Stourbridge on fire

The Glassboys reeled off their sixth successive British Gas Business Southern Midlands division win this week when they toppled leaders Leamington 2-0 away.

Victory took on a greater significance when you consider Leamington went into the game with a 100 per cent home record this season, having conceded just two.

The amazing sequence has made Stourbridge's awful start to the season a distant memory and Hackett believes his side would always come good.

"I did believe these players weren't that bad," he said. "Of course, we lost four out of our first five games at the start of the season.

"But we didn't perform that badly. If we'd been beaten heavily or played poorly, then I'd have been more concerned.

"But hopefully the loyalty I showed them at that time has been passed back to me because there was never any doubt that these players were good enough."

Stourbridge have rattled in a staggering 34 goals in those six games– including a club league record eight in their 8-1 rout of Cinderford last week – and Hackett isn't surprised about the statistics.

"We've always scored lots of goals and always played attacking football, which means that although we're always likely to create chances, it also means we're likely to concede a few along the way too," he said.

"We're scoring goals for fun at the moment and long may it continue. The players are confident and they want to play. They think we're capable of putting together a decent run."

Hackett is keeping his feet on the ground however in the knowledge things can soon change.

"We're in a reasonable vein of form but football can kick you in the teeth very quickly," he said.

"We've managed to get ourselves into a challenging position after a poor start but we've got to make sure we maintain it.

"We went to Leamington and played very well and beat the top of the league team but there still wasn't a great deal of jumping around in the dressing room.

"I've told them to enjoy it while it's there because the hard part is staying up there."

Crowds are starting to respond with almost 200 at the Cinderford game and Hackett is optimistic the Stourbridge public will respond in numbers to watch a winning team. Halesowen are the next visitors on Tuesday in the Worcestershire Senior Cup.

"Stourbridge has always had decent support – we're in the top five this season already, but it doesn't help having to play a few away games at the start of the season," he said.

"We'll get there. We still haven't played anyone who will bring a gate to us such as Chasetown or Leamington.

"With sharing the ground with the cricket club, we don't have the chance of having pre-season games to bring the fans in, so we're running at a disadvantage."

And just in case his players can complacent, Hackett says he is still looking to strengthen his side, who are without Adam Bastable for six weeks with knee ligament damage.

"We're always looking at things – if the right players become available, then I'll be looking to bring them in, providing they are at the right money for our budget," he said.