettering still had their chances with Wilson shooting tamely at Moore and Ben Ford’s chip landing just over the crossbar as Bash threatened to implode.

But the persistence of Gradwell paid dividends again late on as he chased a lost cause, dispossessing Eze in the corner and rolling the ball back for Casey to cross for Stokoe whose far post volley settled the contest.

Bash will be hoping to see more of Gradwell’s great side. A meagre return of three goals in eight winless matches was suddenly matched in 14 second half minutes to hand Gray’s men a seven point cushion over the Southern Premier’s relegation places.

With the way Bash have battled in recent weeks, the size of that cushion surely depends on the goals for column.

Over to you Rob.

*BASHLEY boss Frank Gray shares his post match thoughts with the Bournemouth Echo here. 

BASHLEY: Moore, Strickland, Knight, Finlay, Middleton (Oliver 69), Richardson, Casey, Colson, Stokoe, Gamble, Hill (Gradwell 61). Unused subs: Stephenson, Gazzard, Kearn (g/k). 

Goals: Gradwell 74, Knight 77, Stokoe 88.

KETTERING TOWN: Nlate, Dossou (Hilliere 55, Ghaysi 66), Fox, Logan, Eze, Johnston, Noubissie, Hicks, Griffiths, Wilson, Ford. Unused subs: Pitharas, King, Muzvimbiri.

Goal: Wilson 28.

STAR MAN: Rob Gradwell (Bashley)

Tough call with Knight and Casey showing creativity as well as work rate and performing well, but Gradwell made the difference. Bashley’s failure to score goals seemed set to haunt them at a time they could least afford it until Gradwell came in. Always works hard and nice to see things finally click into place for the big man.