LABOURED LEADERS ARE HELD
Defences on top as Town stifled
STRATFORD and Stourbridge kicked off as the two form teams in the division but in front of Stratford’s biggest crowd of the season of 620 it was the defences who dominated, battling out a scoreless draw.
Both sides made a cautious start and the only alarm at either end in the opening 15 minutes was when Will Grocott’s mistimed back header gave Luke Benbow the sniff of a chance but Stratford keeper Matija Sarkic reacted quickly enough to reach it first.
Most of the action was in midfield until a run from halfway on the half hour mark by Aaron Forde set up a chance for Greg Mills.
However it was a comfortable save for Sarkic while at the other end an ambitious Grocott effort from distance drifted wide.
A free-kick ten yards outside the penalty area five minutes before the break offered the Glassboys an opportunity open the scoring but Benbow’s attempted curler fizzed over the bar.
Then, right on half-time, Grocott floated over one of his trademark free-kicks from the left which Jamie McAteer headed against the upright as a tense first half ended goalless.
The Glassboys looked to up the tempo after the restart and only a perfectly timed tackle by Jordan Williams snuffed out a flowing move involving Benbow, Forde and Kaiman Anderson.
Stratford responded with Shawn Richards threading the ball through to Carvalho who saw his shot blocked by Stourbridge keeper Niall Maher’s outstretched right leg and with the game now opening up, Sarkic pulled off a fine low save to push away a rasping drive from Benbow.
But with 20 minutes to go it was already looking as if one goal would probably be enough to take the points and Stratford went close when Carvalho had a close-range effort blocked.
That was followed soon