Match Preview | Worcester City (A)
The Yeltz travel to the Sixways Stadium for a blockbuster Boxing Day clash with Worcester City for a 7th v 9th local battle
Head to Head
The first recorded meeting between the two in a competitive fixture was a 2-1 Yeltz win on the 27th December 1902. The same year Worcester were founded. The game was just one of two Yeltz wins against Worcester in 15 games at the start of the 20th century. Our poor record against the Blues continued all the way into the end of the last century. The Yeltz only won three of the 11 fixtures from 1981 to 1992. We then went on to win three successive games against them through 1993 and 94, but then proceeded to lose four in a row. Our best record against Worcester came from 1995 to 2000, where we went 10 games unbeaten in the fixture. The last league meeting between the pair before the one in August was in the 2003, before I was born in fact, where the Yeltz managed a 1-1 draw away from home. The last meeting was a 3-0 Yeltz defeat for the visitors in late August. The Yeltz went two behind inside the opening 25 minutes of the half. A Liam Lockett run and a Felix Miles finish in the centre were the carbon copy goals for the 6th minute opener and 21st minute goal that doubled the lead. The Yeltz failed to find a response before the half-time interval to the disgruntlement of the packed Yeltz faithful. Worcester added a third goal with just three minutes of the 90 remaining, as ex Yeltz striker Dan Sweeney, off the bench bent the ball into the top right corner.
Opposition Preview
Harley Price – Goalkeeper
The 19 year old joined Worcester on loan Championship side Derby County in September. The shot stopper is on loan until the New Year, and has featured in & started 18 league games, the last 18 in fact. Price made 18 appearances in the U18 Premier League last season.
Josh Bailey – Left Back
The 20 year old joined in the summer but his whereabouts on the pitch from April 2024 until then are unknown after leaving Shrewsbury Town. The left sided defender has the one EFL appearance in his career, and has featured in & started 15 of their 23 league games this season.
Paul Downing – Centre Back
The 34 year old joined in the summer from step 2 side Kidderminster Harriers, of whom he made 29 National League North appearances for last season. The 33 year old kept 10 clean sheets, and conceded just 16 goals (0.55 per game). This season, Downing has featured all but four of Worcester’s league games, starting all 19 of them.
Shay Palmer – Centre Back
The 27 year old signed in February from Bromsgrove Sporting having featured for the Rouslers 20 times in the league for the majority of last season, 16 of which of starts. The defender made 16 league appearances for City on the way to their promotion, and has featured in all but four this season, 13 of which starts.
Charlie Wise – Centre Back
The 30 year old 6ft 6inch former Bromsgrove man signed in the summer of 24, and featured in all but two of their regular league games last season, plus the two play-off games. This season, Wise has featured in & started 11 league games, and scored twice (a brace vs Bromsgrove in October).
Logan Stoddart – Right Back
The 30 year old the club in the summer of 23 from step 4 side Pershore Town, and featured in 32 league games last season. The right sided defender has featured 13 times this season in the league, 10 of which in the XI.
Harry Burns – Central Midfielder
The 26 year old signed in October from the Yeltz after making 10 league appearances, only one in the XI for us this season. The midfielder has featured 11 times for Worcester in the league, all but one in the XI, and scored three goals.
Musa Ceesay – Central Midfielder
The 28 year old, also ex Yeltz, featured for us 15 times in the league last season, just under half in the starting lineup. The midfielder also featured for Redditch United at the start and end of last season, where he made a combined 15 league games, all but one in the XI. This season, Ceesay has featured nine times in the league, all but two of which starts.
Nathan Hayward – Central Midfielder
The 33 year old, completing the trio of former Yeltz midfielders, signed for City in the summer of 24 from us. The midfielder racked up 21 league appearances last season, and has already matched that this season, all 21 of which starts.
Felix Miles – Central Midfielder
The 22 year old signed in October 2024 having previously been at Gloucester City, Stratford Town, and in Cheltenham Town’s academy. The midfielder featured in 33 league games last season, scoring 12 times, and has already made 20 this season, half of which starts, including four goals and two against the us in the reverse fixture.
Izak Reid – Central Midfielder
The 36 year old signed for City in the summer of 23, but has only featured the seven times in the league since the start of last season.
Luke Rowe – Central Midfielder
The 24 year old signed earlier this month from Stourbridge, of whom he spent just a month at this season, making eight league starts/appearances. The midfielder featured for Telford at the start of this season where he made six National League North appearances after winning promotion with them last season.
Liam Lockett – Attacking Midfielder
The 27 year old signed for City in the summer of 23, but also featured for the club between 2017-21. The creative midfielder featured in 37 league games last season, and is the only City player to have featured in every league game this season, 17 of which starts.
Kyle Belmonte – Attacking Midfielder
The 26 year old signed for Worcester in the summer of 23, and was a big part of their promotion to step 4. Last season, the creative midfielder featured all but three of their regular league games, scoring 13 goals on the way to promotion to step 3. This season Belmonte has featured 19 times in the league, all but two in the XI, scoring four goals in the process.
Zac Guinan – Striker
The 21 year old signed for City in the summer of 24. The strike was their top scorer last season, scoring 14 goals, and featuring all but three of their 40 regular league games on route to the playoffs. The former Cheltenham Town man has featured 16 times this league season, 10 of which starts, and scored the once.
Charlie Lutz – Striker
The 21 year old signed on loan from Aston Villa at the start of the month. The striker featured six times in the Premier League 2 for Villa’s academy, and proceeded to go on a loan move to Kidderminster Harriers and make nine National League North appearances. The young forward spent time on loan at Irish first division side Cork City, and featured nine times in their league. Lutz has made the two league appearances for Worcester, scoring once.
Dan Sweeney – Striker
The 27 year old former Yeltz striker featured for us on loan in the 2016/17 season at 18 for two months on loan from Kiddy Harriers. The striker signed for City this summer, having scored eight goals in 26 league games for Alvechurch last season. Sweeney is Worcester’s top scorer this season with nine league goals, and featured in all but two games, starting 18.
Connor Stanley – Right Winger
The 23 year old, soon to be 24, signed for Worcester last month after a short four month spell at Kettering Town. The right sided winger/midfielder featured for Manchester United’s academy until Nov 2021 and even had a loan spell in America beforehand, until he joined League One Bolton Wanderers. Last season, Stanley was a standout for Banbury United, scoring four times in 26 league games. This season he featured 17 times in the league for the Poppies, starting all but two of them, and has since made the three league starts/appearances for Worcester, scoring the once (a 97th minute equaliser away at top of the tree Spalding United)
Statistical Insight
Worcester
- Only Leiston (9) have scored more goals in the first 15 minutes of matches in this season’s Southern Premier Central than Worcester’s 8.
- Only Alvechurch (1) have conceded fewer goals in the first 15 minutes of matches in this season’s Southern Premier Central than Worcester’s 2.
- Only Bury Town & Needham Market (8) have had more games this season without a second half goal at home in the Southern Premier Central than Worcester’s 6.
- Only AFC Sudbury (11), Banbury United (10), and Bromsgrove Sporting & Royston Town (9) have conceded more goals in the 15 minute plus stoppage time period before half-time in this season’s Southern Premier Central than Worcester’s 8.
Halesowen
- Only Spalding United (36) have scored more second half goals this season in the Southern Premier Central than our 27.
- Only Spalding United (17) have scored more goals in the Southern Premier Central this season after the 76th minute than our 13.
- No other side in the Southern Premier Central this season have had more games without a first half goal at home than our 9.
- Only Royston Town (16), AFC Sudbury (15) & Leiston (14) have dropped more points in the Southern Premier Central this season from winning positions than our 13.