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Stourbridge 2 Cinderford Town 3 - Match Report

Stourbridge 2 Cinderford Town 3 - Match Report

Nigel Gregg8 Nov 2018 - 17:25
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A lacklustre showing from the Glassboys was punished by two late goals from the visitors as Cinderford overcame the odds to snatch victory. (READ ON)

Stourbridge made six changes from the team that had defeated Lowestoft at home in the league two days earlier. Niall Maher replaced Wren in goal, Luke Benbow returned after missing Saturday's match due to family commitments, Stuart Pierpoint, Callum Powell and Jake Evans stepped up from the bench too and there was a debut in the centre of midfield for young midfielder Jamie Mastropierro who had previously come through the youth ranks at AFC Rushden & Diamonds. The Glassboys also named former WBA forward Cameron Walker amongst their substitutes.

The home side struggled to assert themselves in the first period with the visitors from the Forest of Dean area of Gloucestershire generally having the better of the play and in Dan MacDonald, a former Aston Villa trainee, they had the liveliest performer. With Benbow out of sorts and Greg Mills getting little joy up against his rival full-back, most of the Glassboys attacking intent for much of the evening came through the pace of Callum Powell.

There was a quiet start to proceedings on the pitch early on with most of the fireworks at that stage coming from a few blocks away into the night sky! In the 12th minute Benbow saw a 20-yard shot deflected over the bar for a corner and Cinderford responded three minutes later with a well crafted attack down the left that led to Craig Norman squandering a good chance in the middle as he lofted his shot over the bar when a more composed finish was required. The Division One South club threatened once more three minutes later with Norman providing a right-wing cross from the right that Richard Greaves headed over the bar.

Stourbridge were making little headway in the final third as their attacks were too easily broken up, however they did open up the visitors on 28 minutes with Steele pushing a close range effort wide after Powell had combined with Benbow.

Cinderford ended the half on the front foot. In the 37th minute Dan MacDonald fired a shot over from the edge of the box and then five minutes later he went even closer with a 25-yard free-kick that clipped the outside of Niall Maher's left-hand post.

In the final minute of the half, the Foresters were rewarded for their endeavours as they forged ahead. Norman fastened on to a flicked pass and he buried a low angled shot past Maher as the hosts appealed in vain for offside.

HT Stourbridge 0 Cinderford Town 1

This cup-tie was soon turned on its head early in the second-half as Stourbridge capitalised on two errors from Cinderford's second choice stopper Jordan Dibble to take the lead and also hold a man advantage over the visitors.

In the 47th minute a right-wing corner by Powell was fumbled by the keeper allowing Steele to tuck away the loose ball for the equalising goal. Nine minutes later Pierpoint floated a long free-kick into the box and Dibble was drawn from his line but again failed to gather the ball cleanly and in the ensuing scramble a shot from Steele was handled on the line by Matt MacDonald. He was red-carded and a penalty awarded. Mills stepped up and sent Dibble the wrong way.

Cameron Walker replaced Mills on 59 minutes and with the extra man in their favour the home side should have gone on to put the game to bed. To their credit though Cinderford refused to lie down and continued to battle gamely.

In the 65th minute a fine cross-field pass from Jake Evans enabled Powell to cut in off the left flank before hitting a shot that drifted wide before Cinderford quickly replied at the other end with Greaves diving to direct a free header wide at the far post from a right-wing corner for a let-off for the hosts.

Rydhel-Junior was introduced in place of Steele in the 67th minute for the second Stourbridge change of the night.

Jordan Dibble then proceeded to redeem himself for his earlier mistakes with some vital saves to deny Stourbridge a third.

In the 75th minute Aaron Hayden won a tackle to gain possession and his pass into Benbow was laid off first-time into the run of Powell and he cracked in a shot that was kept out by Dibble, albeit Powell's effort smacked him in the face and he required treatment afterwards.

Stourbridge made their third and final change at that point with Paul McCone replacing Mastropierro and this would prove to be an even more significant factor right at the death.

A quick short free-kick on 77 minutes from Powell to find Benbow saw the Stour striker get away a shot that was blocked by Dibble before Cinderford hit back in the 80th minute with Sam Turl rolling the ball into Dan MacDonald who got back to his feet after taking a tumble moments earlier and still had time to clip a shot from 20 yards just past Maher's left-hand upright and a minute later Robbie Atkinson hit a low shot from just outside the box that Maher saved down to his left.

Four minutes from time Cameron Walker harried Andy Lewis into conceding possession before striking a shot that Dibble touched over and then in the closing stages this tie unravelled again as frailties in the Stourbridge back-line were exposed. In the 88th minute Dan MacDonald split the home defence with a through pass that slipped Greaves in on goal. He was sent tumbling by Maher just inside the area and the Stour custodian was red-carded for denying a goalscoring opportunity.

Although youth team keeper Peter Hawk was amongst the Stourbridge substitutes, the home side had already made their permitted three changes, so an outfield player had to go between the sticks and Aris Christophorou took over the keeper's jersey. MacDonald converted the resulting spot-kick to restore parity.

The game was now 10 a side. The Cinderford bench seemed happy to settle for penalties knowing that the home side didn't have a regular keeper in goal, but their players had other ideas. Dan MacDonald cracked in a shot from 20 yards that drew a diving save from Christophorou that any keeper would have been proud of. Two minutes into stoppage time Powell fed Benbow in the right channel area and his shot was blocked by Dibble's legs and then a minute later Cinderford completed the turnaround in fortunes as the ball was rolled into Richard Greaves and the former Westfields striker struck an early shot past Christophorou to secure the Foresters a place in the last 16 at the expense of their higher ranked opponents.

Stourbridge - Maher, Hayden, Christophorou, Westlake, Pierpoint, Mastropierro. Powell, Evans, Benbow, Steele, Mills

Subs: Walker (for Mills 59 mins), Rydhel-Junior (for Steele 67 mins), McCone (for Mastropierro 75 mins), Edmonds-Hill, Hawk (not used)

RED CARD - Maher

BOOKED - Westlake

Supporters' Man of the Match - Jake Evans (supporters' draw won by Phil Payne)

Further reading