Mark Lester’s Stourbridge U21 side was victorious in their League Play-Off Championship Cup Final and were named champions of the league. They put three past top of the North table, Brocton for the game to finish 3-2.
The manager revealed that, “It was great to lift the cup, especially for the lads as they’ve worked so hard this year so, it was the icing on the cake.
“It was just amazing winning the final and I’m really proud of the boys for the cup run. We have worked hard all season and deserved it.”
Lester spoke on his crucial moments and any difficulties he has faced in charge, “It’s difficult really when you have to pick between two squads effectively: The 23’s and 21’s. The boys that have come in have done a great job.”
Our U21s were also victorious in the cup. tonight as they ran out winners in the north vs south league play offs with a 3-2 win over @broctonfc 🤩
— Stourbridge FC (@StourbridgeFC) April 29, 2025
Goals came from Kelvin Adam (2) and Aiden Tighe 🔴⚪️#StourAyWe | #OneHeartOneWay pic.twitter.com/dgt7SX2lW2
“Picking the team has honestly been a crucial part behind the scenes because you’ve got a huge pool of players to pick from and everyone isn’t available week in week out so picking the right blend and players, I think was crucial.”
The young Glassboys have had a tremendous league run as they were defeated only once, and Lester spoke on motivation within the squad.
“To be fair I haven’t had to do much to keep them motivated this year because we have had a real successful season so keeping them motivated hasn’t been too difficult.”
Lester highlighted how important it is to communicate with the players and explain the reasoning for the squad selection and how you should give them pointers to improve.
“In terms of results, picking from such a pool of players means that sometimes you do lose a player or two as they may not make the squad every week, but it’s just about keeping them working hard in training and telling them that their chance will come.”
When praising his squad, Lester didn’t hold back: “Louis Beddoe has stepped up massively for me this year, he was tremendous in the final and has been tremendous all season really, he will run forever.
“Young Frog (Fahrad Sumner) is a player that has really surprised me this season, he’s only a first year and is only just turning seventeen. He really gets round the pitch and runs well so he’s really surprised me this year just because of his age.”
When discussing his goals and plans for next season, the gaffer said: “Moving into next season, we have got to see what players will be available and see who stays or who leaves.
“Some are aspiring to play at a higher level which is understandable, but there’s not a lot of teams in the area that have an U21 team. They will have a lot of fallout from their U18 teams that can’t play anymore as they suppress the age and looking for the next step.
“So, we will just have a look at the squad, rebuild and bring players in where we need to and hopefully repeat what we have done this season.”
