WORCESTER City produced the mother of all comebacks in amazing scenes at St George's Lane.

Trailing Tamworth 3-0 with only nine minutes of normal time remaining, Richard Dryden's men somehow managed to escape with a draw.

Pumping long balls forward at every opportunity in driving rain, which lashed down throughout, in an effort to claw their way back, Ryan Clarke popped up in the 81st and 90th minutes to cut City's arrears.

Substitute Troy Wood then flicked the ball home with literally the last kick of the game in the fourth minute of stoppage-time following Jamie Price's free-kick to send the home crowd into hysteria.

Even by City's standards - a team that are no strangers to finding late goals and came back from two down in the final minutes at Boston in October - this was something special.

It was just a shame that all of the 826 crowd weren't there to witness it as some had turned their back on the game with City 3-1 behind.

The atrocious weather and the fact it looked like Dryden's side had given themselves too much to do were no doubt prominent factors.

The hosts were one down after nine minutes and had conceded again within 60 seconds as the result of shoddy defending.

Tamworth then increased their lead with a penalty, harshly awarded against Price for handball, against the run of play on 68 minutes, before City, with Mark Danks on as a surprise substitute, worked their magic.

Matt Dinsmore returned to the side to partner Craig Wilding up front, while Price was preferred in midfield to Wood in the absence of the suspended Emeka Nwadike.

Tamworth made a late change when Dave Bampton was injured in the warm-up and Jake Sheridan was drafted in off the bench.

Ironically, Bampton's misfortune worked in the visitors' favour as it was Sheridan who put them ahead.

Gareth Sheldon's cross from the left evaded the outstretched leg of Rapinder Gill as it skimmed across the saturated surface and fell kindly for Sheridan in acres of space. He then calmly moved the ball out of his feet and slammed it low to Cameron Belford's right.

Worse was to follow. No sooner had City kicked off then they had conceded a free-kick out on the left. Former Kidderminster Harriers midfielder Sheldon whipped in the ball and the City defence stood static as it fell to Sheridan to turn and beat Belford with ease.

A shell-shocked Worcester began to regroup but, as at Kettering seven days before, were unable to register a serious effort on goal despite their possession.

Gill's torrid afternoon at the hands of Sheridan didn't get any better as he was booked for a scything challenge on the Tamworth man before getting skinned by a fine piece of skill on the edge of the area.

City's makeshift left-back was duly replaced at the interval by Wood who moved into midfield with Price filling in at the back.

Once Lambs skipper Martin Foster had fired a 50th minute shot at Belford it was all City. Jon Munday almost bundled the ball over the line from close range before Wood blasted wide and headed straight at Shaun Markie, on an emergency loan from Northampton.

However, all City's hard work was undone when the ball bounced awkwardly on to Price's arm in the box and referee Nick Hobbis pointed to the spot. Colin Marrison sent Belford the wrong way from 12 yards and Tamworth looked safe.

However, the introduction of Danks added further impetus to City's attacks and David Burtoft's arrival for Dinsmore nine minutes later gave the hosts another option in midfield.

They had got one back within three minutes, Munday's header from Price's corner rebounding to Clarke and he drove the ball into the bottom corner.

City kept pressing and Wilding's 89th-minute strike was turned over by Markie. From the resulting corner, Clarke eventually prodded the ball home and suddenly Worcester sensed the unthinkable.

As injury-time elapsed it looked as though Tamworth would hang on. But, with seconds left, Price pumped another long free-kick into a crowded penalty area and Wood scrambled the ball into the roof of the net.

Tamworth barely had time to kick-off before referee Hobbis blew the final whistle on a match that will live long in the memory of City fans.

5:18pm Sunday 16th March 2008

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