ASSISTANT manager Stuart Thomson was the unlikely hero for Stocks on Saturday - he had to go in goal and made several first-class, first-half saves.

With Alan Ralph nursing broken ribs, Dan de Heaume out with a broken hand and Carl Mumford in bed with flu, it fell to Thomson to do the job, and he did it well. His best save came when the game was still goal-less, and a goal at that point would have had a major influence.

Midway through the half Stocks capitalised on Thomson's heroics when Dean Savage's free-kick was met by a cushioned header from the outstanding Joel McCormack, and Ryan Boare lashed home the opener.

Boare made it 2-nil five minutes later when he ran on to McCormack's flick and dinked the ball over the keeper, and McCormack was himself unlucky to have a 'goal' disallowed when his challenge had seemed innocuous.

In the second half Ringwood had plenty of possession and a strong wind behind them, but Stocks held out until 15 minutes from the end. Then, a striker latched on to a bouncing ball to smash the ball past the cowering Thomson, but that was his only lapse.

Lewis Bain latched on to Pete Swinney's cross from the right to restore the two-goal margin, and that seemed to knock the stuffing out of the hosts.