Worcester City 1 Chorley 0: Magpies in FA Cup replay exit
Chorley’s FA Cup run came to an end at Sixways as Luke Rowe’s spectacular late strike earned Worcester City victory in the fourth qualifying round replay,.
Josh Ezewele’s late leveller at Victory Park had forced a 1-1 draw on Saturday and Chorley were left to count the cost of not seeing out the game after Mike Calveley had given them the lead.
On Tuesday night, the Magpies struggled to create clear opportunities throughout a cagey contest and were left frustrated after two second-half penalty appeals were waved away.
A slow opening saw the first attempt on goal arrive after 17 minutes, when Brandon Smalley wasted a good opportunity for the hosts, failing to slot home unmarked at the back post.
Chorley responded just after the half-hour mark, with Adam Blakeman’s driven free-kick forcing Cristiano Dzialuk into a save.
Elliot Taylor almost gave the visitors an unlikely lead before the break when the Worcester goalkeeper’s clearance struck him and narrowly avoided finding the net.
Andy Preece’s side continued to grow into the contest and were then left aggrieved in the 66th minute when Taylor appeared to be brought down inside the penalty area. However, the referee awarded a free-kick to Worcester instead.
The hosts began to pressure late on, with a series of dangerous corners testing Li-Bau Stowell and Chorley’s defence.
Chorley had one final set-piece opportunity in the 89th minute, but Jack Moore’s delivery evaded everyone at the far post.
Worcester settled the tie a minute later in emphatic fashion. Rowe met the ball with a stunning half-volley from outside the box, sending it into the top corner beyond Stowell to book the hosts’ place in the FA Cup first round proper.
Chorley must now turn their attention to Saturday’s league fixture against Buxton.
CHORLEY: Stowell, Moore (Popoola 90), Smith, Hunt, Blakeman (Bird 85), Bala (Whitehouse 90), Fielding (Cummins 90), Rowe (Horbury 81), Calveley, Clarke, Taylor. Subs not used: Henley.