MORE MISERY FOR COLKIN & CREW

There seems to be no end to the misery for the Valley this season, after they missed out on another ideal opportunity to record a first league win of the campaign against Stourbridge last Saturday.

By Jon Venner.

Photo: Martin Pulley

Full back Chris Tullin, making his first home appearance since returning to the club, makes a surge forward in search of an equaliser late on before Stourbridge stole the points for themselves.

Having controlled the majority of the opening period and gained an early and just reward for this thanks to a David Staff free-kick after eight minutes, they then proceeded to let this lead slip just before half-time.

Then after a reasonably non-eventful second half, the visitors added insult to injury by stealing the victory at the death - in the last of the three minutes of added-on time.

Town manager Lee Colkin had made three changes from the side which also lost out to a late winner in the previous game at Hemel, including giving a debut to new striker Matt Brown in place of the injured David Kolodynski and employing Liam Nicell in an unfamiliar midfield role.

Colkin was absent for the game’s opening exchanges though after his car broke down en-route, and in doing so he missed out on probably the best spell of football his side have played in the four games since he took over the reins.

In addition to Staff’s superbly executed free-kick around the wall and into the bottom corner of the net, Brian Bowles should have done better with a header from close range, Brown had a shot blocked, Greg Smith blazed just over on the turn and Delroy Gordon was also narrowly off-target with a powerful header – as Town looked for a deserved increase to their advantage.

Having ridden their luck at the other end, the visitors then fashioned a neatly-executed goal of their own on 44 minutes – with strikers Ryan Rowe and Ben Billingham combining well, with Billingham finishing the move with a low finish.

The two sides cancelled each other out in the second period, and whilst Town did press forward and tried to look purposeful, they lacked a cutting edge to their attacking play.

The Glassboys had a good chance early in the half when Drew Canavan cut inside his man before striking the base of the upright with his effort, but this was a rare shot on goal from either side.

For the home side, Karl Fellows and Smith both created half chances for themselves - but their final strikes failed to trouble Stuart Brock in the visitors’ goal.

Brock was called into action though when he just beat Brown to substitute Sam Youngs’ good through-ball, and then again he was quick off his line to help Sam Smith close down fellow Town sub Shawn Richards when he got in behind the defence after 79 minutes.

Canavan ominously twice threatened late-on for Stourbridge – first denied by a great saving tackle from Gordon, and then he saw his shot kept-out by the fingertips of Andy Stevens after Chris Tullin had blocked his initial effort.

With the way Valley’s luck is at the moment, there was a certain air of inevitability when Glassboys’ substitute Linden Dovey was given too much space on the right, and he cut inside to fire home a devasting blow for Colkin and his team.

Valley Line-up: Stevens; Tullin, Commander, Gordon, Love; Bowles (Youngs), Staff, Bowles, Nicell, Fellows (Gearing); Brown (Richards), Smith. Subs not used: Castleton. Booked: None. Sent off: None.