Rushall Olympic 3 Stourbridge 0

Chris Knight was able to shake off his Boxing Day injury to take his place in the starting line-up, and there were also recalls for Kyle Haynes and George Bowerman on a windy and grey afternoon at Dales Lane.

Playing up the slope and against the wind in the first half, Gary Hackett's men will have been pleased with the way the first 38 minutes went, until two goals before the interval undid much of that good work.

It was the Glassboys who had the first opening n 7 minutes, Luke Benbow latching onto Bowerman's pass before turning his defender and getting in a shot that Cameron Belford in the home goal did well to palm away.

Dean Coleman was forced into his first save of the afternoon after 16 minutes, when Chris Lait ran across the home defence before shooting from the edge of the area, forcing the Stourbridge keeper to dive low to his right to parry.

Rushall were having most of the play but several crosses were overhit and the Stourbridge defence was generally coping well. Both Benbow and Bowerman had shots blocked at close range, and Bowerman's dangerous low cross was hacked clear by Callum Williams.

However, it was Rushall who drew first blood 7 minutes before the interval. Chris Lait got to the byline on the right and put a low ball in at the near-post for Kris Taylor to turn home with the Stourbridge defence looking a little flat-footed.

Even then, Stourbridge would have been hopeful of turning the game round after the break, given the wind and slope in their favour, but the home side were to undermine that hope deep in stoppage time. An interchange of passes between Aaron Williams and Jake Heath left the latter clear to slide the ball past Coleman and put daylight between the two sides.

With it all to do, the Glassboys began the second half on the front foot as Leon Broadhurst headed over from Drew Canavan's free kick on 47 minutes, before on 55 minutes Benbow broke clear only to be denied by the legs of Belford in what was to prove Stourbridge's best chance of the half.

Benbow was denied again by Belford two minutes later in similar style to his first half effort, and as the ball dropped Callum Williams appeared to handle before clearing, although the referee deemed it to be accidental.

From this point, the Glassboys efforts largely petered out and it was Rushall who looked more likely to extend their lead than be pegged back. Josh Hawker pulled a shot wide when well placed on 70 minutes, but the home side were not to be denied nine minutes from time, when Aaron Williams finished off a curling cross from Taylor.

And they might have had a fourth near the end when only a last-ditch block from Keiran Morris prevented Coleman from being beaten again.

Stourbridge: Coleman, Bowerman, Brown (Fitzpatrick 57), Morris, Richards, Geohaghon, Haynes (Till 57), Broadhurst (Morgan-Parker 66), Benbow, Canavan, Knight.

Unused substitutes: Ramsey-Dickson, Tye.

Attendance: 327.