Calor League Premier Division

WEYMOUTH 0 STOURBRIDGE 5

The Glassboys completed an emphatic league double over Weymouth for the second season running.

Having defeated the Dorset outfit 7 – 0 back in November at the War Memorial Athletic Ground, a Stourbridge side shorn of the suspended Will Richards and Luke Benbow might have expected a stiff test in the return clash, but a fine all round team effort saw Gary Hackett’s men enjoy another convincing win over the Terras.

Stourbridge included new signing Ben Birch, a young defender recruited from Redditch United, for his debut. There was a strong wind blowing across the Bob Lucas Stadium, but the contest quickly developed into an open affair which suited the visitors.

In the 2nd minute Drew Canavan fed Tom Berwick who cut in from the right before shooting over the bar.

The hosts immediately responded with Niall Thompson striking a fierce angled shot from the right-hand edge of the box that Coleman saved with his chest and then the Glassboys returned on to the attack with Netan Sansara playing the ball down the left flank for Kayelden Brown to chase.

He pulled the ball back for Berwick whose shot was saved by player-manager Jason Matthews in the home goal at his near post. With 6 minutes gone Stourbridge forged in-front.

Sansara and Brown combined for Ben Billingham to clip a first-time pass through to allow Berwick to run at and take on Michael Walker down the left.

He drove towards the by-line and cut into the side of the box where he was half-stopped by Michael Walker’s tackle, however Berwick managed to push the ball back into the path of Billingham, who saw his shot parried by Matthews diving away to his left, but Canavan was there to shoot home the loose ball.

The rain arrived for a time soon afterwards and on 14 minutes Weymouth had penalty claims rejected when Adam Kelly collected a good pass from Thompson and attacked the left-hand side of the box where he went down under a challenge from Louis Harris and instead Stourbridge doubled their lead a minute later.

Sansara broke up another Weymouth attack allowing Brown to carry the ball down the left before playing the ball inside to Billingham who spun away from his marker to supply a raking pass forward to Canavan.

 He skipped past Scott Walker before hitting a 20-yard shot that was blocked by Michael Walker but the ball rebounded off the unfortunate Kelly straight into the path of an onside Sean Geddes and he coolly side-stepped Matthews to turn the ball into an empty net.

The visitors pressed for a third goal just after the half-hour mark with a near-post header from Brown being deflected wide from Billingham’s fine right-wing cross and then from Billingham’s resulting flag-kick Brown got in a header and Berwick flicked the ball against Matthews’ right-hand upright.

Stourbridge maintained the upper-hand after the break. In the 52nd minute Dean Coleman sent a kick down-field and Billingham won a header enabling Berwick to attack the box, but he clipped his shot harmlessly past the far post.

Two minutes later a mistake by Sam Poole allowed Brown to steer a pass through to Berwick on the left-hand side of the box, but Matthews was alive to the danger and stood up tall to make a save.

In the 56th minute though Stourbridge stretched their lead further when Kyle Haynes lofted a clearance forward which Billingham pursued with Michael Walker and he managed to shrug off the Weymouth defender before slipping a measured pass into the run of Geddes who tucked the ball away inside the far post with a first-time low finish from 12 yards to take his goals tally this season to 21.

Weymouth replied with Ben Joyce playing the ball wide to Luke Burbidge on the right and he drove towards the by-line before pulling a ball back for Joyce to hit a shot that was too close to Coleman and then on 63 minutes Burbidge laid on another chance for Joyce, but he didn’t catch his shot cleanly and Birch cleared the ball.

There was some controversy surrounding the visitors 4th goal after seventy minutes with Haynes playing the ball forward and Berwick getting a flick to put Billingham through, but although his left arm was tugged back by Michael Walker, he managed to stay on his feet and get away a decent shot that Matthews parried.

However the referee pulled play back and awarded a free-kick before showing a red card to the Weymouth defender who had had a torrid afternoon.

To rub salt into the wounds Billingham buried the 20-yard free-kick past the diving Matthews – a reward for his outstanding contribution to the victory.

Four minutes from time sub Jordan Fitzpatrick added a fifth when he fed the ball into the feet of Billingham and continued his run inside to take a neat return pass and strike a sweet 20-yard drive beyond the diving Matthews to round off a satisfying afternoon for the visitors.

STOURBRIDGE FC host Evesham United on Tuesday night in the semi-finals of the Worcestershire Senior Cup (kick-off 7-45 pm).

The Glassboys have won the trophy for the last three years and will be looking to continue their remarkable record. Admission prices have been reduced to £6 adults, £3 senior citizens and £2 juniors for this tie.