Glover wins it late for battling Glassgirls!

Lyndsey Glover’s goal three minutes from the end of extra time proved to be the difference in an entertaining and competitive match between two teams in good form near the top of Division 1 Midlands.

Leafield had battled back into the game with Kathryn Pagan’s second half goal cancelling out Sarah Hazell’s first half opener for Stourbridge, and the two teams looked to be heading for penalties before Glover’s late intervention.

Manager Andy Fisher felt his team got the result they deserved from a hard-fought game…

“A great game, a proper cup tie, which is what we knew we were going to get really. An afternoon of changes and rotation against a strong Leafield team who are doing well in the League and were always going to come and battle us and work us hard.

“I genuinely believe we dominated the game from minute one to the 120th minute. We’ve let them have a good chance, and they’ve scored off it, and we’ve got to learn from those moments.”

“They’re a good team, we knew they were a good team, but they’re better than probably what we thought in terms of the way they work hard. They don’t stop running, they’re aggressive with their tackles, they’ve got some quality players.”

And after the additional half hour, Fisher looked forward to preparations for next Sunday’s Vitality Women’s FA Cup tie away to Peterborough United.

“We’ll have to regroup, with a massive FA Cup tie next weekend. We didn’t really want to have to go into extra time but that’s what cup games bring. The good thing for us is we’ve got a big squad and some players coming back from injury over the next few weeks. It will be demanding but that’s what the squad depth is all about.”

Stourbridge had the better of the first half, but the resolute visiting defence kept most of their probing at bay, and it was 14 minutes before any serious penalty box action when Hazell couldn’t quite turn the ball home after an Amber Lawrence corner had bounced around the six-yard box.

But there was better fortune for the Glassgirls five minutes later as Niamh Deasy turned a through ball towards goal and SARAH HAZELL took it in her stride before chipping Colette Bell to perfection to put Stour 1-0 up.

Lawrence fed Deasy three minutes later, but the striker could only find the side netting after taking on her defender, and Deasy again went close on 36 minutes, lifting a left-foot shot over the bar after seizing on a misplaced defensive pass.

The visitors rang the changes at the break, including the introduction of leading scorer Chloe Shirley and dangerous wide player Pagan, but it was Stourbridge who continued to play on the front foot for the most part, although Leafield had the first half chance with a shot dragged wide from 20 yards.

Hazell fired at the keeper on 56 minutes after riding a challenge, but that was her last contribution as Fisher introduced Glover and Mill Rogers on the hour to pep up the Stour forward line.

With 70 minutes played, Deasy was all but celebrating a second goal that would have made life much more comfortable for the Glassgirls, as her header from Glover’s cross seemed bound for the top corner, but Bell sprung to her right to claw the ball away from under the bar.

It was an outstanding save that proved even more valuable just two minutes later as Leafield drew level with Shirley finding enough time and space on the right to pull the ball back across the penalty area where KATHRYN PAGAN was first to it to drive the ball beyond Amie Preston and into the far corner.

Stour came again as extra time drew nearer. Glover fired wide when set free down the right, then volleyed over after good work by Deasy and Rogers, and then Meg Hadley drifting a shot over Bell and the crossbar with the final kick of the ninety minutes.

The first half of extra time became something of a grind for both teams with only a half chance for Deasy early on, blocked by a defender after Bell couldn’t hold onto the ball, but Stour pushed on in the second period, with Bell again saving from Rogers, and then Thea Clearkin’s excellent driven ball across the face of goal crying out for a touch that nobody could apply.

But it was Stourbridge who would have the final say. The livewire Rogers attacked the visiting defence again before feeding Deasy on the left-hand side of the penalty area, and her low ball across the penalty area found the onrushing LYNDSEY GLOVER who just beat Bell and Alex Buck to turn it in at the far post to send Stour through!

(Photo - Anthony Dunn, Focus Dunn Sports Photography)

Stourbridge line-up

Amie Preston, Sophie Heaselgrave, Sophie Levick, Keren Allen (Lyndsey Glover 60), Jess Bate (Chelsea Jackson 111), Meg Hadley, Lili-Beth Bown (Ellie McGovern 73), Esme Moran, Amber Lawrence (Thea Clearkin 73), Sarah Hazell (Millie Rogers 60), Niamh Deasy.