Stourbridge 1 Needham Market 1 - Report
A CAGEY battle of a winless bottom two somewhat inevitably ended in a draw with 10-man Needham Market deservedly cancelling out Stourbridge’s lead.
Youth prospect Daniel Gyasi got his first senior goal for the Glassboys in only his second substitute appearance – his first was just two minutes long – by sliding in to convert new signing Reece Styche’s cross-shot from the right 15 minutes from time.
It came less than two minutes after Market’s Callum Sturgess had been given a straight red card having tangled with Styche on the floor after conceding a foul in the right channel.
But the Glassboys, yet to keep a clean sheet this season, could not hold out with patient passing opening up play seven minutes from time.
With a lack of bodies dropping back, Luke Ingram’s cross from the right was cleared only as far as Jose Santa De La Paz who was left free to lash in a half volley from the right of the box seven minutes from the end, giving keeper Charlie Price no chance.
De La Paz might have won it minutes later when lofted in behind but Price got a vital brush on his lob to ensure it bounced marginally wide of the far post.
While the play was even in the first half, Needham made far more of it with Kyle Hammond’s nudge from point-blank range landing in Price’s gloves seven minutes in.
Ingram hit the inside of the post with a glancing header with Price gathering the rebound, as he did when Ben Fowkes almost converted an inswinging free-kick.
For Stourbridge, Darryl Knights pinched the ball from Josh Pollard and raced in seven minutes before the break but his run was matched by Dan Morphew who did enough to put him off as he struck straight at Marcus Garnham.
Market had much the better of the second half too with Hammond firing off target twice in a matter of minutes when well placed on the left of the box, while Callum Page was a fraction away from connecting with a free header in front of a gaping net shortly before the red card incident.
Stourbridge: Price, Usher-Shipway, O’Hanlon (Gyasi, 70), Solanke, Morris, Rowe-Turner, Marsden (Bushaj, 33), McQuilkin, Gibson, Knights (Styche, 59), Wilson.
Unused subs: Taylor, Okafor.
Attendance: 1,004.
