Worcester Raiders marked a historic afternoon at Claines Lane with a superb 3–1 victory over Larkhall Athletic, making the perfect start to their first-ever season at Step 4.

In the year the club celebrates its 25th anniversary, Raiders began life at the highest level in the club’s history with an impressive all-round performance and three deserved points.

Bright Start From Raiders

Despite being without influential captain Jordan Murphy and goalkeeper Charlie Emery, Raiders started brightly, pushing forward from the opening whistle and quickly taking control of the game.

Their positive approach was rewarded after just seven minutes.

Raiders 1–0 Larkhall

A handball inside the penalty area gave Raiders the opportunity to open the scoring from the spot.

Prince Henry stepped up and confidently fired his penalty into the top-right corner, writing his name into Worcester Raiders history as the first player to score for the club at Step 4.

Raiders continued to look dangerous and came close to doubling their advantage when Adam Taylor found himself in the six-yard box, only to see his effort fly over the crossbar.

The second goal wasn’t far away.

Raiders 2–0 Larkhall

A pinpoint delivery from Jake Donnelly was met by Cam Monteith, who directed a powerful header low into the corner to give Raiders a deserved two-goal advantage.

The hosts continued creating opportunities before the break, with Taylor having another difficult chance when a cross arrived slightly too high for him to direct his header towards goal.

Raiders went into half-time with a deserved 2–0 lead after an excellent opening 45 minutes.

Larkhall Respond – But Raiders Hit Back Immediately

The visitors started the second half strongly and pulled one back five minutes after the restart.

Raiders 2–1 Larkhall

An impressive solo run from Larkhall’s Ben Cleary ended with a composed finish beyond Raiders goalkeeper George Tideswell, who had stepped in for the unavailable Charlie Emery.

Suddenly the visitors had a route back into the contest – but Raiders’ response was immediate.

Raiders 3–1 Larkhall

Within a minute, Prince Henry struck again.

Henry unleashed an effort from outside the box which found the net to restore Raiders’ two-goal advantage and secure his second of the afternoon.

Larkhall appealed for a foul during the build-up, but the referee waved away the protests and the goal stood.

Raiders See Out Historic Victory

As the second half progressed, Raiders looked increasingly comfortable.

Tideswell produced an important piece of goalkeeping when he raced from his area to make an excellent challenge and deny a promising Larkhall attack.

Raiders’ confidence continued to grow and the visitors’ task became even more difficult when Ryan Beckinsale was dismissed after receiving a second yellow card.

From there, Raiders professionally saw out the remaining minutes to secure a memorable 3–1 victory and their first three points in Southern League football.

It was an excellent team performance throughout.

The back four were particularly impressive, with Player of the Match Sam Kelly producing an outstanding league debut. Ben Sanogo and Jordan Knodo worked tirelessly further forward, while goalscorers Prince Henry and Cam Monteith made their opportunities count.

George Tideswell also performed confidently between the posts, while the strength of the Raiders bench demonstrated the depth available to the management team for the challenges ahead.

A hugely encouraging afternoon for Worcester Raiders and a fitting way to begin another historic chapter in the club’s story.

25 years after the journey began, Worcester Raiders are now playing Step 4 football – and they’ve started with three points.

Full Time

Worcester Raiders 3–1 Larkhall Athletic

⚽ Prince Henry (2)
⚽ Cam Monteith

? Player of the Match: Sam Kelly

Next Home Game

Saturday 29 August 2026
FA Trophy
Worcester Raiders v Sutton Coldfield
? Claines Lane, Worcester, WR3 7SS
⏰ 3:00pm kick-off

Together Stronger. Up The Raiders. ⚔️