Rampant Glassgirls Blast into First Round!

Esme Moran (pictured) led the way with a hat-trick, but it was another all-round team performance which ensured the home side could do nothing to halt the Glassgirls progress.

Stour will now look forward to a First Round tie on Sunday 14th November after reaching the First Round for a second consecutive season. With Tier Three teams including West Bromwich Albion and Wolves entering in Monday lunchtime’s draw the possibility of a plum draw is enticing, but there are also a number of clubs from Stourbridge’s level and below still in the competition, meaning hopes of further progress are very real.

Andy Fisher’s team could hardly have made a better start against their lower-level opponents. Less than a minute was on the clock when Moran lifted a cross in from the left which the Sporting keeper couldn’t hold, and ALEX NICKLIN was on hand to nod in from no more than a yard out.

Sporting responded immediately with a 20-yard effort that clipped the top of Amie Preston’s crossbar, and there were chances at either end in a frantic opening ten minutes, notably when Millie Rogers fired straight at the keeper when put through by Nicklin, and then when Preston had to claw away a cross that almost crept inside the post.

Stour made it two, however, on 14 minutes as MORAN met Carly Aldred’s inswinging corner to head home, and the same combination produced exactly the same result on 36 minutes to add a third. Nicklin saw a shot well saved by the keeper’s feet in between as Stour looked to make their advantage count, but Sporting battled to reduce the deficit and did pull a goal back with 42 minutes played as another cross from the right flew over Preston and in off the far post.

Stour’s response was instant, though, and the lead was back to three goals as LILI-BETH BOWN reacted quickest to a misplaced defensive header to steer the ball home and give the Glassgirls a 4-1 interval lead.

Rogers and Hannah Fishwick both had openings early in the second half, but Stour had to wait until just past the hour for a fifth goal, when MORAN buried the ball from the spot after Fishwick had been brought down, and ROGERS then earned reward for her tireless display leading the line, turning in from close range after some excellent work by Aldred and Fishwick.

With the home side tiring, the Glassgirls pressed forward and were awarded another spot kick when EDWARDS was felled, the substitute picking herself up to make it seven with a tidy finish, and she made it eight five minutes from time, taking on and beating the last defender before slotting low to the keeper’s left.

The final goal came in stoppage time with NICKLIN ending what she had begun, picking herself up off the floor after being brought down – with the referee playing a good advantage, and tucking her finish into the bottom corner.

“That was a very professional performance,” said Fisher after the game. “I thought we were spot on in every respect, and we never really gave them a sniff once we had made the early breakthroughs.

“There were a lot of potential excuses out there if we wanted to look for them. Small pitch, horrible surface, blustery weather, physical opponents, but we said before the game that it would be all about our attitude and that was bang on from minute one.

“Massive credit to the players, they should give themselves a big pat on the back after that. That’s a big tick in the box today.

“I’ve got to say a word about the squad too. There were seven subs today, all quality players, all well worth their place here. But the rules say we can only use three of them. So whichever way I slice it I’ve got four players who’ve stood there in the wind and rain for 90 minutes, and I know they’re disappointed not to get on. But they are the reason we are what we are. Because we have that depth and that strength that pushes everyone week in, week out, in training and on matchdays. So they deserve their share of the credit too.”

With an eye on Monday’s draw, Fisher was philosophical about the possibilities.

“Every manager will tell you the same. We don’t care who we get, we just want to be at home! There are teams from tier three down to tier six in the draw, so who knows what we’ll get, but to have another crack at a big occasion down at the War Memorial would be fantastic.”