Stockport County 1 Barrow 0 ( Football League 2) Saturday 19 August 2023
Now, what was it `the man` said? Oh yes….” Never mind the quality feel the width” and that goes some way to summing up County`s performance today against Barrow at Edgeley Park for me.
And the man also said I believe “ A win is a win is a win!” and that is what many will choose to take away from a game in which County might have won by more had they not scorned a raft of chances .
That said, the chances apart, much of County`s play hinted at them struggling to win this one, but they did and if the goal by Louis Barry had elements of luck about it, it cannot be argued that they were not due a bit of that commodity.
We looked for them to nail down the win via a second goal but ,try as they might, this would not materialise and we may have regretted that fact had Peter Wild`s side possessed even a modicum of attacking nous about them but happily for us they hadn`t.
By contrast we had Ryan Croasdale who returned to first team duty in triumph exhibiting all his manifold skills throughout a game in which his domination grew and grew as the minutes passed- M.O.M by a country mile!
The missed chances were down to Tanto and Barry but both had better games than in others recently Tanto needs to start scoring of course but some of the right kind of support from others in blue and white would come in handy there- there were glimpses of some real quality at times from him today and I will look for more of the same along with a few goals in the games that follow.
Barry`s fortunes to a degree mirrored Tanto`s in that like him Louis has blinding speed and is bursting to show it to the world but just lacks a kindly rub of the green – he got a smidgeon of that today when his fierce drive was deflected home by a defender , so here`s to that being the turning of a corner for Louis , we so need it to be!
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Back at 3 o`clock a crowd in excess of 8000 greeted the teams onto the superbly kept EP playing surface with 532 making the trip from Cumbria to support their team.
It was the fourth minute before anything of note occurred and it was at the wrong end where Touray spilled possession to Emile Acquah. It looked iffy for a moment or so, but the moment passed less alarmingly as Hinchliffe made short work of the forward`s cross.
County looked to be trying to get their game together but their slow buildup was not aiding their cause too much and the Bluebirds seemed keen to take advantage at this point – County`s luck holding as Tiensia`s attempt to reach Duffus with a neat through ball narrowly failed- and again with the resultant corner that Barrow wasted wantonly.
Touray made amends for his earlier blooper by doing just enough to ensure that Duffus`s shot, 5 minutes later, did not cause Hinchliffe undue difficulty.
A bit more Barrow attacking and then…a chance .. a real chance as Tanto was advancing at a rate of knots on visiting keeper Josh Willis. It looked a shoo-in and Tanto should have scored, instead Willis had the 532 in the Pop Side cheering with an improbable stop.
We needed that to have gone in for sure not for us to let another one slip through our fingers, but that`s just what we did just over 5 minutes later!
It all started with good work by Hinchliffe that did for another raid engineered by Tiensia- the County keeper sending Barry scooting clear at speed but just as a promising moment beckoned it went away again with a limp final ball that found only keeper Willis.
It was a frustrating half and we were at the midpoint of same when Knoyle again exhibited scant judgement with the wildest of challenges almost taking Duffus`s head from his shoulders. I was thinking `straight red` for that but Referee Peter Wright chose yellow and seeing Duffus trail off for stitches with blood streaming from his head maybe indicated the official was wrong.
Duffus was subbed of course but the Barrow free kick was poor and County should really have made them pay the price , but when Tanto had snaffled possession and sent Barry clear again we were to be disappointed once more as another chance went begging as his drift to the right away from keeper Willis then induced him to dive in hope of a penalty rather than shoot and Mr Wright would have none of it – there was no penalty and another chance had disappeared!
Meanwhile Touray`s day was not going that well either- his overlong cross ending a County raid just before the half hour, and a loose pass to Barrow`s Tom White put us in severe danger of going behind until Hinchliffe righted matters with a confident save.
It went a touch frantic beyond the half hour mark – Tanto winning a corner one moment…..County under pressure the next as they wasted the flag kick. Madden cleared this sending Tanto away, but his shot hit the side netting much to the relief of the last two blocks on the Pop Side.
We were close to the break now, and County were still looking for the opening goal and the 41st minute saw them in behind the visitors back line and nicely placed as Tanto reached the by-line before looking to pick Barry out , only to see Willis block County`s progress well , and the blues make a wakes of the corner that followed.
County continued to plug away but failing to test Willis in the process- the keeper feasting hungrily on a cross from Madden ( 42 minutes)- Barry through again (on 44 minutes)only to sky a shot way off target on the end of it.
These disappointments were only so to us, Barrow must have been encouraged, and a fluffed clearance by Knoyle added fuel to that fire. Proctor (on as sub for Duffus) might have done better than he did following receipt of the ball but instead his shot lacked power and Hinchliffe dealt with it easily.
A late /late one…two twixt Southam- Hales and Knoyle deserved better than it achieved – the half ending with more than myself probably hoping for much better from the blues in the second half.
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And for half time entertainment this week ……..
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So to the second half and it started with a bang as County set about getting that elusive opener with purpose, none more so than Madden but his volley and follow up were kept out by the combined efforts of George Ray and keeper Willis who made a terrific save.
That was close!
Rydel`s free kick that followed uncharacteristically wasn`t, flying harmlessly out of play.
But the fiftieth minute saw Barry in behind the visitors defence again and it looked good and then it didn`t as his shot fizzed out across the face of goal.
Just 3 minutes later and Barry was back again picking Rydel out but the shot that followed though decent was saved brilliantly by Willis who was earning his corn today for the Bluebirds- somehow the visitors survived the corner.
Barrow came back into it after this for a while, but Tiensia`s shooting had not improved at all , although twice in a 10 minute period Croasdale made telling interventions at the back for County.
And County did come back into the picture only for Barry to once more lose his footing at the vital moment in the box when a shot was on.
Following that action Madden narrowly missed out with a shot, going close 5 minutes later with a glancing header from a Touray pass that was only inches away!
On it went with County very much on the front foot but Barry`s run to the by-line ended with his cross eluding Tanto by not very much as he surged through the middle.
That was 65 minutes in, just a minute later and County at last got the reward that they craved!
It started with excellent work from Tanto followed by an unselfish pass to Barry. The box was crowded with bodies when Barry let a fierce drive go and it took the kindest of deflections off one such body flying into the net to give the blues the lead!
That was a relief but would we hold onto that lead, or even make it safer with another goal?
We would see, but for now we were disappointed as Willis again ruined the County party by saving Tanto`s header from a neat Madden pass.
Madden was substituted a minute later after firing high and wide after good work by Barry had promised much.
Evans was now on for Madden whilst Barrow had made 3 substitutions one of them bringing Elliot Newby back centre stage at EP.
He received a warm reception, but it was Croasdale who was to earn the applause in the minutes that followed – sadly his shooting did not match his superb general play, but I heard nobody taking him to account as his shot joined us in the Cheadle End with 10 minutes left to play.
It went on with Croasdale getting a crucial tackle in as Barrow eyed a break!
We now had Crankshaw and Byrne on in place of Collar and Rydel as I groaned to see Tanto not at all well served by Knoyle`s return pass at the sharp end with 3 minutes left. We also now had a back 4 with Byrne joining right who had replaced Southam-Hales earlier alongside Horsfall and Touray.
Ninety minutes were up with Croasdale`s master class still in session to the accompaniment of much applause.
Into added time we went with County beginning the 5 minute period attacking but the move started so promisingly by Tanto faded in a welter of insipid back wards passes ending up with an ungainly punt from our last third out of play- not great at all, and it transferred possession to our opponents who then did a fair bit of attacking albeit lacking in the required finishing , but we can never be absolutely sure in moments such as these can we?
We were deep into added time now and Crankshaw had missed out on a run, and Tanto had been flagged offside not long after.
Still Mr Wright did not blow even when Willis put us on tenter`s with a long punt up the park….or when County broke up field from that , but thankfully when Ray stepped in and wellied the ball back then he blew and the match was over…the points all County`s!
A single defected goal was the difference ( on paper )twixt the 2 teams , but hey….we`ll take that folks will we not , in fact it will do very nicely thank you.
I look for an improvement, and maybe our use of another centre back alongside Horsfall at the back, or maybe 2!
We`ll see anyway at Mansfield – see you there hopefully !
Stockport County line up:-
Hinchliffe , Knoyle , Horsfall, Touray, Southam- Hales ( Wright 50), Rydel ( Byrne 83) , Collar ( Crankshaw 83) , Croasdale , Madden ( Evans 71) , Olaofe, Barry .
Subs not used : Smith , Pye , C Johnson.
Barrow line up :-
Willis , Campbell ( Etaluku 75) , Ray , Canavan , Worrall , White ( Gotts 75), Duffus ( Proctor 25), Foley ( Spence 69), Acquath ( Newby 75) , Warren , Tiensia .
Subs not used : Feely , Farman.
Attendance : 8364 ( 532)
hedgegrower
a few images from hedgegrower`s phone first.....
Then some from Andrew Machin......
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