Men's First Team
Matches
Sat 03 Sep 2016
Peterborough Sports (FAC 1Q)
1
3
Stourbridge FC
Men's First Team
Peterborough Sports 1 Stourbridge 3 (FA Cup)

Peterborough Sports 1 Stourbridge 3 (FA Cup)

Richard Clark4 Sep 2016 - 08:51
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The Glassboys came from behind to progress to the Emirates FA Cup Second Qualifying Round.

The home side, who have started the season in fine form, pushed the Glassboys all the way, and had they not had a late goal ruled out in controversial circumstances, might have made life extremely difficult towards the end. However, it is Stourbridge who line up in Monday’s draw.

Gary Hackett named an unchanged line-up from Monday night’s win against Barwell, with only the addition of Jake Heath to the substitutes’ bench – seven substitutes being allowed in FA Cup ties.

Stourbridge were quickly into their stride as first Chris Lait saw a shot deflected wide, and then, from the resulting half-cleared corner, Tom Tonks dragging his effort past the far post. It was not one-way traffic, though, as Sports were close when Avelino Vierra’s cross seemed to take Josh Moreman a little by surprise, the ball bouncing off him before being cleared by Joe Hull.

The opening fifteen minutes proved to be relatively even but Stourbridge began to create chances as the half wore on. Luke Benbow’s run ended with a slightly over-hit pass to Lait as the home defence backed off, and then Benbow had a go from a free kick out on the left that cleared the crossbar by no great distance.

A bizarre moment on 20 minutes saw the Glassboys almost take the lead. A ball over the top from Kayelden Brown saw Matt Dodd get behind his marker and beat keeper Sam Vince to the bouncing ball, heading it beyond him and towards goal. Josh Sanders seemed to have the ball covered but got into something of a tangle, allowing it to gently rebound off the foot of the post before recovering to clear.

Three minutes later both Benbow and Hull saw efforts blocked at close range from a Tonks long throw and it began to look as though it might be a frustrating afternoon for the travelling Glassboys fans.

That feeling deepened with 33 minutes played as the home side took the lead a little against the general run of play with a simple goal. Oliver Medwynter swung in a cross from the right and Vierra found space between Dan Scarr and Kristian Green to plant a downward header beyond Matt Gould and just inside the post.

With their tails up, Sports lifted their game and went looking for a second. They might have got it too, as first Vierra turned Lewis Probert before getting in a shot from the edge of the area that Gould had to watch carefully as it bounced just in front of him, and then Moreman held the ball up well to give Lewis Webb an opening from 20 yards which was blazed well over the bar.

The Glassboys responded well, though, and were level four minutes from the break. Brown’s run almost took him through the Turbines’ defence, only for the ball to be knocked behind for a corner, from which Benbow saw his header blocked on the line. The ball was only half cleared, however, and Scarr controlled it well on the edge of the area before turning and volleying home, with Vince only able to get fingertips to it.

There were chances at either end in the early stages of the second period, with Tonks floating in a free kick for Brown, whose touch let him down as he looked to hit the ball first time as it dropped, and then Mark Jones heading over from Dan Lawlor’s cross at the other end.

A quick throw from Tonks allowed Dodd to get behind his man once more on 53 minutes, but the winger’s cross carried just a little too much power for Brown to be able to connect at the far post.

However, Stourbridge were ahead for the first time just two minutes later. Lait slipped a pass to Tonks in a central position, who lifted a clever ball over the back-pedalling Sanders for Benbow to loop a header beyond Vince.

Three minutes after that Benbow went close again with a shot from 15 yards that Vince went to his left to parry, but it was a temporary reprieve for the home side as Tonks gave Stourbridge breathing space with a stunning goal on the hour. Green’s clearance was met by Benbow just inside Sports’ half but his header down fell to Dave Cobb who looked to lay the ball off to Webb. However, Tonks beat him to the ball before looking up and lobbing the ball expertly over Vince and into the net from fully 50 yards.

To their credit, the Turbines kept battling and only a final ball was letting them down on occasions, whilst Scarr and Hull in particular were alert to any threat coming into the area, and if anything it was the Glassboys who looked most likely to add to the scoreline. Benbow went close twice in a minute with shots from the edge of the area that both went wide, whilst an attempt from substitute Drew Canavan was deflected into the path of Lait who had no time to react as the ball bounced off him and into the hands of the grateful Vince.

The one moment of conjecture in the game came on 78 minutes, as substitute Dan Clements curled in a cross from the Peterborough right that was perfect for the unmarked Mark Jones to soar and plant a header firmly beyond Gould that seemingly halved the deficit. However, to the surprise of most in the ground referee Martin Chester deemed that on offence had been committed by Vierra in tugging at Scarr’s shirt to prevent him getting in a challenge. If there was a tug it appeared minimal, and Sports could perhaps feel hard done by.

In truth that moment seemed to knock much of the stuffing out of the home side, and Stourbridge saw the remainder of the game out with little trouble. Hull was unlucky not to get his name on the scoresheet with a header from Canavan’s corner that Medwynter cleared off the line at the far post, whilst Brown saw his shot saved by Vince at the near post, but the Glassboys had done enough to earn the win against a team that never looked two levels below the visitors.

Highlights, courtesy of Non-League Football TV, can be seen at the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xotG42wkgZU

Match details

Match date

Sat 03 Sep 2016

Kickoff

15:00

Attendance

206
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