Glassgirls on the Brink after Stunning Display!

Visitors Lichfield City, who came into the game in second spot, and still with their own hopes of clinching top spot intact, were put to the sword by Andy Fisher’s rampant Glassgirls in a thrilling display of attacking football which yielded seven goals without reply.

Carly Aldred led the way with a hat trick (seen above adding her second), but it was a fabulous all-round team performance as every player contributed.

And with third-placed Sutton Coldfield Town suffering a shock defeat at home to Kidderminster Harriers, Stourbridge now need to collect just three points from their remaining three fixtures to seal promotion to the FA National League.

They have the chance to do just that next Sunday when they travel the short distance to the Dell Stadium, Brierley Hill, to take on Lye Town in what is always a hard-fought local derby, but this time with an extra edge. Kick-off is at 2pm.

Fisher felt his team had yet again exceeded all his expectations against their Title rivals.

“It hasn’t been easy the last few weeks, by any means. We’re coming to the end of a long, hard season and it’s been non-stop. Some of our toughest fixtures have come right at the end, we’ve got injuries all over the place, and there are some tired minds and bodies.

“So if our levels dropped a bit I think you’d have to understand that. You only have to look elsewhere in these last couple of weeks to see what can happen at this stage.

“But we’ve just got stronger and stronger. This bunch, honestly, they are incredible, every one of them. Their determination and team ethic gets them through every challenge. I’ve got no words for it, I really haven’t.

“But I’ll say what I’ve always said. It’s not won until it’s won. We know Lye would love to knock us off our perch next Sunday, and so they should. It’s our job to prepare this week and go again with the right mindset from minute one, and that’s what we’ll do.

“The support was fantastic again today, and I’m sure they will be up at the Dell in numbers to get us over the line.”

Few in the 182-strong crowd would have expected anything other than a tight game prior to kick-off, and certainly the opening minutes gave no indication that wouldn’t be the case. City appeared set on taking the game to Stourbridge and probed from the kick-off, with Stour pushed back in the early stages. The visitors forced the first corner of the game on 7 minutes, which drifted harmlessly behind Amie Preston’s goal.

Stour settled quickly however, and gained the crucial first goal with 12 minutes played. Carly Aldred teased a rash challenge out on the right, and when Alex Nicklin swung the ball into the six yard box it was NIAMH MURPHY who was quickest to it to bundle past Emily Jones.

Keren Allen blasted a shot just over a minute later, but with 18 played it was 2-0 as Alex Nicklin’s through ball split the defence and ALDRED skipped past a tackle before burying her shot from an acute angle.

Two minutes later the Glassgirls had their third. Millie Rogers beat a defender and forced a fine save from Jones, but ALDRED had time and space to drill the loose ball home from 10 yards.

Stourbridge were in complete control now, and Murphy went close again with a glancing header from another Nicklin free kick, whilst Ellie McGovern’s rising shot brough another good save from Jones at the near post. It only delayed the inevitable, however, as ALDRED capitalised from the corner, lifting the ball over Jones after she had spilled the initial delivery to complete her hat trick, the eighth different Glassgirls player to do so this season.

The rest of the half was quieter, although Lichfield did go close with a free kick from out wide that went safely over Preston’s crossbar.

Nicklin might have added a fifth less than a minute into the second half, but her header from Aldred’s cross drifted wide, and for a spell Stourbridge couldn’t force any further openings as the game spluttered a little.

City had their best chance of the match so far on 57 minutes as Courtney Dilger broke free, but her shot lacked power and was straight into Preston’s arms, and then Samantha White tried her luck from further out with the same result.

The Glassgirls reasserted their dominance with a fifth goal midway through the half. Aldred broke down the right, but her attempted cross was well cut out by White at the expense of a corner, and from Aldred’s centre, ESME MORAN rose highest to head home.

Dilger had another attempt which was again too close to Preston to cause any issues, but that would be Lichfield’s last serious chance of note. A 25-yard snap shot from McGovern almost caught Jones by surprise, but flew wide, before RUBY MEESON made it six with 10 minutes to play. Again, Aldred was the supplier as Louisa Butcher’s through ball allowed her to get to the byline and cross low for the simplest of tap-ins.

The icing on the cake came in stoppage time, as a free kick on the edge of the box saw McGOVERN’s ferociously struck shot arrow into the far corner to round off a top-notch performance.

(Photo - Paul Rose)

Highlights are available here, thanks to @BrooksyTV...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hr6qi4cSp0&t=109s

STOURBRIDGE LADIES LINE-UP

Amie Preston, Jess Bate, Meg Hadley, Macey Turvey, Niamh Murphy, Ellie McGovern, Keren Allen, Alex Nicklin, Esme Moran, Carly Aldred, Millie Rogers.

SUBSTITUTES (all used)

Louisa Butcher, Ruby Meeson, Kiera Scarlett, Hannah Fishwick, Amber Lawrence.