Glassgirls Fightback in Vain as County Cup Hopes End

The home side, challenging for promotion to the Championship from the FAWNL Southern Premier Division, had the better of things for the most part, and were never behind, but Stour kept coming back at their opponents and were inches away from taking the tie to penalties in added time.

Manager Mike Harris made three changes to his starting line-up, with Senna Robinson and Jade Grove starting in attack, whilst Ellie Butler adopted an unfamiliar defensive role, and Ellie McGovern switched to central midfield.

Rugby began with intent, Ebony Wiseman lifting a shot over on the volley, and then shooting wide, whilst Esme Moran was forced to hurriedly shovel a cross over her own crossbar, as the Glassgirls soaked up some early pressure.

The resistance was broken, however, on 27 minutes as the ball was fed out to Angelina Nixon on the left, and her driving run and low finish put the home side ahead.

Sarah Essam almost made it two straight after that, juggling the ball in the box and shooting wide, but instead within three minutes Stourbridge were level. Rosie Embley’s pass found JESS LOWE (pictured above) coming in from the right, and she took the ball round a defender before firing in a shot that hit the base of the post and rebounded in off keeper Erin Foley’s back.

The Glassgirls were unable to consolidate that equaliser, though, and found themselves behind once more on 33 minutes as Katy Morris found enough space 25 yards out to send a pinpoint shot beyond Jamie-Lee Bamford and into the bottom right corner.

Three minutes from the break, Lowe’s dangerous low cross from the right had just too much on for the advancing Grove to get a touch, but Stour, despite having been on the back foot at times, reached the interval still very much in the game.

Borough picked things up at the start of the second half. Essam almost had them further ahead inside the opening minute, beating Bamford with her shot, but not the covering Rosie Embley, and Nicky Potts also went close twice. The Glassgirls were riding their luck, and it ran out with 58 minutes played as Wiseman’s run saw her get to the byline before pulling the ball back for Essam to sidefoot home.

That might well have been that, but Stour didn’t look like a team that would accept defeat meekly, as substitute Kelsey Richardson almost pulled one back two minutes later with a driven shot just wide from 30 yards.

But it was another substitute who did reduce the deficit on 72 minutes as Grove battled for the ball in the area, and NIAMH DEASY was on hand to pick up the pieces and slot low past Foley, and from the restart Fishwick came close to levelling as she was momentarily free on goal until Alanah Mann did enough to put her off the shot, which Foley was able to collect.

Borough came again, and once more extended their lead four minutes later as Lily Greenslade broke through the Stour defence to find the top corner with a good finish, just moments after Bamford had denied Nixon, with the striker putting her second attempt wide.

Still Stourbridge battled back, and grabbed a third goal eight minutes from time as Zoe Clarke’s corner was recycled beyond the far post by Esme Moran, and her cross was flicked on by Sophie Heaselgrave for NIAMH DEASY to head in her second of the game.

From there, Stour enjoyed probably their strongest spell of the game, as Borough sought to manage the remaining minutes, and the Glassgirls so nearly found an equaliser to take the game to spot kicks as Deasy’s shot was just tipped wide by Foley in what would prove their last chance.

(Photo - Anthony Dunn, Focus Dunn Sports Photography)