Stourbridge v St Ives Town
Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central 28-03-2026
Written by Nigel Howlett
This heartbreaking defeat extended Ives run without a win to thirteen games and plunged them deep into the relegation mire. It was a game that looked for all the world that it was going to end that dreadful run as they entered six added minutes with a 3-2 lead and looking comfortable against opponents who had huffed and puffed without ever looking like breaking Ives house down in a second half where prior to added time they had managed only two wayward efforts at Ollie Taylor’s goal. But, as against Bury Town in late January, all of the hard work which had gone before it was overturned by conceding two late goals.
Ives, playing with a strong wind at their backs, took the game to their hosts in the early stages and Ben Hart rampaged forward down the right before firing inches wide from the edge of the box in sixth minute. Two minutes later Reuben Wyatt blocked an attempted clearance and latched onto the loose ball to pull the first save of the game out of Glassboys stopper Charlie Price with a 25 yard effort that flew straight at the keeper.
Taylor was called into the action twice in 12th and 14th minutes making comfortable saves from Jai Verma who cut in from the right and fired straight at the keeper and Dom Lewis who tried his luck from 25 yards with an identical result.
Ives then got their noses in front, perhaps a little fortunately, in 14th minute. Dan Lawlor delivered a free kick from the left into the box where Ash Carter struggled to head it clear under pressure. The ball dropped to Hart inside the box, his first time effort lacked power and was straight at Price, but the unsighted keeper made a hash of it, only succeeding in knocking the ball into the roof of the net with his legs.
Matty Miles had been keeping the dangerous Verma quite down the right, but he was forced out of the game in 21st minute with a bloody nose after an accidental clash of heads with the Glassboys winger. Luton Town loanee Kai Source replaced the battered full back. Source was soon involved as his clever run on the half hour pulled away defenders to let Theo Alexandrou cut inside and unleash a shot from the corner of the box that took a wicked deflection off a defender and looped inches wide of the far post with Price looking on.
The young full back was having a battle with Verma and two minutes later he bundled over the winger as he tried to cut inside. Liam Brazier’s free kick was met by Hayden Reeves at the back post but the Glassboys skipper failed to keep his header down. The reprieve was only temporary for the visitors as from the very next attack Verma managed to cut inside Source before running on into the box and firing high past Taylor to level things up.
Things quickly turned from bad to worse for Ives as Brazier latched onto a loose ball 30 yards from goal and strode forward before unleashing a fierce drive that arrowed into the top corner giving the flying Taylor no chance and putting the hosts in front three minutes before the break.
Ives responded well as Alexandrou nodded down Source’s cross into the box and Amaru Kaunda fired the loose ball well over the top only sixty seconds later. There was still time for another twist in the tail as Duncan Idehen lost his marker to power home Lawlor’s in-swinging corner in the first added minute to send the sides into the break level at 2-2.
Now playing against the wind Ives changed their tactics by looking to turn the Glassboys back line at every opportunity and that tactic brought them reward twelve minutes after the restart as Alexandrou latched onto Wyatt’s clip over the top, cut inside and curled a perfect finish into the bottom corner past the outstretched hand of the diving Price to restore the visitor’s advantage.
The hosts continued to enjoy plenty of possession but were unable to break down a stubborn Ives back line. It took a brilliant reaction save from Price to prevent the visitors increasing their lead with 20 minutes to go. Two of Ives substitutes combined well to set up the opportunity with Neo Dobson getting onto another of those well placed balls over the top and getting his head up to pick out Michael Richens arriving unmarked at the back of the box. The Ives club captain did everything right and made clean contact with his first time volley from 15 yards but Price reacted brilliantly to tip the goal bound effort over the top.
With time ticking down the hosts efforts to get back into the game were becoming increasingly desperate, a couple of long range efforts from substitute Will Etheridge flew harmlessly wide and the big home crowd started to get restless but all of that changed completely as the clock ticked into added time. In the first of the six added minutes a cross from the left took a deflection off a defender and looped over the pack in the centre of the goal to arrive at the feet of full back Jack Fletcher who had ghosted in unmarked at the far post and he finished like a striker volleying his first time effort into the roof of the net from eight yards.
Now the home crowd suddenly had something to cheer about and the place was rocking, Ives had to weather the late storm to claim what would still be a valuable point but there was to be a final cruel twist for the gallant visitors as two minutes later Charlie Pavey found space to deliver a cross from the left Tom Edge forced his way between defenders to ram home his header and lift the roof off the War Memorial Ground. To make matters even worse for Ives two of their big relegation rivals, Bromsgrove and Stamford, came up with important victories to leave the visitors precariously placed two points from safety with five games to go.
Final Score: Stourbridge 4 St Ives Town 3 Half Time 2 – 2
Goals:
STOURBRIDGE: Verma 35, Brazier 43, Fletcher 90+1, Edge 90+4
ST IVES: Hart 14, Idehen 45+1, Alexandrou 57
Team Line Ups:
STOURBRIDGE: Price, Fletcher, Solanke (Ethridge 61), Portman (Pavey 70), Reeves (capt), Verma, Lewis, Brazier, Edge, Carter, Knowles (Thompson-McKenzie 74), Unused subs: Peer, Hayward
ST IVES: Taylor, Creary (capt), Idehen, Hart (Dobson 69), Kaunda, Wyatt (Richens 57), Miles (Source 21), Lawlor, Njie, Alexandrou (Baker 71), Meade, Unused subs: Smith
Referee: Ashley Clarke
Cards: Yellow: STOURBRIDGE: Pavey (90+6) ST IVES: Alexandrou (35), Meade (62), Creary (90+4)
IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Jernade Meade
Attendance: 757
