SWIFTS SLAIN AS WOOD HIT BACK WITH SAM THE MAN
WALSALL WOOD boss Darren Byfield admitted he was delighted for his players after seeing his side come from behind to win this FA Vase fourth round clash.
Jack Watts had fired hosts Stourport into a sixth minute lead but two goals from midfielder Sam Fitzgerald had the visitors ahead early in the second half, a lead they never looked like relinquishing.
“I’m really pleased for the boys,” Byfield said. “To be out for so long through lockdown and then be able to put in that performance was really good. They gave everything and I’m so happy for them.
“They have some big players. They beat us 4-2 [in the league] and two or three of their goals came from restarts, corners and free-kicks so we knew we had to throw our heads and feet at everything. We dug in.
“There was a turning point when James Wren made a great save when they were clean through but we had so many scoring opportunities.
“The intensity was very high and that’s a credit to both teams. I felt we were the better team and deserved to win the game but what pleased me the most was the desire of the boys.”
Swifts made the perfect start with Watts firing into the bottom corner after latching on to a neat back-flick from strike partner Ben Tilbury.
Bayley Fuller was denied a second soon after by a brave save from Wood keeper James Wren and the visitors then hit their stride with Michael Nelson going close at the other end.
Fitzgerald’s 20th minute equaliser was a peach of a free-kick from 25 yards, curling the ball over the wall and beyond Stourport keeper Dom Richards.
Wren did well to deny Tilbury just before halftime but it was the visitors who wrapped things up four minutes after the break when Fitzgerald netted his second of the game - another longrange shot that just crept in at the far post.
Swifts boss Quentin Townsend paid tribute to the visitors, adding that it was now time to look ahead to the new season.
He said: “Everybody is really bitterly disappointed but at the end of the day they wanted it more. They have come here and worked really hard to close us down and we haven’t really got any pattern or rhythm going. We have been beaten by a better side.
“We have had a tendency to start well in games but over the 90 minutes we haven’t done enough to win the game.
“We have come off the back of three months off and now we have another three months off! We just have to focus on next season now.”
Sam Fitzgerald (Walsall W)
★★★★★