The Tigers let a two-goal advantage slip in the second half, as the home side netted three times within 30 minutes to secure their place in the next round.
Manager Craig Parry was devasted for his players at full-time: “I was disappointed with the result at the end, to concede with the last kick of the game is pretty gut-wrenching, and the same thing happened here last year.
For 70 minutes we were more than competitive and we gave a good account of ourselves whilst keeping to a solid game plan, but I think our game management in the last 20 was poor and it has cost us.
“For everything that we've gave and all the effort, and everything in the game, its worth nothing because we’re out of the competition.”
Worksop started the first half brightly, with Jacob Gratton delivering a brilliant outside-of-the-foot pass to Dan Bramall. Fresh off his midweek brace against Whitby Town, Bramall surged down the right wing and unleashed a shot that narrowly flew over the bar.
Radcliffe responded well to the early pressure and thought they had taken the lead when Josh Hancock’s header found the back of Tommy Taylor’s net. However, the effort was disallowed for offside. The game quickly opened up, with both sides creating opportunities.
Aaron Martin, making his first start, came close to curling a shot into the top corner, while Taylor made several crucial saves to keep Radcliffe at bay.
It was Worksop who broke the deadlock 10 minutes before halftime. Josh Wilde expertly intercepted a cross-field pass from Tom Walker and released Gratton down the left flank. Gratton drove past his marker and fired a low shot past Mateusz Hewelt. The ball just evaded Radcliffe defender Josh Wardle’s recovery attempt, crossing the line to give the Tigers the lead.
Worksop came out firing after the break and doubled their advantage within a minute. Bramall floated a precise cross to the back post, where substitute Liam Hughes headed it back across goal for Martin. While Martin’s initial header was saved, the rebound fell kindly to him, allowing him to nod the ball into the bottom corner unopposed for his first goal of the season.
The second goal seemed to ignite Radcliffe, who mounted a sustained second-half comeback led by debutant Danny Greenfield, Brad Jackson, and Hancock. The home side’s persistence paid off midway through the half when Hancock found space in the box, slipped the ball through a defender’s legs, and slotted coolly into the bottom corner.
Hughes nearly restored Worksop’s two-goal cushion, meeting Luke Hall’s cross with a volley that agonizingly clipped the outside of the post.
Radcliffe equalized 10 minutes later. Jackson broke down the right flank and delivered a dangerous cross. Though Worksop cleared the initial ball, it fell to Greenfield on the edge of the box. The debutant shifted onto his left foot and curled a stunning strike into the top corner.
The home side kept pushing and eventually found the winner. A chipped cross located Hancock on the edge of the box, and his clever reverse pass played in Jordan Hulme, who squared the ball for substitute Mo Doro to tap into an empty net at the back post.
Worksop will need to quickly put this result behind them as they turn their attention back to Northern Premier League action next weekend with a trip to Lancaster City.