In a performance which Morton Titterton afterwards correctly described as "unacceptable"  Town slumped to their third home League defeat of the season on Saturday when Bridgnorth Town took full advantage of keeper Richard Morris being sent off on the hour mark to come from behind and take all three points on a thoroughly depressing afternoon at the DCS.

Town's team showed three changes from last weekend at Heath Hayes.   Jordan Ward came in at left back with Ricky Baker moving into midfield to replace Michael Hayden and Joss Holford took over from the suspended Stuart Herlihy.

But the change which had the Town supporters really buzzing with anticipation was the promotion to the starting line-up of Youth team hotshot Jamie Molyneux after five increasingly impressive substitute appearances with Joe Wright dropping to the bench.

The Shropshire side arrived pretty much in freefall having dropped to 19th in the table following a run which had seen them take only one point from their last seven games.

But you would never have guessed as they were immediately into their stride and spurned a gift-wrapped opportunity to take an early lead when they were awarded a penalty in only the second minute.  It looked to be a fairly generous decision as the referee ruled that Baker had handled when he cleared a cross from the right, but Jason Pike's spot kick was brilliantly saved by Morris diving low to his left to beat the ball away.

And as Bridgnorth piled on the pressure Morris then held a useful effort from Luke Evans and only a perfectly timed tackle by Mark Faulds thwarted  Pike as he sough to make amends for his penalty miss.

With Town seemingly still half asleep Evans blazed over after Lewis Welch had sent over an inviting cross from the left, and with the game still only ten minutes old another Evans shot was too hot for Morris to handle with Faulds fortunately being in the right place to hack the loose ball clear.

Gradually though Town began to win more of the meaningful possession, and there were concerted appeals for a penalty of their own midway through the half when Charlie Torr appeared to handle, but the referee was having none of it.

Shortly after Town went the closest yet when Danny Haynes floated over a cross from the right and Martin Thompson outjumped the Bridgnorth keeper Chris Crook only for his header to drift  wide of the far post.

At least it was now  an even game even if neither side was playing with any real fluency, but positives from Town's point of view were Morris's confident handling of high balls hoisted into the penalty area, and the energy and enthusiasm of Molyneux as he tirelessly chased down anything that came his way.

But the half looked destined to be goal-less until Town broke the deadlock six minutes before the break when another Haynes centre from the right found its way to the unmarked Thompson who slotted the ball home from six yards out.

Half Time     -      Stratford Town   1        Bridgnorth Town      0 

Bridgnorth were quiuckly on the attack after the restart and a teasing cross from Evans had to be acrobatically punched clear by Morris before at the other end Baker was disappointingly too high from a Faulds cross.

Morton Titterton soon made his first substitution taking off Ward who had been on the wrong end of more than one heavy tackle with Baker moving to left back and Nathan Edgington coming on into midfield.

But shortly after the whole complexion of the match changed when Morris was dismissed.  There didn't look to be a problem as he collected a free kick launched into the penalty area from the halfway line, but he then seemed  to take exception to a challenge from Richard Golding and appeared to elbow the big defender to the ground.

The referee immediately produced the Red Card, and as the keeper ruefully trudged off Morton Titterton elected to sacrifice Molyneux so that his fellow Youth teamer Sam Brady could take over in goal for his First team debut.

This time though Pike made no mistake from the spot and Brady's introduction to MFA action was to collect the ball from the back of the net.

Suddenly it was a different game as Bridgnorth scented an unexpected victory and Town's ten men were at full stretch to keep them out.  Dan Parker showed his class in the middle of Town's backline and Brady distinguished himself by safely holding a couple of threatening crosses but Bridgnorth's pressure paid off with twelve minutes to go when they grabbed the winner.

Again there was an element of controversy as Pike's deep cross from the left was flicked on by Tom Whitney and reached Golding at the far post.   Although there was more than a suspicion of offside the flag stayed down and he had the time and space to fire past Brady from close range.

Town tried to salvage something in the time remaining, but never looked likely to do so with a Liam Reynolds effort which fizzed narrowly wide the nearest they came.

So Morton Titterton's side must now head to Studley on Tuesday evening for the vital Polymac Services League Cup quarter final on the back of this insipid effort.  The only consolation may be that the Bees are in even worse form with their 5-0 loss at Tividale today being their sixth defeat on the bounce.

But if Town can't raise the game at the Beehive and clinch a semi final place their season will have effectively come to  a premature end.   

TOWN : Morris, Faulds, Ward (Edgington 55), Reynolds, Haynes, Parker, Holford, Murphy (Beckley 70), Thompson, Molyneux (Brady 60), Baker.    Unused Sub   -   Wright 

BRIDGNORTH : Crook, Gregory, Torr, Pike, Golding, Hartlebury, Evans (Bradbury 82), Guryn (Buxton 71), Whitney, Welch (Horler 67), Griffiths.    Unused Sub  -  Hurdley.

Attendance      -    161