STOURPORT men spluttered to the end of the pre-league hockey season with a mixed bag of results and plenty of unanswered questions.

The first team start their National League campaign on Sunday away at Firebrands of Bristol having yet to assemble their entire squad.

Owen Brotherton has not checked in and it is unclear whether he will start in the league side.

The squad is. howeverm, boosted by the late arrival of Dave Tuckett-Good, who goes straight into the reckoning after Saturday's warm-up match against Worcester Norton.

Stourport bludgeoned out a close encounter with their local rivals, eventually running out winners by the odd goal in five, thanks to three short corner strikes by Imran Yousaf.

Stourport will be disappointed not to have scored from open play, but will take some satisfaction from the result while hoping that they can step up several more gears when facing Firebrands.

The entire first team squad was assembled in this penultimate friendly to look at all the options available to new coach, Yousaf, who still has not settled upon his first choice side.

The knock-on effects resounded down the order, as the lack of stren-gth in depth compounded by yet more unavailabilities told in a number of defeats, against what once upon a time would have been considered weaker opposition.

Stourport seconds were thrashed for the second time in two weeks. Ian Roberts failed to turn up forcing them to travel to last season's Midlands Premier Division runners up Coventry and North Warwicks with only ten players.

Stourport took an early lead through a David Knott short corner, but the good start couldn't be sustained.

At half time Coventry led 5-2 after Knott grabbed a second.

Ben Moulam closed the lead with two excellent finishes, but as Stourport tired Coventry fired home five unanswered goals, leaving Stourport side to face the ignominy of a double figures defeat.

Stourport step up in the quality of opposition next week facing Beeston in their first league game.

With only two senior players on offer the Stourport third team showed great promise but were defeated 4-1 by Worcester seconds. Ben Everett-Li's goal capped the club's best individual start to the season.

Stourport fourths beat Worcester 1-0 thanks to a Gareth Pritcahrd goal.

The fifths lost 3-1 despite a good performance and the sixths had the result of the day, running out 4-2 winners, scoring four goals in the final 20 minutes.