Stourbridge vs Gresley Rovers
Rovers turn on Stour power - Andy Parker - Burton Mail
There was almost a sense of anti-climax as Gresley Rovers powered to their third successive league victory at Amblecote on Saturday.
Stourbridge - with a 5-1 midweek victory at Weston-super-Mare under their belts on top of a 5-0 FA Cup win at Stourport the previous Saturday - had been expected to provide the sternest test yet of Rovers' Beazer Midland credentials.
Instead the Glassboys were shattered in a brilliant opening spell that effectively won the game for Gresley in the first 16 minutes.
Even delighted Gresley boss Steve Dolby admitted he was "disappointed" with the home side - but nevertheless delighted with his team's continuing impressive league form.
He said: "We've created chances in all our games but today we put them away early on. After 30 minutes it was as if there was nothing left to play for. We lost concentration and let them score late on but it was an easy win really."
Rovers took just three minutes to go ahead, Richard Denby winning a free kick on the right then centering perfectly for Paul Acklam to place a glancing header in the top corner of the net.
Four minutes later, Gil Land hammered in another free kick from 30 yards and Stourbridge's misery was all but complete when Mike Taplin's flick released Tony Marsden for a powerful left wing run capped with a precise finish into the far corner.
All hopes of a home comeback were stifled by a disciplined defensive performance with Robbie Briscoe keeping a tight rein on Stourbridge's four-goal hero from Weston, Evran Wright.
Taplin twisted the knife with a fourth goal within a minute of the restart, turning a defender and shooting left footed after Kieron Smith had done the spadework.
Stourbridge produced a second half purple patch in which Bob Aston produced three saves in quick succession, the third a superb one-handed effort to deny Toby Hall.
Veteran striker Paul Joinson finally engineered a telling opening when, minutes after shooting against the bar, he flicked on a left wing corner for Hall to score with a close range header.
Kieron Smith made it 5-1 with a low shot after substitute Martin Dick's shot came back off the bar before Hall got a second for Stourbridge after Rovers were again found wanting from a corner.
Stourbridge (0) 2
Gresley Rovers (3) 5
Scorers: Hall 72, 93 (Stourbridge); Acklam 3, Land 7, Marsden 16, Taplin 46, Smith 87 (Gresley Rovers).
Stourbridge: Crannage, Lowe, Bruce, Horne, Jones, Ingram, Williams, Wright, Hall, Joinson, Claxton (Breasley 45). Sub not used: Potter.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Barry, Briscoe, Denby, Evans, Land, Wardle (Dick 65), Marsden, Smith, Acklam (Weston 61), Taplin.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Robbie Briscoe.
Referee: T J Cleasby (Stonehouse).
Attendance: 284
