REDDITCH United endured a miserable start to the New Year following a 4-1 derby defeat against Worcester City.
Goals from Nathan Hayward and Charlie Lutz put Worcester in command only for teenager Omari Brown to halve the deficit for the Reds before the break at the Valley Stadium.
However, after Reece Flanagan saw a penalty saved, former Redditch striker Dan Sweeney restored Worcester’s two-goal lead before Hayward completed the scoring with his second of the game.
The result means the Reds sit sixth in the Southern League Premier Central table, outside of the play-off places on goal difference.
City broke the deadlock on 33 minutes when Hayward pounced on Tyrese Warmington’s stray pass and looped the ball back over the goalkeeper’s head and into the net from 25-yards out.
And Worcester struck again three minutes later as Lutz turned Sweeney’s low ball in from the right into the roof of the net from close range.
Redditch responded on the stroke of half time when Brown lashed a shot into the bottom left corner from inside the six-yard box after Worcester failed to deal with a corner from the right.
And the Reds won a penalty four minutes after the break as Danny King drew a foul in the box and the referee pointed to the spot.
However, Flanagan saw his spot kick to the left of the goal saved by Worcester goalkeeper Harley Price despite the shot-stopper appearing to come off his line before making the save.
And the Reds went close again soon after with Matty Warburton’s shot too hot to handle for Price who gathered the ball at the second attempt before it crossed the line.
However, Worcester restored their two-goal cushion on 54 minutes when Sweeney came back to haunt his former club with a first time finish into the bottom left corner from 15-yards out.
And the visitors made sure of the points on 66 minutes as the officials deemed Hayward’s shot to have crossed the line following a scramble in the box at a corner.
