Night Of High Drama At Amblecote

Local rivals battle it out in front of a crowd of almost 2,200

With a capacity crowd of 2,195, seven goals and various sub-plots, Tuesday’s local derby between Stourbridge and Halesowen Town had it all.

In the end it was the Yeltz and their 800+ travelling contingent who went home victorious as they held on to claim a 4-3 win and extend their unbeaten start to the season having secured promotion into the Pitching In Southern League Premier Central at the end of last term.

“What a game of football from both sides,” proclaimed Halesowen Town manager, Paul Smith. “We came away with a deserved win in the end but we were nowhere near the levels that we have set ourselves over the past seven or eight games.

“With the atmosphere and everything surrounding the game, sometimes the players feel it, but I feel that our bit of extra quality shone through and proved to be the difference on the night.

“It was a tough evening but made all worthwhile with the three points. The victory was for our fans who have been absolutely first-class. It was a huge win and a fantastic team effort from everyone.”

Counterpart, Leon Broadhurst, added: “Obviously it was extremely disappointing to lose. For the neutral it was a highly entertaining local derby but for the managers and players involved, it was stressful to say the least!

“Whilst we were disappointed not to take any points from the game, when you concede four goals at home, you don’t deserve anything and this is something that we need to address.

“We lost Aaron Forde early on through injury as he made a goal-line clearance and we really missed his leadership and experience in this type of situation. We also lost Dexter to a hamstring injury before the game and there you have two in-form players who would get into any team at this level, so they were a big loss to us.

“It’s still very early days in the season, but we have learned so much over the course of the past week or so. We know that things can change very quickly in football; we’re playing some very good stuff at times but need to eradicate the individual errors that are costing us dear.”

IMAGE: Focus Dunn Photography