Tims 92

Stourbridge

The War Memorial Athletic Ground

Ground No. 140 (return visit)

Visited - Saturday 3^rd December 2011
Result - Stourbridge 0-3 Stevenage
Competition - FA Cup, Second Round
Attendance - 3067

They say the magic of the cup has gone these days, but when your local team knock out a league side in the shape of Plymouth Argyle to reach the second round, then the buzz around town certainly suggests otherwise. Stourbridge aren't strangers to the competition proper, having reached the first round two seasons previously before bowing out to Walsall with a narrow 1-0 loss, but after having travelled down to Devon they'd secured a replay, with a 3-3 draw at Home Park, beating the Pilgrims 2-0 back at Amblecote in the second game, a match where you'd have had difficulty telling which side was three divisions beneath the other such was the quality of Stourbridge's display on a chilly night in front of the ESPN cameras. The reward for the victory was another home game, this time against Hertfordshire based Stevenage (nee Borough).

Whilst the likes of Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton and Sheffield United, etc. had been in the bag, this was about as tough a draw as the Glassboys could expect, Stevenage flying high in League One, manager Graham Westley having won his team a large amount of respect in their rise from the conference, including giant killing acts of their own, having knocked Newcastle United out of the cup last season at Broadhall Way. Despite the tough prospect though, the mood of the locals around town in the run-up to the game was of high hopes for their Plymouth-conquering heroes, and a record crowd for recent times looked to be on the cards, with a third temporary stand set up behind the near goal.

Situated on the south-western edge of the West Midlands, Stourbridge has a population of just over 55,000, but lying in the wider borough of Dudley the club can claim to be the biggest side in the area, Dudley Town having sadly long since disappeared off the radar, whilst Halesowen Town to the east might dispute that claim, but have their own issues, which sees them beneath Stourbridge at present. Formed in 1876, the Glassboys (taking their name from the town's historic glass industry) have a long history, spending most of their early years in the Birmingham League, before stepping up to the Southern League in 1971, having their most successful season shortly afterwards in 73/74 when they won the Division One (North) title, Merit Cup and also reached the final of the Welsh Cup in the era that English clubs could enter the competition. It was the first leg of this game that saw the grounds record attendance reached, 5726 somehow cramming in to see the team, having already knocked out both Wrexham and Swansea, unable to overcome Cardiff City, losing 2-0 on aggregate. Since then, they've spent most of their time between the Southern Premier and various forms of Division One, but they were in the Midland Alliance when I first started to get into non-league, and seemed to make up a number of my early experiences of this level of the game, yet they were back in the Southern League when I first visited Amblecote, in a big win for the home side, beating Cinderford by a massive 8-1 scoreline! Since then it's been a ground I've enjoyed going back to several times a season, a warm welcome usually guaranteed in the clubhouse, which would unfortunately be closed for today’s game.

Lying just north of Stourbridge town centre, it's often referred to by the suburb it's in, Amblecote, as opposed the more lengthier ‘War Memorial Athletic Ground’. The site was first laid out in 1888, with cricket on one side, and football on the other, but it was the purchase by the local council in 1927 that saw its first major developments. The cricket pavilion was erected in that year, with the grounds key feature coming one year later, when the famous arch was built at its entrance, designed in the style of the Thiepval Memorial in France which commemorates the lost soldiers of the Somme, the ground being renamed as its present title in similar respect. Around the same time, the football stands were added, with a good sized covered terrace behind the western goal, now known as The Shed End thanks to its cavernous roof, and the Main Stand in the centre of the southern side also built with terraces flanking either side. The Main Stand itself, like the Shed End, is also notable for its roof, being a strange mix of styles of not quite a barrel roof and not quite a pitched roof thanks to a multitude of angles in the central section. 1929 saw the now little used Church End turnstiles added with their ornate gates, whilst the more frequently operated turnstile block in the car park was added in 1932. Since then, a small wooden stand was built, and subsequently demolished at the near end, and also the clubhouse added in the 1970s with the changing rooms incorporated within. As far as football goes, the grounds one weakness is the cricket pitch, which renders it three sided, which is always a shame, however with the pavilion and the perimeter lined by trees, then it's not the worst possible backdrop, feeling more enclosed than it perhaps ought to. Today though, this wouldn't be such an issue, two temporary stands (added for the Plymouth game) had been erected at each end of this side, with scaffolding in the centre for the TV cameras, whilst at the near end, the third temporary stand, to the side of the clubhouse, added extra height, already known for a pleasant view with the tower of Holy Trinity Church on the opposite side of the road providing a picturesque backdrop.

Tickets had of course been like gold dust, with the local papers doing the usual stories of loyal fans who'd been watching the side for 227 years home and away, never missed a game, etc. being unable to get one because they'd all been reserved for the prawn sandwich brigade at inflated prices of £236,000 per ticket, but thanks to the increased capacity they were still on general sale even on the morning of the game, so everyone had had their chance, and I'd managed to obtain four to be accompanied by Duncan from the Football Ground Guide website, along with forum contributors Chris and his son Stuart, all making their first visit to the ground.

This was the teams seventh game of the season in the FA Cup, having disposed of Bewdley, Barwell, Evesham, Rushall and of course Plymouth in earlier rounds, but from the off you could tell that that wasn't going to make the side look any more worn down than the visitors. Stevenage had the best of the opening moments, forcing a couple of early corners, which were routinely cleared, and the home side hit back with chances of their own, the game looking fairly even, albeit ex-Wolves 'keeper Lewis Solly being the busier of the two stoppers, pulling off a number of great saves to keep it 0-0 at half time.

After the break, in the 58th minute it looked like it was 1-0 to the hosts, when Leon Broadhurst swept home a free kick from the edge of the box with the net bulging. Unfortunately it had fooled even those behind the goal at the Church End with it being the wrong side of the post, and seven minutes later it really was 1-0, unfortunately this time to the visitors. Lewis Solly had made another good stop from Luke Freeman's stinging effort, but the rebound had fallen straight to Chris Beardsley who tapped home to give Stevenage the lead and it was game over 12 minutes later when Beardsley got his second, with the Stourbridge defence being stretched as the league side started to dominate. Thankfully this time he at least had the grace to celebrate in front of his own supporters instead of classlessly doing it in front of the home fans for his first. Solly was again performing heroics shortly after when he tipped a Beardsley shot just round the post to deny the ex-Derby striker a hat-trick, but he could do nothing in injury time when Robin Shroot made it 3-0 to the visitors, Solly having the final say shortly afterwards when he denied them making it four with another shot saved late on.

So, a harsh scoreline for the home side, but there was no doubting that Stevenage were the better team and deserved the win. Still, that didn't stop the players being roundly applauded on a lap of honour after the full time whistle, having done themselves and the town proud to have reached this stage of the competition.

After leaving we headed back into town for a small pub crawl, before heading home, hoping that it’s a similar atmosphere in the Wetherspoons two hours after the clubs next game, with fans still chanting RED ARMY long after the floodlights had been turned off and thoughts of a possible trip to Old Trafford had been forgotten.