Back to the bread and butter of the league – and Church proved that there was no lingering hangover from the weekend as the visitors raced into a two goal lead after just eighteen minutes.

A dozen minutes on the clock, and Okafor feeds Newton on the edge of the Stourbridge box, and the ball is moved on again to Clayton-Phillips on the corner of the area, and his touch and finish are sublime, sending the ball arrowing low into the far corner of the hosts’ net.
It is the first real attempt at either end.

The lead was doubled just six minutes later .
Church break down the right flank, with Ngandu feeding Reilly on the overlap, and the Church right back rifles the ball across the face of the goal to find Okafor, free in front of goal, and the Church striker continues his rich goalscoring form by steering the ball in from close range.

It is Okafor’s 15th goal of the season in all competitions, and his 10th in the league.

It was not all one way by any means. On 29 minutes Pavey shoots on target after cutting in from the left, and the ball is deflected wide of the far post for a corner. Church only half clear the ball before the same player sends a shot arrowing goalwards from the edge of the box only to see it rattle the Church bar.

On 41 minutes it is Pavey again, wriggling through before forcing the advancing Evans into a smart blocking save as the Stourbridge wide man toes the ball goalward.

On the stroke of half time Church move the ball forward confidently with a smart passage of passing play, with Okafor laying a pass off the Ngandu before the latter drives low and just wide of the far post, denying Church what would have been a killer third goal before the break.

Half Time: Stourbridge 0 Alvechurch 2

The second half continues in similar vein – end to end – with half and potentially three-quarter chances for each.

Three minutes in Newton plays Okafor through, but the Church striker lifts the ball over keeper Earley and the bar.

A minute later, Verma cuts across the edge of the box and sees his shot blocked away for a corner. The corner falls plum on a Stourbridge head, but it squirms wide of the target.

On 55 minutes, Okafor is through again following a loose touch from Willis, but a decisive last ditch defensive tackle recovers the situation before he can pull the trigger.

Stourbridge were incensed when a penalty appeal did not go their way on 8 minutes, raising the temperature on the sidelines by a significant degree.
And then at the other end keeper Earley bundles a near post corner behind, and from the second one Newton heads wide a Ngandu cross to the far post.

Another chance for Stourbridge follows when Tattum robs Perry, and after the ball is squared the attempt on goal is woefully off target from a good position.

The home side finally find a breakthrough on 89 minutes when they capitalise on a corner that truly was not.
The ball to the back post finds Wragg whose downward header is easily converted.
Still time for a stoppage time save from Evans to deny Brazier as he drives on target from just inside the box.

A hard fought three points at a hard place to go, courtesy of the strong start that allowed Church to weather the later pressure from the home side.