There was an unfamiliar look to the Stourbridge team sheet, with Kyle Haynes having opted to join Conference North Worcester City since the last home match, and Keiran Morris, Josh Morgan-Parker, Kayelden Brown and loanee Reece Webb all unavailable due to injury or illness. Manager Gary Hackett named new signings Tyrone Williams and Luke Connolly in the starting XI, whilst Josh Quaynor made his first home start.

The game could not have got off to a worse start for the Glassboys. With barely 30 seconds played, Paul Grimes spotted Dean Coleman off his line and tried a speculative 40-yard lob from out wide, which dipped perfectly under the crossbar to give the visitors the lead.

Although Luke Benbow hit back immediately with a low effort that forced Dan Haystead into a smart stop, that early set-back seemed to unsettle Stourbridge for a time, and Grantham could easily have gone further ahead. First, on 5 minutes, Michael Emmott found space six yards out only to be thwarted by the onrushing Coleman, and then from the resulting corner an unmarked Grimes headed wide of the upright.

Shortly afterwards, Benbow's afternoon came to a premature end as he looked to have tweaked his hamstring in stretching to control the ball and was replaced by Brian Smikle. With just 7 minutes on the clock it was yet another early injury in a season that has been littered with such mishaps.

Perhaps relieved still to be just one goal in arrears, Stourbridge began to find something of a foothold in the match and Jordan Fitzpatrick might have done better than drag his shot wide after 16 minutes, having worked some space on the edge of the area.

However, the Gingerbreads responded again through Rhus Lewis who headed over from a corner with Coleman beaten on 22 minutes, and then the Glassboys' keeper clutched the ball at the second attempt three minutes later after spilling a cross with Lewis again lurking.

The closing minutes of the half at last saw Stourbridge exert some pressure on the Grantham goal, and an equaliser came five minutes before the break. Referee Ian Smedley played a good advantage after Quaynor had been brought down on half-way, allowing Chris Knight to get away down the left wing, taking on and beating his full back before sending in a cross that Smikle, slightly off-balance, was able to head beyond Haystead.

With momentum in their favour, the Glassboys looked for another goal before the break. Two minutes later, Knight again crossed from the left forcing Haystead to punch clear under pressure from Hales, and the visitors will have been pleased to hear the half-time whistle.

Stourbridge took the game to Grantham again after the interval. Hales pounced on a loose back-header on 47 minutes to set up Jordan Fitzpatrick for a shot that flew wide, Williams met Drew Canavan's corner two minutes later with a volley that was also only just off-target, and then Canavan himself fired well over from 20 yards.

Almost inevitably after those missed chances, the Glassboys were made to pay on 54 minutes. A free kick from just outside the penalty area was drifted in and Ben Saunders reacted quickest to steal a march on the home defence and glance his header into the bottom corner.

From there on Stourbridge dominated proceedings to the extent that Coleman had little to do other than collect through balls and deal with back-passes for the remainder of the match. However, for all their pressure, Haystead was rarely called upon to deal with efforts on target.

Fitzpatrick forced the Grantham keeper into a save with his feet low down at his near post on 68 minutes and a Canavan free-kick after 79 minutes was held comfortably.

The best chance for Stourbridge came with ten minutes to play. Reece Hales's shot from 15 yards seemed to lack power but bobbled dangerously and Haystead could only parry it into the path of Smikle. However, he managed to spread himself sufficiently to smother the Stourbridge man's follow-up.

With that, the Glassboys hopes were gone as Grantham held on through the remaining moments with little serious alarm.

The defeat means Stourbridge remain in 11th place in the Evo-Stik League Premier Division table, with both King's Lynn Town in 12th and Rushall Olympic in 13th also losing.

Stourbridge: Coleman, Fitzpatrick, Quaynor, Williams, Hales, Geohaghon (McPike 79), Connolly, Broadhurst, Benbow (Smikle 7), Canavan, Knight.

Unused substitutes: Tye, Kalenda, Hill (gk).

Attendance: 367.