Ramsbottom United 1 Stourbridge 2

With manager Gary Hackett missing the trip due to back trouble, assistants Jon Ford and Mark Clifton took charge of a team that showed two changes from Saturday's fine home win against Blyth Spartans. Louis Harris and Drew Canavan came into the starting line-up, with Leon Broadhurst and Chris Lait making way.

A first half of few serious opportunities saw the home side first to threaten as Dan Scarr was forced to clear hurriedly from Sam Grimshaw as the Ramsbottom winger looked to shoot, and from the resulting corner a scramble in the goalmouth eventually saw Canavan clear the Glassboys' lines.

Stourbridge's first attempt on goal, 12 minutes in, saw Louis Harris's 20 yard shot clear the crossbar with something to spare, and then Justin Richards broke the defence four minutes later but was forced wide by the advancing Grant Shenton in the home goal with his eventual shot cleared.

Canavan tried his luck from 25 yards with 20 minutes gone, but was off target, whilst at the other end a teasing cross from Grimshaw was only parried by Lewis Solly, who was grateful to have Chris Knight on hand to clear for a corner.

Ramsbottom's general tempo was causing the Glassboys problems at times, but the final ball was often wayward, while Stourbridge in turn were finding it difficult to penetrate a resolute home defence and resorting mainly to efforts from distance, as on 32 minutes when Karl Hawley was the latest to shoot wide from 25 yards out.

A rare mistake from Knight allowed David Kuba-Kuba a sight of Solly's goal on 35 minutes, but the left-back recovered well to prevent a shot, whilst the final notable action saw a fine move involving Harris and Matt Dodd lead to Richards flicking the ball on for Tom Tonks, who, in keeping with the pattern to that point, could only shoot over the bar.

The second half began with the Glassboys pushing forward, and Harris was unfortunate to see his fierce shot blocked at the expense of a corner, but from the flag kick Stourbridge forged ahead as Scarr nodded down for Richards to poke the ball goalwards. Shenton did very well to keep his effort out but was powerless to prevent Hawley following up and prodding into the net.

For a while the home side, still to register a win this season, appeared to lose heart somewhat and the Glassboys began to capitalise on errors. Hawley nearly got through on 53 minutes only for the alert Shenton to race off his line and clear, and then a curling shot from Canavan was deflected just over the bar.

Stourbridge came closer still on 59 minutes as Richards lined up a free kick just outside the 'D'. His shot looked bound for the very top corner until Shenton managed to get enough of his fingertips to the ball to divert it onto the crossbar. Dodd, following up, had little time to adjust his body and managed only to direct it back onto the crossbar and down into the gratefully clutches of the keeper.

As with Solly's double heroics on Saturday, this turned out to be something of a pivotal moment in the game, as the Rams woke up to the possibilty of salvaging something, and gradually began to force the pace. Several balls into Solly's area were cleared, not all of them comfortably, and Ramsbottom forced a number of corners.

And their endeavour paid off on 73 minutes, although not without a degree of assistance from Stuart Pierpoint who tussled with an attacker on the edge of the penalty area at a free-kick and was adjudged by the assistant to have been the guilty party. From the resulting free kick, Solly did well to parry but could not prevent Andy Dawson from forcing the rebound over the line.

Ramsbottom now looked the more likely winners, although Harris did fire over again from 20 yards after being set up by Hawley on 77 minutes.

There was a major let-off for the Glassboys defence on 79 minutes as the ball appeared to strike both of Solly's posts, with Lee Gaskell only able to prod it wide of the upright as it rebounded, and then a minute late Max Harrop fizzed a shot just wide of the opposite post.

The Glassboys were finding it hard to create clear openings, perhaps being guilty of just trying to force things a little too much, but there was to be a sting in the tail of the game two minutes into stoppage time. Richards did well to hold the ball up and find substitute Chris Lait down the left, and he wriggled through a gap in the home defence before showing great composure to measure a shot just out of Shenton's reach and inside the far post to win the match.