City boss Steve Massey admitted his side’s fourth draw in their last five Calor League premier division games felt more like a defeat.
It was a game City should really have won against the promotion-chasing visitors who played with ten men for more than half the game after Luke Benbow saw red just before the interval for a bad challenge on Dan Green.
By that stage, City had gone 1-0 up, with Ben Watson scoring his fifth of the season after 35 minutes, with a fine finish into the far corner, after being played in by skipper Joe Broad down the right.
First he shot wide after being played through by Jamie Lowry and then delayed his shot too long after Les Afful had put him clear, allowing a defender to get in a desperate covering tackle.
Stourbridge, to their credit, lifted their game after the let-offs and substitute Ryan Rowe levelled after 64 minutes with a similar finish to Watson’s goal, as City appealed in vain for offside.
And it then took a quality save by City keeper Grant Fisher to keep out Ben Billingham’s shot, after he was played through by Rowe, to ensure an ever improving City stretched their unbeaten league run to five matches.
“It felt like a defeat in the dressing room,” admitted Massey after the game.
“But it is probably a measure of how far we have come as a team to be disappointed with a point against a team who I am sure will be in the play-offs.”
CITY: Fisher; Tully, White, Pugh, Daw; Afful, Brokenshire (Cooke 88), Broad (capt), Green (Eddy 72), Lowry, Watson. Subs (not used): Evans Copp.
Goals: Watson (35) 1-0, Rowe (64) 1-1.
Red card: Benbow ( Stourbridge, 39).
Referee: Andrew Turner (Exeter).
Crowd: 401.
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