Stourbridge 1 Lye Town 0

It is likely to be a little while longer before Glassboys' supporters will see Billingham in competitive action as he continues his come-back with Cradley Town, but his goal tonight whets the appetite for what is hopefully to come.

Billingham had only been on the pitch for five minutes when his curling left-footed shot from just outside the penalty area just after the hour mark saw the ball arc beyond the despairing dive of Jake Bedford and into the far top corner.

It was a goal that typified what Stourbridge missed from Billingham for much of last season, and was worthy of settling more than just a pre-season warm-up match, although in truth for long stages this match looked anything but that.

Clearly relishing the prospect of upsetting their higher ranked neighbours, Lye never allowed the Glassboys to settle, although apart from a five-minute spell just past the midway point of the first half, Charlie Price in the home goal was rarely seriously stretched. To be fair, the same could be said for Bedford at the other end, with Billingham's strike the one moment of quality finishing.

Matt Dodd saw a couple of early efforts dealt with comfortably for the Glassboys, whilst Chris Knight, up from left back, tried his luck from distance more than once in the first half, without finding the target.

Lye's burst of pressure leading up to the half hour saw Price forced to tip away a header from his own defender, Dan Scarr, that looked as though it may have been drifting wide anyway, before Tom Overfield wriggled his way between the back line only for Price to smother at his feet.

Moments later Overfield should have opened the scoring but having rounded Price, he delayed his shot and as Stourbridge players scrambled back to cover he tried unsuccessfully to lay the ball back for a team-mate.

The second half brought few clear chances at either end, with the notable exception of Billingham's effort, as substitutions began to break up the flow of the game. Tom Tonks came closest to adding to Stourbridge's lead ten minutes from time, his strike from 15 yards seeming to take the slightest touch off a Lye defender making Bedford's save all the more impressive.

STOURBRIDGE LINE-UP: Price, Green (Connolly 57), Knight, Pierpoint, Scarr, Hayward (Harris 45), Tonks, Canavan (Broadhurst 45), Brown (Morgan-Parker 57), Dodd (Billingham 57), Chilton (McPike 70).

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES: None.

Attendance: 313.