Stourbridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6pts, New Brighton . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3pts

EVEN without the cutting edge of Ian Kennedy, injured in a motoring accident, New Brighton had the winning of this Jewsons National League 2 encounter.

With the power and quality of their centres and the pace on their wings, it was a game they could, and perhaps should, have won.

But all too often they starved these runners of possession, electing for the play safe tactic of returning to the forwards battering ram option - a tactic which played to the Stourbridge strength and halted the Blues in their tracks, often short of the gain line.

Let there be no mistake, though, this New Brighton side possesses great quality and, even with two defeats in the past three games, they have the players and the ability to become league champions.

A fifth minute penalty kick by full-back Hamish Pearson gave Stourbridge a 3-0 interval advantage, but in the 65th minute New Brighton pulled level when Murray King converted a penalty kick.

But when Devon referee Nigel Higginson signalled a penalty in front of the Blues' posts on 74 minutes, the game was all but over for New Brighton.

Pearson kicked the points and the narrowest of leads left New Brighton, with a gale lashing into their faces, with a mountain to climb.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.