Lee Hughes: Worcester City striker banned for Gateshead FA Cup tie

Lee Hughes reached the fifth round, the furthest he has gone in the FA Cup, with Notts County in 2010

Worcester City will be without experienced top scorer Lee Hughes for this Saturday's FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie at Gateshead.

Hughes, who has scored seven goals in nine games since signing in September, misses out through suspension.

The 39-year-old was banned for four matches after being sent off in City's 2-0 win at FC United of Manchester.

"He's our leading scorer and of course you'll miss players of that quality," co-manager Carl Heeley told BBC Sport.

Hughes got the goal that set up the trip to Gateshead, netting the winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time winner in last Tuesday night's third qualifying round replay against Solihull Moors at Aggborough.

Worcester will have last season's Cup hero Sean Geddes available, despite his red card in Sunday's 1-0 National League North home defeat by Nuneaton Town.

Geddes became the sixth City player to receive a red card this season when he was sent off for dissent.

"We'll deal with that internally," added Heeley. "But he has been sent off for basically chatting back to the referee. I'm not happy with that."

Heeley himself was indignant, having felt that the free-kick which led to the visitors being awarded the decisive penalty should never have been allowed to have been taken.

"That was the worst refereeing performance I have ever seen at this level," Heeley told BBC Hereford & Worcester.

"He gives a free kick and books Ellis Deeney, so the game is dead. He needs to blow his whistle to start the game again. He then starts pacing it out to get our wall back, they take a quick free kick and he then gives a penalty, but the game's dead. It was a shocking decision."

"We were poor and it was a poor game, but it's sad when you work hard and you're undone by an awful referee."