But Witton manager Jim Vince will be pleased with the part his team played in an enthralling encounter that saw four goals scored inside the first quarter of an hour.

City hit the front after five minutes when Carl Moore broke Witton's offside trap to dance around Jon Worsnop to score.

Their advantage lasted less than 60 seconds before Sean Whalley swerved a stunning right-foot finish inside the far post following fine work by Carl Frost.

City's Adam Clayton picked out Ched Evans with a perfect cross after eight minutes and the striker made no mistake to head home past Worsnop.

Evans doubled his tally in his side's next attack as he glanced another header past hapless Worsnop on 13 minutes.

And he was denied a first half treble by a brilliant Tom Spearritt block as last season's FA Youth Cup finalists threatened to run riot.

Their momentum was checked halfway through the first period when manager Alex Gibson engineered a bizarre five-man substitution.

The hosts were forced into a switch of the own when Liam Brownhill limped off after a hefty challenge to be replaced by Adam Foy.

Undeterred, on the half hour Frost played in Whalley, only for the Albion forward to be hauled down by keeper Lawrence Matthewson.

Frost blasted the penalty straight down the middle, but saw it rebound off the bar.

Frost flashed a snapshot inches past the near post eight minutes before the break, before Moseley and Whalley combined to force Mattewson into the last save of the half.

Vince strengthened his suspect rearguard with the introduction of Brian Pritchard and Tony Barras and the second period was a more evenly contested affair.

Trialist Tristan Hendricks caught the eye with an energetic display after replacing Whalley, and he staked a claim for a contract with a wonder goal on 77 minutes.

Collecting the ball of fellow sub Chris Gaghan, Hendricks drifted across the edge of the penalty area before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the top corner.

His was the brightest moment in a scrappy finale, with Frost's back post header the closest Witton came to snatching a deserved draw.

STAR MAN: Alistair Brown - the teenager was an assured presence in defence against canny attackers.

Also took every opportunity to drive forward when he could.

WITTON: Worsnop, Alistair Brown, Hockenhull (Gaghan 73), Haughton (Barras 46), Furnival (Pritchard 46), Spearritt, Brownhill (Foy 20), Jones, Moseley (Haughton 73), Frost and Whalley (Hendricks 59).

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