Dudley Town 1 Lye Town 3
LYE Town ended a three-game losing streak to secure the bragging rights in a another Black Country derby sandwiched between fixtures against Dudley Sports and Cradley Town.

Quite what former West Brom and Bolton favourite Richard Sneekes - watching from the stands at The Dell after signing for the Robins - made of it all is anyone’s guess with the former Ajax and Holland under-21 midfielder set for a West Midlands League debut at darlaston tomorrow night.

Both sides started brightly, shrugging off recent bad form and Lye’s Tobias Salmon should have done far better than launching the ball over after Dudley goalkeeper Lewis Exall spilt a cross.

But it was Dudley, on the back of four straight league defeats who made the breakthrough with a penalty from Alex Perry in the 38th minute after former Tividale left-back Hoshane Gabbidon - one of three new faces in the Dudley team - was hauled down in the box.

Lye claims that Perry then cleared a goalbound effort off the line fell on deaf ears.

It could have been two just shy of half-time when ex Yeltz striker Nathaniel Waite - part of a new-look Dudley strike force along with ex-Sutton Coldfield Town striker Sam Giles - ended a fine run with a shot that beat Lye keeper Tom Harper but came down off the bar inches short of the line.

The visitors introduced target man Matt Corfield at the break and the switch paid dividends after 11 minutes when he pulled clear allowing Andrew Wells to mercilessly launch the ball past Exall.

Both sides then had chances to go ahead with Exall pulling off a fine save at from a Corfield header whilst the Robins hit the woodwork again when a Giles shot hit the post and bounced clear of Waite, waiting to pounce.

Lye took the lead on 72 minutes, Corfield connecting to a Wells corner that just about crept over the line amid the posse of Dudley defenders.

That stoked Dudley into life and with ten minutes left the hosts had a penalty shout turned down, Tyrone Clarke appearing to be up-ended and Town’s Clarke began to cause trouble, picking up a fine Tom Edmonds cross to force a good save from Harper.

Waite hit the post again in the 90th minute but Town’s luckless run continued when Lee Dimmock broke and placed the ball past Exall to seal the game.