With perhaps as little as 45 minutes seperating Boro’ from a cup final, a welcome endpoint to an otherwise disappointing season, the pressure was high.
Josh Lundstram had the first chance of the half, slicing through the defence but he saw his effort go over the bar.
Stourbridge pressed without posing much in the way of danger to the Boro’ but of course, this being the Boro’ nothing is ever easy, and as ever, there was a hiccup to come.
In what looked bizarre, Jordan Lussey was given his marching orders, presumably for something he said to the referee whist on the floor injured. Word on the terrace was that he called the ref a cheat, which would appear to be justified given the actions that followed.
The game opened up with chances at both ends. Allen saw his shot saved at one end, whilst Belford denied former Boro striker Mills with a fine save at the other.
The game seemed to be put beyond doubt however with less than ten minutes to play, as Ryan Edmunds controlled a Baxendale pass, before firing into the far corner to give the Boro breathing space.
That breathing space was quickly pegged back as Stourbridge made a concerted effort to get back into it. First Mills hit the post, before Anderson nicked a goal back for the hosts to set up a nervous finish to the game.
It would get more nervous as a goal mouth scramble in the Boro’ box left hearts in mouths, skid marks in pants, but thankfully not a ball in the back of the net.
Five minutes of stoppage time. A lifetime. But like everything, it had an end and the Boro had done it, they were in the Birmingham Senior Cup final.
One game to go now. A chance for redemption? A sign of better times to come? Or a final footnote in the history of this club?
***NO DINOSAURS OR MORONS WERE HURT IN THE WRITING OF THIS ARTICLE***
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