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. 

Report: Bromley 1-0 Worcester City - FA Cup 4th Qual Rd

CUP KING: Richard Pacquette
fires the winner for Bromley

IF anyone needed evidence that playing the beautiful game beautifully does not always win football matches, ten man Bromley’s FA Cup victory over Worcester City provided it.

Mark Goldberg’s team may not have passed the ball around with the finesse of their visitors, but essentially, there was purpose about their play in the final third. In the end, Bromley created much the better openings and deserved their place in the First Round for the fourth time in seven years.

Despite playing the last 15 minutes a man down following Moses Swaibu’s second yellow card, the hosts were still dangerous on the break and it came as no surprise when Richard Pacquette bundled home the last ditch winner.

Crestfallen Worcester players dropped to their knees as Bromley celebrated the winner. There was as much a sense of disbelief as gut wrenching disappointment.

But for all of the crisp passing and good possession, everything City did was in front of a stoic Bromley rearguard. Their performance lacked a dynamic edge where it mattered with key players Greg Mills and Danny Glover not involving themselves enough.

Worcester had more than enough about them to win this game, yet it had slipped from their grasp, and as frustrated City boss Carl Heeley booted a ball of the ground at full time it was clear he knew it.

It had started so well for the visitors with Tom Thorley going close with a free kick and Mills driving a fierce shot at home ‘keeper Joe Welch in the opening ten minutes.

Worcester were generally dominating, but Bromley soaked up the pressure and hit the channels early with the pace of Pierre Joseph-Dubios and Elliott Buchanan complimenting Pacquette’s physical presence up front.

Mike Jones’ jinking run set Pacquette away to drill a shot at Glyn Thompson’s legs before Buchanan missed the chance of the first half, scuffing well wide on the half volley from Sanchez Ming’s low centre.

Ming time and again exploited a weakness in City’s system, finding space down the right as Mills switched flanks leaving left back Ellis Deeney hopelessly exposed.

At the start of the second half, captain Ali Fuseini drove narrowly over from 25 yards after good work down the right by Buchanan, who headed Ming’s cross wide when well placed two minutes later.

Bromley’s pressure was relentless until the hour mark with a sitter falling to Danny Waldren but he sidefooted wide from Ming’s centre from ten yards with the goal at his mercy.  

The match calmed down as the visitors gained control, but there were no real openings for the visitors, even after Swaibu’s second yellow card ended up stretching the game.

The former Lincoln City defender mistimed a tackle from behind on substitute Danny Edwards leaving referee Craig Hicks little option, even if his first booking had been harsh.

Ming, however, was still providing an outball for the hosts while Jeromme Sobers, who came on to fill Swaibu’s void at centre half, coped manfully with City’s pressure.  

And Bromley saved the best for last with Ming’s 90^th minute cross half cleared as far as Fuseini who drilled the ball back across goal for Pacquette to slide in and grab the winner, sending the home crowd into raptures.

The hosts may be especially grateful to they scored when they did, as the goal finally jolted City’s misfiring attack into life with Glover seeing a shot deflected wide by Waldren before spurning their best chance with the last kick of the game.

A crescendo of whistles rang around Hayes Lane as Thompson punted a long kick forward onto Glover’s head. His flick on fell kindly for City substitute Michael Taylor who stole a march down the left side of the penalty area, but his shot rolled agonisingly wide of the far post with Welch beaten and the whistle that mattered was blown, along with Worcester’s FA Cup dreams.

The better side may not have won this game, but no one can argue that Bromley do not deserve their trip to League Two Fleetwood. Fifteen battled hardened minutes with ten men has earned Bromley another fifteen minutes of fame.

*Post match reaction with Worcester City boss Carl Heeley can be found here and here.

BROMLEY: Welch, Ming, Patterson, Fuseini, Swaibu, Harwood, Waldren, Jones (Malcolm 58), Joseph-Dubois (Sobers 77), Pacquette, Buchanan (Finn 66).

Unused subs: Howard, Rhule, Boateng, Daly.

Goal: Pacquette 90.

WORCESTER CITY: Thompson, Weir, Deeney, Thorley, Whitehead, Rowe, Breeze, Elvins, Symons (Edwards 74), Glover, Mills (Taylor 88).

Unused subs: Birley, Ayres, Polan, Khan, Sargeant (g/k).

STAR MAN: Ali Fuseini (Bromley)

Had his shaky moments, but his constant voice and presence in midfield guided his team through the tough parts of this clash. Gave Bromley the platform to get forward when they did get the ball, pinged good passes into key areas and got forward at the right times, setting up the winner late on when other central midfielders would have sat back with ten men. A massive influence on the result. 

News: Gardiner happy as Worcester City take shape

HAPPY: Matt Gardiner

WORCESTER’S assistant manager Matt Gardiner hailed the performance of his front men following a 3-1 win at Southern League Bashley with City’s squad beginning to take shape.

Gardiner said that he and manager Carl Heeley are getting closer to their starting XI for the opener at newly promoted Bradford Park Avenue in three weeks time, but insisted there are still places “up for grabs”.

City’s number two said: “I thought it was a really good game, Bashley gave us the workout we were looking for at this stage of pre-season.

“We played the lads for a little bit longer, and the message we try to give them in every game in terms of progression has come through – the way we moved the ball around looked good.”

“We’ve probably got seven or eight in place now, but there are still places up for grabs. The lads have done well but we’ve still got three more friendlies, and to be fair, I couldn’t name the starting XI for Bradford now, so everyone still has an opportunity.”

Danny Glover grabbed a quick-fire double to put the visitors on course for their victory at Bashley Road, and Gardiner was particularly happy with the performance of his strikers.

“We’re really happy with Danny, and our front four really, they all did very well.

“Danny’s partnership with Mike Symons’ looks like it is getting better with every game and that’s what we want at this stage of the season. I’m really pleased for both of them.

“Greg Mills has come back and done really well – he’s made a real impact and he’ll be a good addition if we can get him in.”

The final places in City’s squad seem set to go to current players or trialists though, as Gardiner said he wasn’t looking to add more new faces.

“Not at this stage” he said. “We’re happy with where we are at the moment, but we’ll see how it goes.”

Report: Bashley 1-3 Worcester City - Pre-season friendly

DOUBLE: Danny Glover

WORCESTER CITY came back from behind to win their pre-season friendly at Southern League Bashley with a powerful display despite playing over an hour with an outfield player in goal.

Danny Glover’s brace quickly turned the game around after James Stokoe’s strike before City’s Matt Sargeant was withdrawn with a groin strain and replaced by Rob Elvins between the sticks. Dan Polan made the result safe in the second half.

The lively Glover was in the thick of the action straight away, bursting through and cutting inside to rattle the post after only 17 seconds, and the game started with a high tempo as both teams attacked with purpose.

Charlie Knight impressed for Bash, shooting across goal and setting up Stokoe with his first chance but Sargeant saved well one-on-one.  The opener wasn’t far away though and Knight was involved again, crossing from the left for Stokoe to power a header home on 17 minutes.

The goal sparked City into life though and within four minutes Carl Heeley’s men were ahead.

The first came when Shabir Khan’s throw was laid off by Mike Symons for Glover to blast home from close range.

Two minutes after the leveller, the same players were involved again with Khan’s throw setting Symons away down the left to outmuscle Brad Strickland and cross for Glover to convert at the far post.

Sargeant’s withdrawal came minutes after as City’s young ‘keeper finally succumbed to a groin strain picked up from his first kicked clearance of the game, but Bashley didn’t really test stand-in Elvins other than Carlos Lompato’s header which was cleared off the line by Khan.

Worcester stayed in control as Symons should have done better with a close range header and winger Greg Mills rattled the crossbar on the stroke of half time.

Mills had a seemingly good shout for a penalty waved away shortly after the break as Tom Hill tangled with the former Telford flyer, but the second half saw less action with the introduction of substitutes from both sides.

One of the fresh faces, Dan Polan, scored the goal that settled the game for City seven minutes after his entrance – Polan’s direct run set Symons away to draw a smart low stop from Prodomo, but Polan was on hand to net the rebound.

Bashley’s Knight and City’s Charlie Reece traded chances late on, but the biggest cheer of the afternoon was saved for Worcester’s manager Carl Heeley who made a two minute cameo at the end, coming on for Stuart Whitehead.

TEAM NEWS

BASHLEY: Prodomo, Penny (Gazzard 53), Oliver, Strickland, Middleton, Finlay (Archbold 73), Knight, Hill (Hampton-Brown 65), Stokoe (Ferguson 72), Casey (Brookes 73), Lompato (Speechley-Price 56).

Goal: Stokoe 17.

WORCESTER CITY: Sargeant (Elvins 26), Weir,Khan (Edwards 46), Thorley (Denny 46), Whitehead (Heeley 88), Rowe (Ayres 46), Reece, Breeze, Symons, Glover (Polan 65), Mills.

Goals: Glover 19, 21, Polan 72.

REFEREE: Mr Will Bull (Winchester).