Free-scoring Stratford Town Youth shatter Glassboys

STRATFORD Town Youth hit five for the second game running as they followed their Birmingham Youth Cup romp against Bustleholme with another sparkling performance against old rivals Stourbridge at the War Memorial Ground on Tuesday evening, writes Bryan Hale.

Yet it was the Glassboys who took an early lead with a well-struck volley from the edge of the penalty area, but Town were level ten minutes later when Harry Jones headed in from a free-kick.

With Caine Elliott and Dan Atkins now starting to boss the midfield several chances came and went until Harry Hartin put Town ahead as he broke through on the left to fire into the bottom corner.

Stourbridge tried to respond but the Town back line, superbly marshalled by Josh Aspinall-Smyth and well supported by Jones, Rob Lord and Lewis Timms snuffed out any hopes of an equaliser as Town reached half-time with their lead still intact.

And Town went on to put the result beyond doubt with three goals in the opening ten minutes of the second half as the Stourbridge defence struggled to cope with the pace of James Pomeroy and Bradley West.

A foul on West enabled Aspinall-Smyth to extend Town’s advantage from the penalty spot and further strikes from Elliott and West gave Town an unassailable 5-1 lead with over half an hour still to go.

To their credit, the Glassboys kept going and added a second five minutes from time, but Town were already out of sight and with only one league defeat Darren Timms’ side have now climbed to fourth spot in the MFYL Premier Division South table.