Stourbridge 1 Sudbury 1 - Report

The burly frontrunner pepped up a flat Glassboys attack when introduced straight after the visitors had taken a 54th-minute lead and levelled a minute past the 90, latching onto Jack Wilson’s lift into the box, holding off his man before wrapping his foot around the ball to find the far corner of the net.

It came seven minutes after Romario Dunne saw red for arriving high and late into a 50-50 with Benbow on the halfway line.

Stourbridge – and Wilson in particular – had lived dangerously until that point but there were close shaves at the other end in what was a war of attrition.

Sudbury went close with a couple of free-kicks in a tame first half, Jake Turner’s effort forcing Charlie Price to adjust mid-save before centre-half Jack Cawley’s whipped blast cannoned down off the underside of the bar in the 24th minute.

Stourbridge offered little going forward but had two good chances to move in front late in the half, Jack Fletcher failing to convert Alex Prosser’s low swing from the right with the goal gaping, while Jessy Bavanganga could not quite convert at point-blank range an awkward free-kick that dropped in the danger zone off keeper James Bradbrook.

Sudbury wanted a penalty 20 seconds into the second half when Jacob Pinnington dispossessed Wilson near the corner flag and went over under pressure from the retreating Stourbridge left-back.

The breakthrough arrived when Dunne lifted to the far post where Afolabi Soyemi-Ololade was left free to loop home a header.

Benbow went close with a volley into the ground that skipped a fraction wide on the hour but Wilson gifted Josh Allen a golden chance to wrap up the points, Price saving with his foot before Allen's rebound floated wide.

Momentum changed after the red card and while it was still pretty laboured, that man Benbow found the sprinkle of magic required to save the day.

Glassboys: Price, Bavanganga, Wilson, Prosser (Daniels, 68), Kettle, Portman, Ryley, Butterfield, Steward (Benbow, 55), Fletcher, Walters (Anaebonam, 75).

Unused subs: Bood, Shambrook.