Worcester City 0, Huddersfield Town 1

Dec 5 2005 By The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

AN ACCURATE swing of Chris Brandon's boot ensured 10-man Town cleared a tricky FA Cup hurdle at Worcester and booked a plum third-round trip to glamour club Chelsea.

The midfielder's sweet strike from the edge of the penalty area came in the 61st minute and rewarded the visitors' professional approach to a tricky tie which while not a classic, provided plenty of incident for the 4,163 shoehorned into St George's Lane and the wider audience via the BBC.

Town had been at a numerical disadvantage since the 43rd minute, when Danny Schofield was red carded for a second bookable offence.

There was no disputing the second yellow, brandished when Berkshire referee Iain Williamson ruled that the midfielder had taken a dive in the Worcester box.

But the first, shown after just five minutes for taking a free-kick too quickly, was more open to debate.

Luckily for Town, the Conference North side were already showing signs of fatigue, and had abandoned their close harrying tactics, by the time Schofield walked.

And even after taking a half-time breather, they were never able to put Town under any sustained pressure.

There were sporadic chances, but thanks to the bravery of goalkeeper Paul Rachubka and the cool work of centre-backs Nathan Clarke and David Mirfin, Town were able to ease to their 19th win in 22 clashes with non-league sides in the FA Cup.

Worcester player-manager Andy Preece, who had been hoping to take the sixth league scalp in Worcester's history, admitted: "I'm disappointed.