Marine 1 Stourbridge 1

Hague's far post header from Justin Richards' 91st minute cross was judged by the assistant referee to have crossed the line, despite Marine's Jack Short heading the ball away, to preserve Stourbridge's current unbeaten run, after the home side had forged ahead as early as the fourth minute.

Gary Hackett made two changes from the starting line-up for the previous game at Corby. Leon Broadhurst returned to midfield, with Brad Birch on the bench, whilst Dan Scarr missed out after taking a blow to the head in midweek, and Darryl Westlake came back into the side after recovering from a similar injury sustained at Stafford.

Marine, unbeaten at home so far in the Evo-Stik League, set about ensuring that record would be maintained. Within four minutes they had the perfect opportunity to take the lead, as Tom Tonks was judged to have fouled his man on the by-line, and Kurt Sherlock made no mistake from the spot kick, sending Matt Gould emphatically the wrong way.

Stourbridge made little serious headway in the opening stages, and it was 13 minutes before Luke Benbow produced the first attempt on goal with a free kick from all of 35 yards that was more than comfortable for Calvin Hare in the home goal. Tom Tonks then tried a shot from just outside the area that was half-blocked by a defender and span into the hands of Hare again.

Gould had better fortune on 21 minutes as Sherlock span and shot towards the bottom corner, with the Glassboys keeper springing to his left to turn the ball round the post, before Benbow’s shot from 15 yards lacked pace but almost deceived Hare, who did well to divert it wide for a corner which came to nothing.

To this point the game had been a little fractured, with several stoppages for treatment to injured players, but the home team had generally looked to be the more cohesive, and went close to adding a second just before the half hour. Stuart Pierpoint was penalised, and cautioned, for an apparent off-the-ball incident spotted by the assistant referee, and from the ensuing free kick, Sherlock bent an effort towards the top corner which Gould did superbly to tip onto the post and away to safety.

Stourbridge produced their best move on 32 minutes, ending slightly disappointingly with Benbow not catching his shot cleanly and the ball being cleared by Billy Smart. Nonetheless, there were signs that the Glassboys were finding their game, and they were close again five minutes before half time when Pierpoint’s downward header from Chris Lait’s corner bounced up and was headed off the line by Short.

The second half saw Stourbridge come out with renewed vigour, taking the game more and more to what was proving to be a well-organised Mariners’ defence as Benbow struck a shot harmlessly wide on 48 minutes, whilst Gould had to be alert again two minutes later to hold a low shot from Obi Onoruo.

Kayelden Brown was almost on the end of Benbow’s low cross on 54 minutes, with Hare doing well to push the ball away as the striker looked set to tap home, whilst a corner a minute later came over everybody to the unmarked Broadhurst at the far post, who was just not able to get high enough to keep his header down and on target. All the same, Stour were now asking most of the questions.

The home side were far from subdued, though, and Sherlock again had a chance to give his team breathing space on 58 minutes. Breaking a static offside trap he advanced down the left, a poor first touch taking him wider than he might have wished, and, with nobody to aim for in the middle he was force to go for goal, with Gould making a smart low save with his feet at his near post.

A driving run from Lait on 60 minutes ended with a shot half blocked, and Hare again getting down to make a comfortable save, whilst Pierpont saved his side’s bacon at the other end, clearing off the line from a corner.

Hackett made a couple of attacking changes as the midway point of the half approached, bringing on Matt Dodd and Justin Richards, and Stour increasingly began to push the home side back. Brown sent a first-time effort well wide on 70 minutes after good work by Richards, and then Benbow completely missed his kick eight yards out after Brown had nodded down from a Canavan free kick.

A swiftly-taken free kick on 79 minutes saw Dodd’s cross-shot from a narrow angle held well by the impressive Hare, before Hague was introduced for Pierpoint, with Stour reverting to a three-man backline.

The Glassboys continued to plug away, but it looked increasingly as though it would not be their day as Broadhurst saw his header from a Canavan corner held by Hare under the bar with two minutes to play.

However, the equaliser finally came one minute into added time, as Richards wriggled to the by-line on the left and lifted the ball to the far post where Hague had hung back and was unmarked to power a header towards goal. Short did his best to prevent it going over the line, but the assistant referee deemed his efforts in vain, and awarded the goal.

There followed a brief skirmish as Sherlock clattered into Broadhurst, resulting in players from both sides exchanging views on the matter, and a yellow card for the Marine man, but that apart neither side could produce anything in the closing minutes that might have won the game.

A hard-earned, but deserved, point that saw Stourbridge slip one place to 12th in the Premier Division table.