Frickley Athletic 0 Stourbridge 2

At the third attempt Stourbridge got their season well and truly running as they secured a deserved three points away at Frickley following a strong first-half display.

The South Elmsall venue had not been a happy hunting ground for the Glassboys on their two previous visits, including a hugely disappointing loss just four months earlier as their promotion push crumbled in the final week of the 2015-16 campaign, but it proved to be a case of third time lucky for the visitors.

These two sides had finished 6th and 7th respectively in last season's final table, however both teams came into this fixture without a point to their name. The West Yorkshire outfit, seemingly having lost some of their key performers from last season, were still looking for their new faces to gell convincingly.

Stourbridge reverted to something akin to their more familiar shape with Drew Canavan brought in to play on the right-hand side of midfield and Chris Lait operating in a more central roaming role, in support of Luke Benbow. Brad Birch was the man to make way.

On a balmy late August evening, pacey wide-man Tyler Williams provided an early threat down the left for the home side before Stourbridge carved out their first opportunity on 6 minutes. Luke Benbow turned past Luke Hinsley before dribbling inside parallel to the 18-yard and then blazing a shot off-target. Four minutes later the Glassboys forged in-front in contentious circumstances. Matt Gould claimed the ball and set off a quick counter attack with an early, flat kick down-field for Chris Lait to collect in the left channel area. He attacked the box and advanced to the left-hand by-line before pulling the ball back low towards Benbow. The striker shot goal-wards and his low effort was saved and gathered by home custodian Seb Malkowski as he recovered his ground and dived down to his left, however the assistant flagged that Benbow's shot had gone fully over the line before Malkowski's intervention, despite home protests in the aftermath.

Stourbridge might have doubled their lead four minutes later as Lewis Probert sent a diagonal free-kick towards the right-hand side of the box. Joe Hull nodded a header down for Canavan to turn the ball low across to Lait, who dragged his low shot wide from a good position.

If there was some doubt about Benbow's first goal, there was no doubt whatsoever with his second. With 21 minutes gone, Canavan touched a ball inside for Benbow to produce a smart turn past his marker and fire home an early shot from 20 yards beyond Malkowski to stretch the visitors advantage.

Frickley looked to respond with Gould saving a low Andy Gascoigne shot quite comfortably and on 25 minutes they squandered an opportunity to pull a goal back when Williams swept the ball across into the run of Gascoigne through the right channel area as Stourbridge were opened up for the first time. Gascoigne might have taken the shot on himself, but instead he checked inside and then laid the ball across to Nathan Curtis, however a heavy first touch enabled Gould to dive at his feet and save.

In the 36th minute Frickley won a free-kick just outside the box, but the subsequent effort from Macauley Parkinson was saved and well held by Gould away to his right.

Stourbridge continued to look lively in attack and five minutes before the interval Lait took the ball down well before embarking on a dribble at pace into the Frickley area before being halted by a superb last ditch tackle from Bailey Gooda.

Frickley made a change at the break, replacing stand-in right-back Parkinson with Tom Guest. Karl Rose's men produced a better showing after the re-start and it was a more even affair in the second period.

Stourbridge pushed on 49 minutes and from a Tom Tonks throw-in on the right, Kayelden Brown got in a near post header that Malkowski scooped round for a corner. Frickley replied three minutes later with a deep Guest left-wing flag-kick being headed back across goal, but Pearson could only nod the ball wide.

In the 58th minute Benbow threaded a pass through looking for Canavan, who rode a challenge on the right-hand side of the box before dinking a good effort goal-wards with Malkowski having to touch the ball over. Two minutes later Tonks threw the ball in from the left into the path of Benbow and he pulled a cross back for Brown to hit a shot that took a slight deflection for a corner.

In the last quarter-of-an-hour the home side enjoyed a better spell and they began to ask more questions of the Stourbridge defence. Nine minutes from time, after exerting some pressure, Joel Purkiss managed to crack in a shot from the right-hand side of the area that Gould parried at his near post. Soon afterwards Curtis headed wide from a ball in by Purkiss.

In stoppage time Stourbridge might have had a third as Canavan pulled the ball back from the right-hand side of the box to substitute Heath, who rolled his low shot past the far post.

The first win, and points, of the season lifted Stourbridge up to 18th place in the table.