Glassboys suffer double blow

10:41am Thursday 10th January 2008

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The Glassboys were dealt a double blow last Saturday as they fell to a 3 - 1 defeat at home to fast improving Chesham United and also had top goalscorer Mark Bellingham stretchered off with ligament damage.

The hosts started brightly enough and could have gone ahead after four minutes when a through ball from Leon Broadhurst released Bellingham, but his tame low shot was blocked by visiting keeper Richard Hayward. Two minutes later, the Glassboys lost Bellingham who collapsed in agony after an innocuous challenge and the home side barely had time to re-adjust before they found themselves trailing. Daniel Talbot played the ball forward to Sam Winston and he ran at the Stour defence before slipping the ball to Dom Marsala in space to beat stand-in home keeper Mark Shiels with a low shot inside the near post. Stourbridge responded on 16 minutes with James Dyson flighting in a cross from the right and Broadhurst glanced on a header over Hayward who had been lured off his line, but Michael Sharman covered well to clear the danger. Soon afterwards, sub Andy Wright threaded the ball inside to Damian Whitcombe and although his first cross from the left was cut out, his second attempt picked out Ryan Mahon who headed just wide. The home side were then thwarted on 23 minutes when a long throw was headed out to Whitcombe and his dipping volley from the edge of the box drew an excellent tip-over save from Hayward. Stourbridge got back on level terms however on 33 minutes. Mark Jones chipped a free-kick to Whitcombe on the left-hand edge of the area and his first-time left foot volley flashed past Hayward into the far corner of the net. On the stroke of half-time though, the Buckinghamshire visitors almost regained their lead Winston got behind the home defence and from the left-hand edge of the box his lob beat the advancing Shiels, but the ball rolled against the post.

A double change at half-time by Chesham paid dividends for the visitors in the second period, although Sam Rock went close on 49 minutes when he cut in and hit a shot from the left-hand side of the area that drifted past the far post. A minute later however, Chesham forged ahead with Marsala picking up a flick from Adam Parker and his diagonal pass to the left saw Sam Winston beat the offside trap and he chipped the ball over Shiels as he dived at his feet to score. Eight minutes later, the visitors struck again when a fine cross from the left-hand byline from sub Steve Cawley was glanced home by unmarked fellow sub John Lawford at the near post.

The closest the home side came to pulling a goal back was with seven minutes remaining with a low shot from Broadhurst that Hayward touched round the post.