Stourbridge 0

Stratford Town 2

TOP scorer Craig Martin executed the sweetest of turns and slickest of strikes to finally break the deadlock between these two evenly matches sides.

Tuesday's FA Vase replay took on a similar pattern to Saturday's tie and it needed something special to end the stalemate.

Martin's goal just two minutes after the break lifted Stratford and Darren Dickson's astute lob 19 minutes from time earned the visitors a home second round tie with Mickleover Sports on November 11.

"In my heart of hearts, I thought we would win tonight," said a delighted Lennie Derby after the final whistle.

"We could have gone out on Saturday, but rode our luck and everybody's buzzing. That's three clean sheets on the trot and I feel I've nearly got the blend right at last."

However, Town again had fortune on their side. Just a minute before Martin's opener, Scott McGregor was the saviour at the opposite end with a goalline clearance.

And, Stourbridge were again cursing their luck after 15 minutes when Andy Dodd's shot struck the crossbar.

Town keeper Warren Ayres denied Michael Moore, who appeared yards offside, in the 49th minute and Ayres found fortune on his side on the hour when he fumbled Moore's shot after more trickery.

The recalled Ian Muir drilled a shot narrowly wide after 66 minutes and four minutes later the assistant manager was denied a goal when Darren Alden leapt athletically to his left to turn the ball past an upright.

From the corner, though, Dickson's vision and delicate right-footer doubled the visitors' lead and it should have been 3-0 two minutes later, but Simon Windsor shot wildly wide after Martin's magnificent flick sent his co-striker clear.

The miss didn't matter and the manner of victory, and the whole Vase performance, leaves Derby's men in good heart for Saturday's Midland Alliance tester at top of the table Rushall Olympic.

The Masons Road chief could be forced into a change in personnel with Craig Martin and Marcus Hamill both nursing knocks and the versatile Steve Rule struggling with a kidney problem sustained last weekend.

Town's strength in depth nowadays sees the likes of Jon Brant, Leon Allen, Kevin Elvin, Justin Clarke, Paul John and the returning Peter McBean all capable of filling any vacancies.

In addition to home advantage in the next round of the Vase, Stratford will have visitors in the second round of the Birmingham Senior Cup.

Kings Heath, 1-0 losers at Alveston last weekend, are scheduled to visit Masons Road before the end of November.