Stratford 2nd XI 1 - Warwick 2nd XI 0
The big games seem to be coming thick and fast now for a Stratford team only two more victories away from confirming promotion and the visit of fierce local rivals Warwick provided another test. Having comfortably beaten Warwick in the away fixture earlier in the season 3-0 and Warwick themselves on a very strong run of form since Christmas, the visitors looked very determined to throw a spanner into the Stratford promotion push. The first twenty minutes Stratford came out of the blocks quickly, completely outplaying their oponents, but faining to carve out many meaningful opportunities, with Noble the only player coming close but dragging his shot just wide. Jones and Stuart Barnes again controlled the midfield, with Forrester, Noble, Havers and Rustler driving up the wings, but it was from the penalty spot that Stratford eventually took the lead. The second short corner of the game was pushed back to Brookes and his first time slap deflection hit a Warwick player on the line resulting in a penalty flick, Brookes then stepped up to send the keeper the wrong way and put it into the bottom corner in an unsaveable strike.
Half time came and went and it was now time for the most impregnable defence in the league to take over and secure the points. Marshalled once again by Bowen, McBride and White marked their strikers out of the game with Garratt acting as an important outlet for pressure realease, hence there was very little for keeper Purser to do. 100% commitment was showed through the rest of the game with effort in abundance and a calmness to Stratford's game that has at times been missing since Christmas, finally securing the win much to the annoyance of Warwick. Stratford now sit pretty with only one team able to catch them and another stern test at the weekend, when visiting fourth placed Kings Heath.
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