After a succession of soggy Saturdays so far this year, it was a fairly pleasant afternoon weather-wise as the Glassboys hosted Buxton as the first of a double header of meetings this month, with the Derbyshire side under the caretaker-managership of Tim Ryan after the club had parted company with Martin McIntosh last week.

Stourbridge made two changes to their starting ranks in the wake of Monday's home loss to Farsley Celtic. Matt Gould took his place between the sticks after being passed fit to play, while Chris Lait continued his comeback from long-term injury with his first start back in Stourbridge colours, in place of Luke Shearer. Anderson played up alongside Benbow in a two-pronged attack.

Shearer was amongst the substitutes, which also included Aaron Forde following his recovery from a hamstring injury and new on-loan signing Aaron Hayden.

Stourbridge began on the front-foot and in the 3rd minute Connor Gater won possession before finding Lait on the left. He delivered in an inswinging ball that Kaiman Anderson met with a side-foot volley that drew a fine diving save from Jan Budtz away to his right.

The resulting corner saw Budtz again called into action as the flag-kick from Tonks was met by the diving Broadhurst and the Buxton stopper had to touch his header over for another corner.

Buxton responded and the visitors felt hard done by with seven minutes gone as Joe McGee had a goal chalked off. Bradley Grayson looked to slip a forward pass inside into the path of Liam Hardy, who was flagged offside by the assistant, but the ball bisected Hardy and ran through towards the advancing McGee who turned it home past Gould. After the referee approached his assistant, the decision to rule out the goal stood with Hardy considered to have motioned towards the through ball.

The game settled down after that frentic start, but it was Buxton that drew first blood on the half-hour mark. A left-wing corner from McGee was palmed down by Gould, under pressure and then Broadhurst could only clear the ball away to the edge of the area where Alistair Taylor drove in a low shot that Tonks blocked, but Grayson reacted quickest to net the rebound from four yards.

Stourbridge looked to respond, but Gater lifted a 25-yard effort over after Tonks had laid the ball back into his path.

Buxton looked a threat on the counter and on 35 minutes a diagonal ball from Taylor found Grayson who twisted inside Christophorou on the right before clipping a shot beyond the far post.

Two minutes later, however, Stourbridge got back on level terms in fortuitous circumstances. A stray-looking cross-field pass from Gater was inadvertently headed back towards his own box by McGee with the ball dropping kindly to the feet of Luke Benbow, who drilled home a low left-foot shot inside Budtz right-hand post.

Buoyed by the equaliser, Stourbridge went close again five minutes later with Benbow sending a near post header off-target from a Tonks ball in from the right and then on the stroke of half-time Anderson fed Benbow who delivered a ball into the left channel area looking for Lait. He elected to shoot, rather than play the ball across for either Anderson or Tonks in the centre, however his curled effort was saved comfortably by Budtz.

Buxton made a bright start to the second period and initially pinned the home side back. The Peak District outfit went close to re-taking the lead on 50 minutes when a right-wing corner by Danny Amos was met by Liam Hardy at the back post who saw his hooked volley kicked off the line by Lait and then two minutes later Taylor curled a shot off-target from the left-hand side of the box.

Stourbridge hit back after 56 minutes. Aris Christophorou sent in a cross from the left and Benbow challenged for a header before Anderson picked up the pieces and then allowed Benbow to slip a short pass through to Lait inside the area, but Budtz, alive to the situation, made a close range save with his legs to keep out his shot.

Two minutes later a left-wing corner from Tonks saw Benbow flick a header that ran past the far post and then on 64 minutes Darryl Westlake supplied a free-kick into the run of Benbow. He turned the ball inside to Tonks who fired in a shot that Budtz batted down before grasping.

Stourbridge made their first change after 68 minutes with Forde taking the place of Gater, who had been cautioned a few minutes earlier.

Buxton were inches away from a second goal after 70 minutes when Taylor fed Jack Broadhead and he cracked a shot on goal that deflected off birthday-boy Stuart Pierpoint and bounced just past Gould's right-hand post with the Stourbridge custodian helpless.

Play soon switched to the other end where Christophorou found Benbow on the left-hand side of the area and his low cross-shot just evaded Broadhurst as he slid in at the far post.

Luke Shearer replaced the tiring Lait after 75 minutes and nine minutes later the two Stour substitutes combined with Shearer laying a pass back for Forde to curl a 20-yard shot narrowly wide.

A third and final change saw Edilson Antonio replace Tonks with three minutes remaining and a strong finish to the game saw Stourbridge come out on top.

In the 89th minute a raking pass by Broadhurst set up Benbow to arrow in a shot that Budtz parried well diving down to his right, but three minutes into stoppage time Broadhurst came up in the winning goal to the delight of the home faithful. Westlake played the ball down the line to Antonio. He crossed the ball in from the right, which Broadhurst collected before turning and hitting a low grasscutter from the edge of the area that bobbled inside the far bottom corner of the net.

After making a habit of conceding late goals in recent times, the boot was on the other foot for a change and Stourbridge claimed a morale-boosting win just when the visitors thought they had bagged a point.

The two sides meet again at Buxton this Saturday when Stourbridge will once again have to be on their mettle.

Stourbridge - Gould, Christophorou, Westlake, McCone, Pierpoint, Gater, Tonks, Broadhurst, Benbow, Anderson, Lait

Subs: Forde (for Gater 68 mins), Shearer (for Lait 75 mins), Antonio (for Tonks 87 mins), Hayden, Beasley (not used)

Booked - Gater

Att - 476

50/50 DRAW v BUXTON

The 50/50 draw was won by Dawn Jennings - the holder of ticket number 18426 - who took home £96.50 as a result.