Blood and thunder stuff at Queen Street

                                   ⚽Midland Football League Div 1⚽

Bilston Town Community FC 1  Stapenhill 3

Played at Queen Street Stadium

   

The Steelmen will look back on this and wonder how they lost it but they only have themselves to blame. Given the visitors were in front after just 11 minutes and proceeded to boss things for a good while after, Bilston are nothing if not game and for large swathes of this match they played some brilliant stuff.

They went further behind on 40 minutes but that was certainly against the run of play. They came out after the break and played their passing game which was soon rewarded following a ball over the top which was despatched with force ; some were calling a foul but I saw nothing wrong. Stapenhill are where they are for a reason ; Bilston may have had more possession but the visitors always looked more dangerous when they were attacking and hit the net 3 times from not too many chances whereas the hosts were profligate in front of goal.

So, congrats to Stapenhill for a job well done ; commiserations to Bilston who will play a lot worse than this and win.

Entrance ; £3 concession

Programme ; £1 ( Excellent)

Drink ; £1

Referee ; 6/10

Crowd ; 70 est

Entertainment value ; 9/10

Thrilling stuff at Amblecote

                     ⚽Southern League Premier Div Central⚽

Stourbridge FC 1  AFC Rushden & Diamonds 1

                                                                        Played at The War Memorial Athletic Ground Amblecote

This game wasn't my original destination ; I had planned a visit to lye for their game against Boldmere St Michaels but such was the traffic hold-up(roadworks), I turned around and headed to this game(only 5 minutes away). It wasn't a bad decision as this was a really enjoyable spectacle.

The visitors were smartly out of the blocks and were ahead on 10 minutes. I can't describe the goal as I'd only just got into the ground, such was the crowd. Not only were they ahead but also looking very assured, dealing fairly comfortably with anything and everything The Glassboys could muster.

Things changed gradually but immeasurably as the hosts upped their game and many times really good approach work was let down by lack of a decent end product, notwithstanding the immovable object in the visitors defence, ie, their number 5 who hardly put a foot wrong all game.

Following the break, it was The Glassboys on the front foot and in a bizarre repeat of the 1st half, it was they who scored after 10 minutes with a brilliant effort. With this and the substitution of their wily number 9, the visitors were on the back foot for large parts of the last 30 but all things taken into account, a draw was probably a fair result.

MOTM Stourbridge ; Number 5

MOTM  AFC R&D  ;Number 5

Entrance ; £9 concession

Programme ; N/A

Drink ; N/A

Referee ; 9/10

Attendance ; 817

Entertainment Value ; 8.5/10