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Lancaster City 0  Stourbridge 0 - Report

Lancaster City 0 Stourbridge 0 - Report

Nigel Gregg22 Apr 2018 - 16:56
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Stourbridge and Lancaster City played out a goal-less draw for the second time this season to share the spoils. (READ ON)

The home side will feel that they should have taken the three points, but some fine saves from Matt Gould helped keep them at bay.

This was the Glassboys first visit to the Giant Axe, a fine venue located in the shadow of the busy Lancaster mainline railway station, where in the quieter moments of the contest you could watch the trains come and go.

With Darryl Westlake ruled out with an ankle injury, teenage defender James Timmins was handed his first start at left-back, while Nicu Carnat returned to the side in place of the injured Tom Tonks after being cup-tied for Wednesday’s Birmingham Senior Cup semi-final.

The hot and humid conditions with two mid-table sides involved gave something of an end of season feel to the contest with the Glassboys looking a bit leg-weary after a busy of week of action. Indeed it was the hosts who started the brighter, although Stourbridge had the first clear chance of the game with 12 minutes gone when Chris Gallagher steered the ball into Carnat who dragged his low left-foot shot from 18 yards past the far post.

Nine minutes later the Glassboys had a let off with Ryan Winder sending over a corner from the right that Gould came for but missed, however Paul Jarvis was unable to direct his header on target. A good spell from the home side just after the half-hour mark saw Gould twice called into action. In the 31st minute Sam bailey delivered in a right-wing cross towards the near post area where Craig Carney hooked a first-time volley goal-wards that Gould had to tip over the bar and a minute later Bailey tested Gould with an angled drive that Gould saved down low to his right to divert the ball for a corner.

Aaron Forde replaced Josh Cooke with 54 minutes gone and shortly afterwards Stourbridge enjoyed their best passage of play. In the 58th minute Brad Birch lifted a ball forward for Luke Benbow to chase into the right-hand side of the box and his low centre from the by-line across the six-yard box just evaded Carnat in the middle. A minute later Benbow collected the ball and turned and hit a low shot wide while three minutes later Gallagher delivered in a corner from the left that was headed out to the feet of Forde who drilled his shot from 25 yards past the far post.

Lancaster responded six minutes later with a neat interchange of passes between Paul Dugdale, Carney and Wills leading to Carney firing a shot off-target from just outside the box.

Stourbridge made a second change with Brandon Hague replacing Carnat after 72 minutes, but it was still the hosts that looked the more dangerous. On 75 minutes Dugdale provided a cross from the left that was turned back across goal at the far post, however Carney missed his kick in-front of goal and the chance was gone.

Luke Shearer took over from Benbow a minute later for the Glassboys last throw of the dice.

In the 83rd minute Lancaster were awarded a free-kick just outside the right-hand edge of the box. Dugdale got his effort on target but Gould was well placed to save comfortably. Three minutes later Gould thwarted the hosts again as he stretched to his right to turn a shot from Ryan Winder from the right channel area past the far post and the Glassboys saw out the remaining time to earn a point that takes them up to 13th place in the congested mid-table section of the Evo-stik Premier table.

Stourbridge - Gould, Timmins, Cooke, McCone, Pierpoint, Gallagher, Birch, Broadhurst, Benbow, Hayden, Carnat

Subs: Forde (for Cooke 54 mins), Hague (for Carnat 72 mins), Shearer (for Benbow 76 mins), Antonio, Hawk (not used)

Booked - Hayden, Forde.

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