Stamford 2 Stourbridge 2

In what proved to be an entertaining game, despite a heavy pitch that was only passed fit after the efforts of Stamford supporters throughout the morning, the Glassboys led 2-0 with less than half an hour two play, only for the hosts to peg them back and take a share of the spoils.

Manager Gary Hackett made two changes from the team that had lost to Ramsbottom United seven days previously. Chris Knight and Chris Lait returned in place of Junior Smikle and Ben Billingham, both of whom were named among the substitutes. Also on the bench was new signing from Brackley Town, Sam Whittall.

There was action almost immediately as home keeper Enol Ordonez was yellow craded after rushing from his area inside the first two minutes and felling Matt Dodd, with Leon Broadhurst thumping the resulting free kick straight into the defensive wall, and then on 7 minutes Dodd again caused problems down the right, sending in a low cross that was somehow cleared by Tom Batchelor, with Justin Richards lurking to tap in.

The Daniels had their first chance with 10 minutes played as Jake Newman’s touch on a cross from the right was not enough to turn the ball inside the far post, but the Glassboys responded through Dodd again as the winger was thwarted by a good save by Ordonez, before Sean Geddes forced another save from Ordonez with a driven shot from the ensuing corner.

A slip from Stuart Pierpoint, one of many from defenders on both sides throughout the afternoon, gave Jake Duffy the chance to have a go from 40 yards on 17 minutes, but his effort sailed over the bar with Charlie Price scrambling somewhat. Play then switched immediately to the other end, where Lait cut inside but could only drag his shot wide of the target.

The best move of the game, involving Dodd and Richards, gave Geddes an opening with 22 minutes played, but the Stourbridge midfielder elected to pull the ball back when he might have done better to shoot, and the chance was gone.

But Stourbridge did grab the goal that their early play deserved after 28 minutes, as Dodd again got in behind the left side of Stamford’s defence and crossed low for Karl Hawley, who held off his defender before tucking a low shot beyond Ordonez.

But rather than press home their advantage, the Glassboys were immediately under pressure as Stamford looked to hit back. Price was called into action twice in a minute, first saving with his feet from Duffy after the striker was afforded too much space, and then turning Elliott Hodge’s shot around his near post for a corner.

Still Stourbridge found themselves on the back-foot, and Price’s goal had a lucky escape on 35 minutes when a header across goal rebounded off the post and into the grateful arms of the Glassboys’ keeper, before Newman squandered possibly the best chance of an equaliser, firing wildly over when well-placed after working space inside the area. In between those chances, though, the Glassboys had half-chances of their own as first Lait fired over, and then Hawley was crowded out by Lee Beeson as he tried to get a shot in.

The second half began just as openly as the first, with Geddes shooting over from 20 yards after a corner had been half-cleared three minutes in, but the Glassboys were rocked on 52 minutes as Stamford won a penalty for a push by Kristian Green inside the area. Price, however, again came to the rescue, as he parried Beeson’s spot kick, with the ball thumped to safety.

For a spell, the Stourbridge defence looked uneasy, with the home side having the better of things and pressing hard, but, as is so often the case, it was Stourbridge who broke to double their lead. Lait fed Hawley just outside the penalty area, and when his shot was blocked, it was Lait who was quickest to react to slam the loose ball past Ordonez from five yards out.

However, any notion of seeing the game out in comfort were dispelled in the blink of an eye, as Stamford reduced the arrears just two minutes later when a low cross from the right was turned into his own net by the unfortunate Green.

Thereafter, the game settled into a pattern of Stamford having the better of the possession and territory, with Stourbridge looking to use the pace of Lait and the experience of Hawley to create chances on the break, and from one such on 69 minutes Ordonez did well to save from Richards.

For all the home side’s pressure, though, they failed to trouble Price to any great degree, with too many over-hit balls finding their way straight through to the Glassboys’ keeper.

But just when the Glassboys might have been thinking the job had been done, a long throw from the right was headed behind for a corner, from which, with Ordonez advancing to augment the attack, the ball was cleared only to the edge of the area where the lurking Hamilton thundered it first time past the helpless Price.

The result was harsh reward on the Glassboys efforts, but on the balance of play over the ninety minutes it would be hard to begrudge the Daniels their point.