Ecstatic Stonehouse Town boss Adam Coyle heaped praise on his side after the Magpies booked their place in the Hellenic League Division One West play-off final.
A stunning strike from Josh Beadle gave Coyle’s side a deserved lead at the break away at Bewdley.
The hosts responded in the second half to level the contest, and with penalties looming, Alfie Mann stepped up in stoppage time to fire home a dramatic winner.
The Magpies then added a final touch of quality as Jamal Dare calmly finished to make it 3–1, sealing their place in the play-off final and keeping alive hopes of promotion to the Hellenic Premier Division for the first time in the club’s history.
Coyle’s side will now host Malmesbury Victoria on Friday, May 1, 7.45pm.
An overjoyed Coyle told Stroud Times: “We’re absolutely delighted — for everyone at the club. The supporters, the committee, the players — just everybody. The turnout last night was incredible, and the noise when we scored was unbelievable. I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who came down. The lads really appreciated it.
Pic: Mike Bulbeck/ Stonehouse
“The celebrations at the end, in front of all the flags, were just brilliant. That’s exactly why we’re here — me, Nashy (Karl Nash), Matt (Tunley) — we joined this club to be part of nights like that. It was a really special evening.
“We know there’s still one more to go, but we’ll take the next 10 days to rest, recover, and get ourselves right.
“Overall, I thought we deserved the win. We controlled large parts of the game. The first half was a bit messy — they set up in a way we didn’t expect, so it took us a little time to adjust. But once we settled, we found our rhythm, got into good areas, and started putting quality balls into the box.
“At half-time they changed shape, but to be honest, that worked in our favour. We adapted well and from that point it felt like wave after wave. If I’m being critical, we should have scored more and put the game to bed earlier.
“But the way we won it — that’s how you want to win a football match. The scenes at the end were unbelievable. Just a brilliant night to be part of.”
“What you can’t buy in football is heart, desire, and love for the club — and this group has that in abundance. They play for the badge, they care, and they’re desperate to succeed.
“We’ve got lads out there giving everything — some of them are basically held together with tape and ibuprofen — but nothing is stopping them from going out and fighting for this club. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
