Forest edge past Battling Glassgirls

The visitors were on top for most of the game, as their lofty position in the table would suggest, but Stourbridge will take a lot from a much improved display which saw them defy their opponents time and again.

With injuries biting into the squad, Mike Harris made two changes from Wednesday’s defeat to Wolves, Jade Grove replacing Senna Robinson in attack, and Favour Omenazu coming in for Macy Winters, while the returning Niamh Deasy was named on the bench.

Initially at least, it seemed Stour were going to find things every bit as testing as Wednesday night, with Forest forging ahead inside four minutes through Charlotte Greengrass, the striker tucking the ball home at the near post from Mai Moncaster’s cross.

Freya Thomas came close with a strike just off target on 11 minutes as Forest continued to press, and then two minutes later the woodwork came to Stour’s rescue as Natalie Johnson headed against the post from Lyndsey Harkin’s corner kick, and they hit the other post four minutes later through Sophie Domingo as she got past Jamie-Lee Bamford (pictured above).

However, Greengrass showed her colleagues how it was done with 24 minutes played as Domingo forced her way into the box before squaring for her fellow striker to tap in and double the visitors’ lead.

Stourbridge could easily have wilted but there was a steel about their defensive game that had largely been blunted against Wolves, and Stour managed to limit further chances and deal with any balls that came into the penalty area. Holly Manders dragged a shot wide, but that apart there were few chances. For Stour there was an opening of sorts as Grove broke clear but she was closed down and with nobody able to get up in support eventually crowded out.

Forest could have had a third in the opening stages of the second half, when Domingo’s shot on the turn at close range was straight into Bamford’s midriff, but again Stour managed to weather most of their attacks in the first quarter of an hour until Domingo once more threatened inside the six-yard box, with Maria Timms, on the floor, somehow managing to get a boot to the ball to clear it to safety.

A mix-up at the back between Bamford and Niamh Murphy offered Domingo another chance, but Bamford was able to atone with a sharp save, before both Ella Haughey and then Manders hit the woodwork in the space of ten seconds as Bamford’s goal led something of a charmed life.

With Deasy on to partner the hard-working Grove in attack, Stour began to carry a little more intent whenever they got the ball forward, and Grove again got away thanks to Hannah Fishwick’s pass, before skewing her shot off target as a covering defender closed her down.

There was more scrambling defence from the Glassgirls as Bamford managed to hang onto a loose ball in the area, and then Timms again got in a timely intervention to shovel the ball over her own bar under pressure, while Lizzie Bennett-Steele’s perfectly-timed tackle denied Domingo what looked like a certain goal.

Bamford was called into action twice more in the closing stages, dealing with a couple of relatively tame efforts, but by that stage Forest had the points in the bag and were happy to see the game out.

(Photo – Anthony Dunn, Focus Dunn Sports Photography)