Stocksbridge Park Steels 1 Willenhall Town 0

By Russell Brown

Willenhall surrendered their unbeaten away record stretching back to last November and also endured their first loss in the Unibond League in a game dominated by controversy,

Willenhall Town: Vaughan, Colwell (McGhee), Whitcombe, Slater, Thomas, Creighton, Swann, Jackson (Jones), Edwards (Tyrell), Quilt, Smith.

Stocksbridge were reduced to ten when keeper Richard Siddall handled a John Quilt shot outside his area and that saw center forward Andy Ring pull on the keepers jersey.

That should have prompted the visitors into an all out assault on the bottom club, but as with Gresley in midweek, the Red’s could not find the inspiration to unlock a packed home defence.

The visitors started brightly enough and Wayne Bullimore needed to head a Karl Edwards effort off the line before Jason Smith round Siddall only to fire into the side netting.

The keepers dismissal changed the pattern of the game and it was backs to the wall for the home side who had failed to register a single victory this season.

Just after the break, Quilt’s header clipped the crossbar, but that was to prove the closest that the visitors would come as some bizarre refereeing decisions started to add to the frustrations on the pitch.

A mass brawl on the halfway line saw Vaughan Thomas made the scapegoat, being the only player to be punished in the melee as the Doncaster official decided to level things up on the field. He controversially wielded the red card to the bemused defender allowing the instigator Bullimore, who had to be dragged off midfielder Mark Swann by his own officials, to continue without punishment.

To make matters worse in the second minute of injury time Stocksbridge stole the points with their only real attacking movement of the day. Substitute Ross Hannah was left one on one with Craig Slater and the left winger pushed the ball past the defender to race on and fire a low shot from the edge of the area to beat Nathan Vaughan at his near post.

Willenhall will try to get back on the winning trail when they host Belper Town on Tuesday 14^th September. Kick off at Noose Lane is 7.45pm.

Barwell are the visitors on Saturday 18^th September when the Midland Football Alliance side take on the Red’s in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup. Kick off at Noose Lane is 3pm.