Ilkeston 4 Stourbridge 3

Gary Hackett made two changes from Saturday's team against Workington. Tom Tonks and Brian Smikle had to make do with places on the bench, whilst Louis Harris, making his first start since sustaining a knee injury at Matlock last October, and Kayelden Brown came in. The home side, meanwhile, included the familiar figure of former Kidderminster Harriers and West Bromwich Albion striker Lee Hughes in their line-up.

The home side pressed from the start, and there was an early chance for them as Liam Marshall's far post header was kept out of the top corner by a fine save from Lewis Solly, but a goal did arrive on 12 minutes when Jonathan Edwards laid the ball off to Charlie Coulson and, his low finish beat Solly before going in off the post.

The Glassboys hit back immediately, with Lee Chilton's low cross grabbed by Evando Rachoni in the home goal, as Brown and Matt Dodd closed in. However, it was Ilkeston who were dominating as first Marcus Harness saw his shot deflected wide, Hughes had a shot comfortably held by Solly, and then the same player volleyed just over the crossbar.

Stourbridge were finding it hard to get to grips with Ilkeston's control and movement, and it was no surprise when the lead was doubled on 23 minutes. Dan Scarr's pas out of defence was picked off Danny Gordon, who found Edwards. He cut inside before unleashing a 25 yard shot that curled beyond Solly's dive and into the top corner.

The Glassboys' best move of the half on 32 minutes saw Brown battle his way through two or three Ilkeston challenges before feeding Chilton. He in turn put Dodd in down the left channel, only for the former Leamington man to screw his shot across the face of goal, with the advancing Karl Hawley unable to prod home.

That aside, the visitors were making few inroads, with almost all of the chances coming at the other end. Two goalmouth scrambles in the space of a minute saw Solly's goal somehow emerge unscathed, and Stourbridge were relieved to hear the half time whistle blow.

But the second half began with the Glassboys clearly feeling the effects of fleas in their collective ears. Within six minutes they were level, and within four more might well have been ahead.

First a deep 48th minute free-kick from Drew Canavan was headed goalwards by Stuart Pierpoint and Brown produced an acrobatic close-range volley that went in via the underside of the crossbar, and then Canavan's corner was met by the head of the unmarked Dan Scarr in the six-yard box to even things up.

And only four more minutes had passed when Harris worked a yard of space and let fly from distance with a shot that was bound for the top corner, only for Rachoni to stick out a hand a tip the ball over the bar.

Stung, Ilkeston came again, and their lead was restored with 58 minutes gone. A clever free kick move involving Oliver Luto, Gordon and Hughes saw the ball pulled back for Marshall to drill low beyond Solly into the corner.

And it was 4-2 just five minutes later, as Canavan lost the ball in midfield, allowing Edwards to play in Hughes with a through ball and the striker fired coolly post Solly with all the composure you would expect from a player who has played over 400 professional games.

Those twin set-backs might have deflated the Glassboys, but hopes of salvaging something from the game were given a boost after 68 minutes as Hawley found enough space in a crowded penalty area to hook the ball instinctively over his shoulder and into the net, after Scarr had headed on substitute Tonks's long throw.

On 72 minutes Dodd broke down the right and his cross to the far post was turned back by Brown, only for Rachoni to gather with Hawley lurking. At the other end, meanwhile, Solly was forced to tip an effort round the post, and then Coulson thought he had made it 5-3 only to see an offside flag raised, as Ilkeston sought to make the game safe.

With Stourbridge pressing and Ilkeston looking to counter-attack the final minutes saw half-chances at either end, but the game moved into stoppage time with no further score. However, the added minutes provided enough incident in themselves for some games.

First Chris Lait, on as substitute, twisted and turned to create space for a left-foot shot that looked to be going over. Rachoni, however, was taking no chances and tipped it over the bar. From the resulting corner there were vociferous appeals for handball against a Robins defender on the line, although neither official was in a position to have seen anything clearly and it must be debateable in any case whether there was intent.

Then a misjudged defensive header back to Rachoni was misjudged and looped over the keeper. Momentarily, it seemed Brown might pounce, albeit from a very narrow angle, but Rachoni recovered to get something on the ball at the expense of a corner.

For all the incident and drama, the game then ended on something of a sour note as a spat near the touchline saw Harness dismissed for the home side, and then, after another flare-up, Tonks suffer the same fate for the Glassboys.

Tremendous entertainment, then, and a laudable effort to almost retrieve a point from the game, but Ilkeston did enough by virtue of their first half dominance to deserve the win over all.