First Win Boost for Glassgirls!

It was a win which also owed a great deal to Jamie-Lee Bamford and a resilient defensive line which repelled the home side’s efforts to get back into the game after the break, in Interim Management duo Mike Harris and Tash Tezgel’s first game in charge.

With Stour still smarting from the previous weekend’s emphatic home defeat to Derby County, they got just what they needed in the shape of an early goal from KELSEY RICHARDSON, despatching her 8th minute penalty low to the keeper’s right after Zoe Clarke had been brought down, this after Fylde’s Ginny Lackey had put the game’s first chance straight at Bamford from close range with just three minutes played.

Lily Murphy and Isobel Binks both fired off target for Fylde as they searched for an equaliser, while Bamford was again called into action to dal with a dangerous low ball into the box.

Stour weathered those moments, however, and doubled their lead on 38 minutes. The home side forced a corner, but as Stourbridge cleared the danger found themselves over-committed and Senna Robinson was allowed to break clear all on her own from halfway before rounding Grace Pilling and unselfishly squaring for NIAMH DEASY to net her fourth of the season.

With the Coasters eager to get a foothold they made the stronger start to the second half, and Lackey again went close as she forced Bamford to tip her header over on 51 minutes, while Deasy at the other end could only fire wide after good work by Robinson once again, and then Robinson herself found the side-netting from a narrow angle after being played in by Lexie Harrison.

Rebecca Beresford’s shot from distance couldn’t trouble Bamford, while Lily Murphy’s run ended in her not being able to get a shot away as she broke into the area, as the home side looked to build pressure.

However, Stour came close to adding a third on 72 minutes as Robinson once more harried a mistake from a defender before crossing for Deasy whose first time shot was brilliantly saved by Pilling, although Fylde then came closer still with ten minutes to play as a cross from the left skimmed Bamford’s crossbar before going behind.

The home side were reduced to ten players with seven minutes to play, although it was unclear whether the cause was a red card or a sin-binning, and Stour were able to see the game out with one more excellent close range save from Bamford as the game entered stoppage time to ensure the clean sheet.