Stafford Town 3 Tenbury United 1

AFTER conceding goals either side of the interval, Tenbury saw their fight-back killed off by a harsh penalty award, leaving Stafford to take the points in this mid-table West Midlands League Division 1 game.

The result lifts Stafford above United in the table, and based on the performance over 90 minutes the visitors can have few complaints. They were off the boil for much of the game and apart from a short spell in the second half posed little threat to a solid home defence.

The first half was a hard slog in poor conditions with clear-cut chances at a premium. Stafford took the lead in the latter stages of the half, but they needed a slice of luck to make the breakthrough. Byron Davies had a shot from outside the box covered, but a deflection off the foot of Colin Powell, left him stranded.

In an effort to put more pressure on the home defence, the United moved Ryan Morris from midfield into attack to support the two strikers. The plan looked doomed when Stafford quickly added a second goal to give United a real mountain to climb.

Gradually the move paid dividends as the visitors started to create some good chances. Karl Pearson went close with both a header and a shot, whilst Morris reduced the arrears when he ran onto a low cross from Johnny Welsh to chip the keeper.

Morris was now causing problems on the flank and with Powell producing some strong runs from midfield, a previously unlikely point was now looking a possibility. The fight-back came to an abrupt end when the home team scored from the penalty spot after a forward had made the most of a tumble in the box.

This week Tenbury entertain third-placed Riverway at Palmer's Meadow.