Stubborn Glassgirls Fall to League Leaders

Kelsey Richardson netted the rebound after her 12th minute penalty was saved, and although Burnley were level within seven minutes it wasn’t until the verge of half time that they managed to pull ahead, and Stour put up a resilient display after the break to limit the Clarets to just two further goals.

However, there were plenty of positives to take from the performance against an established team and one of the favourites for this season’s Title.

Stour could have been ahead within three minutes of the start as Niamh Deasy set Jess Lowe clear of the home defence, only for Kirstie Levell to come off her line and block well, but Burnley quickly got into their stride with Althea Paul driving a low shot wide at the other end.

That apart, though, their early chances were limited, and it was Stour who broke the deadlock when Deasy again played in Lowe and as she went round Levell her heels were clipped Mikayla Wildgoose to give Stour a penalty. Wildgoose, meanwhile, collected a yellow card that would later prove costly for her personally, if not in terms of the result.

Once that had been dealt with KELSEY RICHARDSON stepped up, and although Levell produced a fine save she was powerless to prevent the Glassgirls skipper from being first to the loose ball and making no mistake second time around.

Almost immediately, Burnley countered from another Stourbridge attack, with Aimee Kelly shooting straight at Jamie-Lee Bamford, while Stour threatened again as Zoe Clarke headed wide from Richardson’s deep free kick.

But Stour began to be pushed back increasingly, and it was no real surprise when the home side levelled as Amaya Coleman-Evans cut the ball back across the six-yard box to Leah Embley at the far post, who fired the ball across goal and inside the opposite upright.

Burnley continued to press, with Bamford saving well with her feet from Embley, and Millie Ravening twice firing into the keeper’s arms from outside the box, and although Favour Omenazu did see her effort blocked when Clarke’s corner was only half cleared, that was a rare sight of goal from the Glassgirls as the Clarets broke and Kelly again drew a good save from Bamford.

And it was Kelly who put Burnley ahead three minutes before the break as she drilled low inside the near post after her initial cross had been cleared back out to her.

Moments later Burnley had the chance to make it three as Omenazu was penalised for a challenge in the area, but Bamford sprung to her right to palm away Ravening’s penalty, while the final action saw Paul fire in a shot which the Stour keeper held comfortably.

Stourbridge pushed forward from the start of the second half, with new signing Ellie Butler instrumental in a promising move which came to nothing, but that was a prelude to the home side turning the screw, and it was Ravening who did make it 3-1 eight minutes in as she drove into the roof of the net from Kelly’s low cross.

Beth Hamer and then Wildgoose both shot over, before Paul added the home side’s fourth midway through the half, driving into the box and finishing well from a narrow angle, but thereafter Stourbridge largely kept them at bay, with chances limited or well shut down. Bamford made another excellent low save to deny Ravening, while Kelly prodded wide and then had a header held by Bamford, before a rush of blood saw Wildgoose dismissed after kicking the ball away at a free kick ten minutes from time, with the Clarets seeing the game out in the closing stages.