Glassgirls Hit Eight to Keep Title Challenge Rolling!

The Glassgirls put Coundon Court to the sword with four goals in each half as they recorded an eighth successive League win, with Macey Turvey and Amber Lawrence also on target.

“That was a very impressive afternoon’s work,” said manager Andy Fisher afterwards. “The pitch was as uneven as any we’ve played on, but we played as though it was never an issue to us. Some of the football we played was exceptional.

“Mill deserved her hat trick. The work she does leading the line is incredible, and a huge factor in our attacking strength. Cheryl is just such a tidy finisher. And Macey getting a goal was a lovely moment for her – she’s a rock for us, a proper centre back with an assassin’s mentality. I think that’s the first time I’ve seen her smile during a game!”

“I want to mention Keira Scarlett as well. She’s stepped up from the Under 18s and looked like she belongs every time she’s played. Some of the things she did today were really pleasing for us as coaches.

“And Lamby too, a goal on her comeback was another little landmark. But all round it was just a great team performance.”

Stourbridge could barely have got off to a better start, with a little less than three minutes played when Rogers swung a corner in from the right to be met by a thumping header from TURVEY, to her evident delight and that of all her teammates.

The goal set the template for the game, with Stour almost permanently camped in Coundon’s half, and it was no surprise when EDWARDS made it 2-0 with thirteen minutes played. Having already seen one attempt licked clear by the keeper, the striker made no mistake as she tucked away Rogers’ pull back from five yards.

Stour continued to press with both Courteney Murphy and Edwards again being denied by the keeper or defensive blocks, but it wasn’t until ten minutes from the break that ROGERS grabbed the third as she slipped the ball past the keeper having shaken off her marker and run onto Murphy’s through ball.

And four minutes before the interval EDWARDS had a second as she got in behind the defence down the right flank before cutting inside and beating the keeper with a pinpoint finish.

With the Stour defence rarely threatened, and Amie Preston in goal having little to do, the Glassgirls went looking for more goals after half time, and within two minutes ROGERS had nipped in with her second of the game as she found the net from Lili-Beth Bown’s perfectly weighted pass.

Aldred saw a driven shot kicked away by the keeper two minutes later, but there was some action in the Stourbridge penalty area as Preston held onto a shot struck straight at her with not enough power to cause any major worry.

Bown screwed an effort wide on the hour, but three minutes later EDWARDS was first to her hat trick as a corner was only half cleared to Meg Hadley who fed it back towards goal where the striker’s touch was enough to divert it past the keeper and into the bottom corner.

Hadley herself was almost on target with a shot that rolled past the far post, but it was left to the returning LAWRENCE to bag the seventh as Courteney Murphy swivelled to volley over a first time cross with the striker charging in to hammer it beyond the keeper with some relish.

The final flourish came ten minutes from time as ROGERS rounded off her own hat trick, and this one was pretty much all her own work as she took on any number of defenders in the area before squeezing a shot inside the far post.

There was time for Rogers to miss out on a fourth with a shot that rolled against a post, and for Coundon to see an effort cleared off the line, with the follow up hitting Preston’s left-hand upright in the final action of the afternoon.

STOURBRIDGE LINE-UP

Amie Preston, Keira Scarlett, Meg Hadley, Louisa Butcher, Macey Turvey, Ellie McGovern, Lili-Beth Bown, Courteney Murphy, Carly Aldred, Millie Rogers, Cheryl Edwards.

SUBSTITUTES

Jess Bate, Niamh Murphy, Alex Nicklin, Amber Lawrence (all used), Esme Moran (not used).