Leiston 1 Stourbridge 1 - Report
Stourbridge joint manager Leon Broadhurst hailed the spirit that saw his side come back from a goal down to claim a late, late draw in Suffolk despite being down to ten men after Joe Hull’s red card.
Hull was dismissed in the 54th minute for a late challenge on Ben Fowkes with The Glassboys trailing to a Finlay Barnes goal immediately after the restart. But Stour skipper Lee Vaughan drove in through a crowded Leiston penalty area in the final minute of extra time to earn a point.
“I think the biggest thing we can take out of the game was how the lads all stuck together, worked hard and got their mate out of trouble,” said Broadhurst. “It was great to see the lads come together and work as a collective and see the group together as one; that’s something we’ve worked very hard on.”
While he admitted the nature of the draw felt like a victory, the joint manager said his side had deserved a point and were disappointed not to take three.
“We played extremely well for the first 45 minutes and should have been 2-0 up,” he said. “We had a goal disallowed, wrongly, for offside.”
That had come as early as the third minute, when Reece Styche had the ball in the Leiston net after Vaughan had fired in a cross from a short corner only to be denied by an assistant referee’s flag.
“They went in front from a bad decision by the linesman because the ball went out of play,” added Broadhurst, referring to the build-up to Barnes’ 46th-minute strike.
With the whole Stourbridge team, including keeper Charlie Price, packing the Leiston area in the fourth minute of added time, the hosts failed to clear and Vaughan sparked wild celebrations by firing home.
