The Stourbridge side showed two changes in the starting line-up from the previous Tuesday with Jack Duggan replacing Stuart Pierpoint at the heart of the defence and Aris Christophorou returning in place of the injured Aaron Forde with Connor Gater moving into central midfield as a result.

After a relatively quiet start to the proceedings, the contest opened up surprisingly early with plenty of action in a lively first period. The Glassboys looked more threatening in open play than had been the case on several occasions this season, however the defence had a torrid afternoon in the conditions trying to deal with a vibrant Grantham attack with the strong front combination of Jordan Hempenstall and Lee Shaw well supported by some fine wing-play from both flanks and runners from midfield.

In the 6th minute a throw-in from Tom Tonks on the left was delivered into Luke Benbow’s feet. He turned and hit a shot that took a deflection and home keeper Kieran Preston gathered. Grantham responded six minutes later with the ball laid back for Andrew Wright to strike a low near 30-yard drilled attempt that Matt Gould got safely behind and then soon afterwards a dangerous inswinging free-kick from Oliver Luto was flicked just past the far post by Gater on defensive duties for a corner. The visitors replied in the 16th minute with Westlake hitting a low angled shot from close to the right hand corner of the box through a gaggle of legs with Preston producing a sharp diving reaction save to keep his goal in-tact. Play switched quickly to the other end with Shaw guiding his header from Hempenstall’s chipped cross inches past Gould’s right-hand post. In the 19th minute Gater lifted a free-kick down the middle to the edge of the Grantham box where Broadhurst laid the ball back for Benbow to hit a low 20-yard shot that Preston collected and the keeper then quickly released the ball down the field for Shaw to get in behind the Stour back-line through the left channel area. The Gingerbreads striker lobbed the advancing Gould but could only watch on as his effort bounced up and hit the crossbar before falling to safety.

With 23 minutes played though the home side forged in-front. Shaw, on the left-hand side of the box, managed to cut a short pass back into the path of Andrew Wright and his low drive found the net despite the efforts of McCone on the goal-line. Grantham’s Danny Meadows picked up the first card of the contest on the half-hour mark for a foul on Tonks, which later led to the injured Glassboys midfielder being replaced at the break.

In the 33rd minute Gary Hackett’s men got back on level terms. The ball was swung over from the right and found Benbow beyond the far post. He squared a low centre across the face of the goal where home defender Tom Potts inadvertently slid the ball past his own keeper. Stourbridge joy proved short-lived however and the hosts went close to restoring their lead when from a left-wing flag-kick by Notts County loanee Sam Osborne, Hempenstall had a header cleared off the line by McCone, but in the 37th minute Grantham did get their noses back in-front. Osborne turned past Gater before combining with Shaw. His ball into the middle ricocheted out to Meadows in space on the right-hand side of the area and his daisy-cutter bobbled past the outstretched arm of the diving Gould into the net. Stourbridge responded with Benbow drawing a parried save by Preston away to his left, but a calamitous end of the half saw the Glassboys concede twice in quick succession. In the 45th minute Meadows lifted a cross over from the right which Gould came for but he failed to clear under pressure and Shaw subsequently looped a header past McCone on the line. Three minutes into stoppage time the visitors defence was at sixes and sevens again. Hempenstall was denied by a parried save by Gould, however the ball was retrieved and Michael Hollingsworth was able to poke home low under Gould to give Grantham a three-goal cushion at the interval.

Kyle Perry replaced Tonks for the start of the second period. To their credit Stourbridge did not roll over and they did make a fist of it after the re-start. In fact the visitors did have opportunities to possibly get back into the match in the first fifteen minutes of the half, but none were taken and hopes of an unlikely comeback of April 1991 proportions evaporated.

In the 47th minute Matt Dodd was fouled by Stefan Galinski just inside the right-hand side of the area, close to the by-line, however Preston made an excellent diving save to keep out Broadhurst’s spot-kick. Three minutes later Kaiman Anderson turned inside and hit a rising 20-yard shot that Preston was equal to and then in the 59th minute Anderson sent over a cross from the left that Preston palmed away. Dodd returned the ball with a chipped cross that saw Gater head against the crossbar.

Grantham hit back on 64 minutes when a clearance by McCone was picked up by Osbourne and he advanced before sending an angled low shot narrowly wide of the far post. Luke Shearer replaced Dodd a minute later as Stourbridge shuffled their pack. Shaw was thwarted by Gould at his near post after 71 minutes with the Stour stopper getting a hand to his close range effort before the visitors made their final change with 14 minutes remaining with Josh Green replacing Anderson.

Moments later Gater whipped in a fine free-kick that Preston touched onto the top of the crossbar and then at the other end Hempenstall went close from a Meadows right-wing corner with his header running just past the far post. In the 86th minute Hollingsworth hit a low angled shot narrowly wide before with the last action of the encounter Stourbridge grabbed another goal three minutes into time added on at the end. Green sent over a corner from the left and Perry shrugged off his marker before heading home at the near post. The referee blew for full time immediately after the re-start to bring an end to affairs.

Grantham completed a league double over the Glassboys for the second season running and remain unbeaten in nine meetings against Gary Hackett’s men since Stourbridge were switched to the NPL in 2014. The Lincolnshire side look a good bet to reach the play-offs having continued where they left off last season.

Stourbridge, meanwhile, suffered the 10th defeat of their stuttering league campaign in which they have struggled to find fluency and consistency and build up momentum with too many players underperforming, but they have a great chance to start putting things right and remind people what they are capable of next Saturday when promotion chasing Shaw Lane make their first ever visit to the War Memorial Ground.

Stourbridge - Gould, Christophorou, Westlake, McCone, Duggan, Tonks, Dodd, Broadhurst, Benbow, Anderson, Gater

Subs: Perry (for Tonks HT), Shearer (for Dodd 65 mins), Green (for Anderson 76 mins), Pierpoint, Hawk (not used)