Deasy at the Double!

Deasy (pictured) scored once in each half to put the Glassgirls in command, but the home side got back into the game with a goal just before the hour and Stourbridge had their work cut out in the dying stages to ensure they came home with the win.

“I’ll take the three points all day long, and move on to the next game!” was manager Andy Fisher’s post-match assessment. “We were nowhere near our best, particularly once they pulled a goal back, but we dug in and we made sure we got the win.

“They will make life difficult for any team that comes here, and they will take points off other teams when you might not expect it. Right now, I can’t say I’m totally happy because there are things we didn’t do as well as I would have liked, but as the season goes on I think we might end up seeing this result in a better light.

“Look, we’ve got to be happy with nine points from four games. That’s beyond what our expectations were, but it’s still a case of one game at a time, no more than that.”

Deasy could have had Fisher’s side ahead within the opening 20 seconds as Alex Nicklin’s first time ball saw her surge into the box unmarked, but as the ball sat up the striker’s finish let her down and her shot flew wide of the far post.

Within a minute, Niamh Murphy headed over from an Amber Lawrence corner, but despite that strong start there were signs that the home side would not be easy prey as they tightened up and limited further chances.

Amie Preston’s goal saw its first real threat with 14 minutes played as an ambitious effort from distance went not far over, but Stourbridge responded with a fizzing shot from Mill Rogers that hit the side netting, and then Lili-Beth Bown forced a good low save with a shot from just outside the area.

A good, quick break from Northampton led to an effort that didn’t match the build-up, going wide of Preston’s near post, before Stour took the lead with 20 minutes played as an excellent move saw Rogers play the ball into the path of NIAMH DEASY who stroked the ball past the keeper and just inside the far post.

Just after the half hour Stourbridge were close to doubling their lead as Lyndsey Glover’s cross to the far Post found Lawrence unmarked and her volley was very well saved low down at the near post, and then Deasy forced two more relatively straightforward saves as Stour pressed in the run-up to half time.

It was the home side, however, who came closest to adding to the scoreline before the break, with Preston first diving full stretch to her right to save an effort from distance, and then getting down low at the near post to divert another shot behind for a corner.

Despite a couple of enforced changes at the break, there was no immediate sign of the Glassgirls’ rhythm being affected, as NIAMH DEASY picked up her second of the game just two minutes in. Bown this time won the ball in the middle of the park and picked just the right moment to slip it through to Deasy for another cool finish.

Stourbridge perhaps relaxed a little at this point, and a couple of sloppy moments gave notice that the match was not over, warnings that went unheeded as FAVOR OMENAZU headed home from a free kick on 59 minutes.

Preston was called into action to deal with a close range effort with 68 minutes played, and with substitutions pepping up the home side Stour began to get pushed back, although they managed to prevent too many sightings of goal.

Deasy almost capitalised on a through ball but was denied by the keeper as she came out to save at the Stour player’s feet, whilst at the other end Preston did well under pressure to punch clear from a corner.

Stoppage time saw Deasy again come close as she closed down a clearance from the keeper with the ball trickling wide of the post, but that was the last meaningful action as Stour celebrated the points at full time.

Stourbridge line-up

Amie Preston, Lyndsey Glover, Zoe Clarke (Meg Hadley 61), Niamh Murphy (Sophie Levick HT), Sophie Heaselgrave, Lili-Beth Bown, Angie Morley (Keren Allen 71), Alex Nicklin, Amber Lawrence (Lili-Beth Bown HT), Niamh Deasy, Millie Rogers.