Late Blow Denies Glassgirls First Win

A strong first half performance saw the Glassgirls lead 3-1 at one point, with chances to extend that advantage, but Halifax narrowed the deficit shortly before half time, and had more of the play after the interval as Stour were made to settle for the draw right at the end.

Georgia Stevens put a promising early chance wide of goal for the home side, but Stour hit back with a couple of crosses that couldn’t find a red shirt as they looked to impose themselves n the opening stages, and that intent was rewarded with less than six minutes played as NIAMH DEASY swung in a free kick that a home defender could only divert past Becky Flaherty in goal.

There were chances at both ends in the minutes that followed, with Lois Jefferies going close for Stourbridge after linking well with Deasy, but it was Halifax who levelled things up with 13 minutes played as Lauryn Wilcock attacked Lucy Sowerby’s cross from the right to volley in at the far post.

Stourbridge didn’t let that setback knock their rhythm, however, and Alex Nicklin went close, forcing a good save from Flaherty after Deasy had headed down Sophie Heaselgrave’s cross into her path.

It didn’t seem to matter two minutes later though, as ALEX NICKLIN put Stour back ahead, taking a perfectly weighted ball from Lexie Harrison and calmly slotting past Flaherty, and the Glassgirls went close again a couple of minutes later as Sophie Levick’s corner was headed just wide by a defender, whilst Jefferies wasn’t quite able to get a shot away as Deasy looked to play her in.

Stourbridge were causing problems with every attack, and they were rewarded with a penalty kick on 34 minutes as Harrison was clumsily bundled over in the area, with LOIS JEFFERIES calmly firing into the bottom corner to make it 3-1.

Almost immediately Halifax were close to reducing the deficit, as Jamie-Lee Bamford recovered just in time to tip the ball away from Wilcock, but the relief was only temporary as Halifax did pull one back three minutes from the break when Sowerby unselfishly laid the ball to her left to allow Darcie Green to fire past Bamford, despite the keeper’s best efforts.

The second half never quite lived up to the breathless first period, certainly from a Stourbridge point of view, as the homer side gradually saw more of the play, although Deasy might have given Stour a bit of a cushion when her shot was just about clawed away by Flaherty ten minutes into the half.

As the game progressed past the hour, Bamford’s goal was beginning to come under more pressure, the keeper twice doing well to deny Green from close range, and then Isobel Dean from further out, and there was an almighty scramble in the six-yard box following another good save, with the Glassgirls defence somehow clearing the ball eventually.

Despite increasingly being pushed back, Stourbridge were doing well to limit clear chances, and they might have made life easier as Jess Lowe burst forward, with her square ball unable to find Jefferies, whilst at the other end Bamford did well to hold a cross from the right under pressure from an attacker.

It seemed Stourbridge had just about got the job done, but there was to be a sting in the tail. Another corner, Bamford punched but couldn’t get distance, and in the melee that followed it was Isobel Dean whose touch proved decisive to get the ball over the line and salvage a point.