Stourbridge 5 Matlock Town 3

The teams exchanged goal after goal in a first half that swung one way and then the other, with Stourbridge leading 4-3 at the interval, before a quieter second period in which just one goal was added to the scoreline to confirm the Glassboys win.

Manager Gary Hackett made just one change from the side that started Monday night’s 2-0 win against Stafford Town, with Stuart Pierpoint unable to recover from his hamstring trouble. Josh Green was his replacement, with Chris Knight moving from left back to a central role. Meanwhile, Chris Lait was named among the substitutes after his injury lay-off.

Both teams were into their stride quickly as the game began under dark clouds, with a sudden heavy shower sweeping across the ground, but it took less than three minutes for Glassboys right back Darryl Westlake to alleviate any brief overhead gloom with his first goal for the Club, and what a strike it was. Tom Tonks lined up for a long throw from the left into the heart of the Matlock penalty area, but instead through the ball square to the advancing Westlake who took a touch and thundered the ball into Phil Barnes’s top right hand corner for a stunning strike.

Blue touch paper well and truly lit, and from that point there was little let-up for the healthy crowd of 819. Benbow was well tackled in the box on six minutes, with Tonks firing the loose ball over the bar, but within a minute Matlock were level at the other end as Ted Cribley floated in a cross from the left that was misjudged by Dan Preston, allowing Marc Newsham to loop a header over Matt Gould.

Often when teams exchange early goals things settle down, but not here. Michael Williams tested Gould with a low shot from 20 yards that the Glassboys keeper fielded easily before Stourbridge went ahead again. This time it was Luke Benbow’s turn to try his luck from distance as his 30-yard free kick arrowed into the same corner that Westlake had found, this time off the underside of the crossbar. Again, Barnes was helpless and he must have wondered exactly what he’d done wrong to see two such spectacular goals fly past him so early in proceedings.

If Barnes was blameless for the first two goals, though, he could not say the same about the third for Jordan Archer on 16 minutes. Benbow rolled a low free kick from the left in to Ethan Jones and the on-loan Shrewsbury striker turned in the area before firing in a shot that Barnes probably should have held. Instead the ball bounced free and Archer gleefully buried it.

Again Matlock responded well and Josh Green made a vital interception at the near post to turn Cribley’s cross away as the visitors broke quickly. But there was no such luck a couple of minutes later as the always dangerous Marcus Dinanga got behind Knight to chase a long throw and slot the ball under Gould, who, like Barnes moments earlier, will feel he should have done much better.

Still no time to catch one’s breath. Only four more minutes had passed and the two-goal lead was restored. This time it was Jones who delivered, nicking the ball past a defender fifteen yards out from a half-cleared Tonks corner and drilling a low shot past Barnes.

There followed a comparative lull in proceedings before Nial McManus had a shot deflected for a corner on 33 minutes, but Matlock were still looking more than capable of getting themselves back into the match, and so it proved with 36 minutes played. Again Dinanga got the wrong side of the Glassboys defence with a clear run on goal. Gould came out to meet him but could only upend the striker as he touched the ball beyond him, with referee Matthew law having no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Gould breathed a sigh of relief as Mr Law produced only a yellow card, but was beaten by Dinanga's penalty - his fifth goal in two matches against the Glassboys this season - to reduce the arrears again.

Dinanga was almost through again three minutes before the break but an offside flag rescued the Stour defence, and then Benbow forced an unconvincing save from Barnes from another free kick, before the Matlock keeper misjudged a long ball from Josh Green which bounced over him and he was relieved to get back to fall on the ball on the goal-line.

The half time whistle brought breathing space to take stock. Breathless stuff, and memories came to mind of an 8-5 win against Stafford Town in 2000 and an 8-4 victory against Yate Town in 2008. Would the second period continue in the same vein?

As is so often the case, the answer was no, as both teams took the chance to tighten up defensively, although neither would let up on their intent to attack, and there was still plenty of endeavour.

Benbow saw a shot from 25 yards take a touch off a defender on 49 minutes. Leading to a corner that came to nothing, whilst Green had to be alive on 56 minutes to bundle a dangerous cross from the left behind for a corner.

Jones crossed from the left just after the hour but Archer was unable to get a good connection under pressure and Barnes gathered comfortably, before a good spell of probing from Matlock which pulled the Glassboys defence around but could not bring any fruit.

For while it seemed that the crowd might be deprived of further goals, but after 27 goal-less second half minutes it was Stourbridge who finally produced one. Benbow did well down the left, chasing a hopeful ball before holding up and crossing for the late arriving Tonks to place a firm header past Barnes.

The game was not over, but the Gladiators looked as though they had had much of the stuffing knocked from them, and their chances took a further blow four minutes later as McManus collected his second yellow card in little more than ten minutes, both for dissent, meaning the visitors would end the match a man light.

Thereafter it was Stourbridge who looked most like adding to the score. The hard-working Brad Birch headed back across goal for Jones, who could only drag his shot wide of goal, then substitute Lait combined with Benbow with the latter sending a weak shot off target as well. He was closer a minute later, though, flashing a shot across the face of goal, with Barnes getting the faintest touch to divert it away for a corner in what was to prove the final meaningful action.

The win moves Stourbridge two points clear of Nantwich Town in second place, but still ten points adrift of Blyth Spartans, despite them losing their second consecutive game at Sutton Coldfield Town.