Advertisement

120 for City: throwback to when Terriers denied Worcester a dream FA Cup tie

Throwback: over 4,000 packed out St George's Lane for Worcester City's FA Cup tie with Huddersfield Town.
Throwback: over 4,000 packed out St George's Lane for Worcester City's FA Cup tie with Huddersfield Town.

WORCESTER City's 120th anniversary celebrations are a day closer now and as such, today's throwback focusses on a game not all that long ago on a cold December afternoon at St George's Lane.

We take you back to December 4, 2005 and the chance to re-live another City FA Cup memory that perhaps should have sparked something that would have rewritten the history books at the football club.

Worcester, then under manager Andy Preece, had began their cup run in style, scoring 10 goals in the opening two rounds against Bemerton Heath Harlequins and Tonbridge to set-up a final qualifying round tie at Accrington Stanley.

Having drawn the first game 1-1, City were two goals down after 15 minutes of the replay but they drew level thanks to goals from Chris Smith and Adam Webster.

With extra time looming, Rob Warner fired home to give City a truly memorable victory and see them into the first round.

They faced Chippenham Town and after the tie once more went to a replay, a 1-0 win secured their spot in the hat for the second-round.

The draw was made and handed City a home clash with League One outfit Huddersfield Town, 87 places higher than Preece's men in the English football pyramid.

The decision to show the Huddersfield game live on television was made before the Chippenham replay and a huge amount of planning was needed in a short space of time.

In the week leading up to the game the pitch had to be covered to ensure the game would be on, and given the weather in the lead up, it was just as well, otherwise the big day might not have happened.

Mark Bright was the co-commentator for the game and Mark Lawrenson provided the match analysis from a temporary studio on the Brookside.

With kick-off at 1.05pm to fit in with the live broadcast, fans poured in early, sensing a chance to create an upset against a side which had only lost 3 games that season.

Frustratingly, it was a case of what might have been. Players and fans alike probably felt it was an opportunity that passed them by.

The writing looked on the wall for the mother of all upsets when Huddersfield's Danny Schofield was sent-off just before half-time but City would not be able to take advantage.

Despite playing with ten men, a Chris Brandon goal around the hour mark was enough to give The Terriers a 1-0 win in front of the 4,163.

City had chances and there was a sense that on another day, the result could have been different and what made matters worse was that after the game, Huddersfield were drawn against English giants... Chelsea.

Had City managed to get through, the history of the club over the last 16 years might have been rewritten.

Talking after the game, Andy Preece admitted: "We wanted to make sure that we had no regrets, but I can’t help having them, I think we came up a bit short. I don’t care about Chelsea I just wanted to be in the hat."