Glassgirls March on!

Esme Moran (pictured firing in her second goal of the afternoon) led the way with her second hat trick of the season as the Glassgirls ultimately overpowered a resilient visiting outfit in the War Memorial Grounds sunshine.

And there was good news from elsewhere as leaders Lichfield City went down to a 0-1 defeat at Kidderminster Harriers to blow the race wide open.

It leaves the Glassgirls four points off the top and with three matches in hand, as they also leapfrogged Sutton Coldfield Town – who do not play until Wednesday night at Redditch United – into second place.

Manager Andy Fisher was pleased with the afternoon’s work, but refused to get carried away with the day’s events and the news from Aggborough.

“It was a different challenge today against a team who have been up against it in recent weeks. We gave a few players a rest and that knocked our rhythm a little bit. And credit to them because they worked hard, and their keeper had an absolutely incredible game, but we always knew the goals would come eventually.”

“That Lichfield result is huge, but it just shows you anything can happen. We know we’ve still just got to concentrate on our own results, starting next Sunday at Crusaders.”

Stourbridge were in control throughout the game, but found it hard to break down a stubborn Tamworth defence until the closing stages when fitness really began to tell, and six of the nine goals came in the closing 20 minutes.

There was no sign of the Glassgirls labouring early on, and they opened the scoring as early as the second minute when a bit of trickery on the edge of the areas from AMBER LAWRENCE allowed her the chance to fire in off the inside of a post, and it was 2-0 on 15 minutes when ESME MORAN reacted quickest to a loose ball after Ellie McGovern’s shot had been parried by the keeper.

Moran found the keeper’s rams twice with free headers, and Cheryl Edwards saw a shot tipped onto the bar as Stourbridge poured forwards, and it was EDWARDS who eventually made it 3-0 with an instinctive finish after Niamh Murphy had nodded down Carly Aldred’s corner.

But Stour had just the three goals to show for their dominance at the break, despite Keren Allen and Murphy both going close, and it stayed that way for much of the second half until MURPHY finally bagged the fourth on 74 minutes with a composed finish after Aldred’s effort had been blocked.

From there the floodgates opened, as Tamworth’s exertions finally caught up with them. EDWARDS made it five from the penalty spot after breaking clear and being upended as she went round the keeper, whilst Lawrence twice saw shots produce saves, the first a good one, the second simply stunning.

But there was no holding Stour in the closing stages. MORAN grabbed her second, firing home after another fine save had denied her at the first attempt, and then RUBY MEESON sprinting clear seconds later for the seventh.

Another double save thwarted Meeson and then Edwards as she hunted her third hat trick of the season, only for Aldred to produce some magic on the right to tee up MORAN for her third of the game, and then Edwards to fire in a low cross which the keeper could only parry onto the legs of a hapless defender with the ball tricking over the line as a result.

(Photo: Paul Rose Photography)

STOURBRIDGE LINE-UP

Amie Preston, Jess Bate, Gee Thacker, Louisa Butcher, Sophie Heaselgrave, Ellie McGovern, Keren Allen, Esme Moran, Carly Aldred, Amber Lawrence, Cheryl Edwards.

SUBSTITUTES

Macey Turvey, Kiera Scarlett, Niamh Murphy, Ruby Meeson.