Stourbridge sack Leon Broadhurst as slump continues
Stourbridge have parted company with management team Leon Broadhurst and Stuart Pierpoint.
Club-record appearance holder Broadhurst and former defender Pierpoint returned to the War Memorial Ground in October 2021, initially as joint-managers.
Pierpoint stepped into an assistant role to Broadhurst last summer but a disappointing standing in the Southern Premier Central as seen the club relieve the duo of their duties.
An added-time equaliser from returning striker Luke Benbow earned the Glassboys a point after a 1-1 draw against the 10 men of relegation-threatened AFC Sudbury but it was not enough to preserve the management team's position.
Stourbridge are slumped down in 16th in a frustrating campaign of just 11 league wins from 32 games and just a single victory in eight.
Third-bottom Sudbury edged ahead 10 minutes into the second half through Afolabi Soyemi-Ololade's looping header in what had been a war of attrition at Amblecote. Stourbridge were given a boost with seven minutes remaining as Romario Dunne caught Benbow on the halfway line and was dismissed.
The hosts were fortunate for some wasteful Sudbury finishing before Benbow found the far corner after holding off his marker inside the box.
Broadhurst, who made 780 appearances for the club, and Pierpoint guided Stourbridge to Southern Premier Central finishes of 11th and 10th in their two terms in charge.
Stourbridge skipper Joel Kettle could not hide his frustration at his side's lowly status. The defender said: “It is frustrating,” he said.
“I joined Stourbridge to be fighting for the play-offs or towards the top end. With the players we have in that dressing room, there is no way we should be entertaining the possibility of hanging on or seeing out a season, we should be fighting at the other end of the table.
“That is down to a mixture of the boys, the performances and individual errors and I go back to that word, it is so frustrating.
“I am a big believer in reflection. I wear my heart on my sleeve and put my body on the line, you fight for the football club and nine times out of ten you come out with a bit of credit for that – it is what most people ask for.
“I am not saying people are not doing that, I just think we have been very inconsistent with our performances. We play top teams and should beat them but then we go to teams who are lower in the table and don’t seem to replicate those performances. That inconsistency and frustration sums up our season so far.”
