Stockport County 1 Nuneaton Town 1 ( Vanarama National League- North)1 April 2017
County today,
came up against a team, in Tommy Wright’s Nuneaton Town who knew how to play,
and came to Edgeley Park to prove it.
Galvanised
by all action performances from Devon Kelly-Evans and Ashley Chambers , the
visitors , despite County having the better of the chances , Nuneaton shared the spoils.
Devon Kelly-Evans- Town Top Man. |
A fair result?
Arguably I suppose , but had one of six or seven goal bound shots gone in , for
County, instead of being dealt with by a
bewildering number of gut wrenching last ditchers from Gascoine, Langmead and
others County’s post game angst would
have been substantially assuaged. As it was, instead of being several goals to
the good at half time, County had to settle for a 0-0 score line.
In the second
half, having taken the lead via a Danny Lloyd penalty early on, County were hit on the break by an Ashley Chambers
strike that went in via a wicked deflection almost on the hour.
County had
held the lead for nigh on 10 minutes, and their task thereafter looked a tough
one. Nuneaton had been a real handful before the break, and much sharper than
County, albeit under rather more pressure much of the time than JG’s boys were.
The visitors ensured County could not relax with the constant threat of being
hit on the break- a possibility enlarged when Greg Mills joined the fray late
on to aid and abet Kelly-Evans and Chambers.
If a point
was a disappointment for County, there are some elements of
consolation…instance Michael Clarke, who with Hampson pushing on, had oodles of
extra work to attend to on the left side of the blue back four.
M.O.M Winter & Hampson. |
I thought
that Montrose and Minihan had decent games too, but cannot find fault with
Harry Winter as the sponsors M.O.M – he was the model of tidy efficiency all
the game, and I still keenly await a wasteful ball from him- fat chance!
Hup.... |
I had
enjoyed the SCAN presentation event pre-match in the Bung , and give you a
brief sample of same here…..
On then the
3 o’clock ...............
The teams by Andrew Machin. |
.............whereupon full timers Town, took the game to County from the off,
looking a real threat with full back Alex Penny supplementing Kelly- Evans’
work down the right giving County much to do.
Hinchliffe beaten only by a deflected shot. |
Having seen
off a free kick in the first 2 minutes, County were pushed back again as a poor
clearance by Hinchliffe gifted possession to Billy Daniels. On it went from
Daniels to Jordan Nicholson, but the diminutive number eleven lifted the ball
over the bar to keep it at 0-0.
This was
slightly disturbing and not far removed from our opening 45 last Saturday, and
I winced as, with just 7 minutes gone, Town came back at us via Kelly-Evans ,
who shredded the County cover on our left flank to set Chambers up with a good
chance of glory. Good chance….yes…..glory….no sir, as Chambers again gave the
ball boys in the otherwise empty Railway End more work to do.
Chambers fires over ( Andrew Machin ) |
Nuneaton
would just not go away though, and another 2 minutes saw a melee in front of
Hinchliffe’s goal that looked iffy for a moment or two until Clarke hooked the
ball clear. The pressure on County persisted however and Smalley did well to
stop the rot as Chambers headed goal ward onto another Kelly- Evans ball
Smalley to the fore ( Andrew Machin ) |
Lloyd
offered us hope , with 10 minutes gone…..Penny thwarted him by finding touch,
but…at last…County were off and running! The problem was, however, that
Nuneaton still had the bit twixt their teeth, and Nicholson very nearly
capitalised on a loose ball from Ross not long after.
But…. I was
beginning to see a glimmer of something stirring now with County, and Lloyd
was…..oh…so close to opening the County account with his delicate glancing header,
from Gonzales’s pass.
Lloyd about to pounce ( Andrew Machin ) |
Tyrell
Belford then tipped a shot from Minihan over the bar, to add fuel to my
`glimmer of something’ fire. A free kick followed - a fantastic bender from
Lloyd, but this smacked into the right post and went out, and it was still 0-0!
2 shots from Andrew Machin of the free kick |
and one from old hedgie..... |
On it went
with Belford a busy lad …in action again to once more tip a Minihan effort ( a
header this time) onto then over the bar.
Another close call for Town ( Andrew Machin ) |
Somehow Town survived the corner, and
were able to hit the blues on the break. The raid, by Chambers and Kelly- Evans,
was engineered with precision, but County had the man for the moment in Ross
whose intervention saw Chambers off when things looked a tad awkward for
County.
Mark Ross in good form. |
It was an
end to ender….again, and County responded – Gonzales going close with an effort. That was disappointing, but
County surged forward again through Hampson whose shot was inches wide from an
inch perfect Winter pass.
Within a
minute Hampson was back again and this time he went closer still, his shot
heading in before Kelvin Langmead made his first goal line clearance of
the game!
We were beyond half way in the first half now,
and County were definitely warming up nicely - Minihan’s energy was
particularly apparent alongside the drive of Montrose , so I was distinctly
hopeful!
Montrose -another in good nick ! |
Then hope
gave way to angst as a corner, won by Minihan, saw Daniels back to block a
Lloyd effort and Brad Gascoine in position on the line to thwart Winter.
That was
gruesome bad luck…and more followed as Belford and then Penny somehow managed, separately, to prevent the ball from entering the net as Montrose and Lloyd again saw their best
efforts thwarted.
Montrose was
in awesome nick at this point, winning good possession and making searing runs,
but still it stayed 0-0, as Gascoine ushered Minihan’s cross out from under the
bar.
Have I said
that Town were dangerous on the break? If not…I should have, and more evidence
of this fact surfaced ,with 10 minutes left of the half, as they emerged from
deep defence to cause County brows to furrow! Kelly- Evans took on the role of
prime attacker, and his run again set Chambers up. County rallied and the
forward’s shot was charged down, but it was a close call.
Five minutes
on from that action, and County were on the front foot as Ross carved a great
hole in the visitors’ defensive cover with a tenacious run from deep. Ross
passed inside to Ball, but Belford did brilliantly to keep Ball’s delicate
flicked header out!
Gonzales vies with Daniels |
County kept
the pressure on as Gonzales, Lloyd and Ball combined to push Town back into
their last third. A free kick followed and then a heck of a melee that ended
with Gascoine again in the action keeping Lloyd’s kick, delivered to the back
post, from Gonzales. It was a
corner…then another as Gascoine then kept Smalley from the kick at the back
post. That was very decent defending, but greatly frustrating for County and
more followed as Clarke headed wide.
The half
ended with more of the same as Gascoine kept a Gonzales effort out at the last
gasp, and Langmead followed suit clearing a Montrose shot off the line.
Close again from Gonzales ( Andrew Machin ) |
Bearing in mind the number of times County had gone
close to scoring,0-0 was a disappointing score to end the half on, but credit to Nuneaton- they had looked up for it from the
off and still did, as the teams went in at the break…anyway perhaps County
could square that seemingly unsquarable circle in the second 45 !
The re-start
saw Felix on for Smalley, and a bit of a switch with Minihan now at RB…Ross
centre back, and Felix out wide on the right. I rather fancy Felix as a better
bet played inside, but he was pretty sharp wide right last time out, so ‘nuff
said I guess.
Felix & Montrose up for it ! |
This was a
crucial 45 minutes , and County showed every indication upon the resumption of
fully understanding this fact, as Felix and Minihan quickly set up lines of
communication down the right.
Hampson down
the left won a corner but whilst nothing came from that, a goal was not long in
coming, and it was a delightful ball from Ball that set it up sending Gonzales
surging into the box. Cutting inside Gonzales’ progress was halted by contact
with the defender. Down he went….and the referee, who was a yard or so away,
immediately pointed to the spot.
Down goes Gonazales ( Andrew Machin ) |
The penalty seen by Andrew Machin...... |
...and hedgies view. |
Cue Danny
Lloyd….and he stepped up to slam the kick home- County 1 Town 0 !
Perhaps
unsurprisingly, Nuneaton hit back straight off and Nicholson was inches away
with a header from a cross from Chambers.
Close call for County (Andrew Machin ) |
That was
hopefully a brief aberration, and I told myself just that as Hampson and Ball
proceeded to tear strips off the visitors right flank.
Hinchliffe
did have one shot to save in this period, from Kristian Scott, but it was an
underpowered and misdirected effort and gave him no trouble at all.
Meanwhile…Lloyd,
Montrose and Winter all had efforts
blocked at the other end, the Edgeley Park crowd warming to their teams efforts
with a rising cauldron of noise!
Oh…and Lloyd
went down in the box…..no penalty!
I was still
thinking about that when Nuneaton sneaked clear and, with County standing off
Chambers was able to get a shot off that took a wicked deflection off one of
several County defenders twixt him and goal. Hinchliffe had no chance at
all…..it was 1-1!
1-1 ( Andrew Machin ) |
It
really was a good game….Belford punching out under the cosh one moment….Winter
stopping Nicholson with the neatest of tackles the next. Then Ross bettered the
Winter tackle with one of supreme efficiency to deny Chambers who looked well
set, and would have been clear on goal had Ross’s tackle miss fired.
Mills
was now on for Nuneaton and Gascoine was inches away from heading a cross from
him home from almost under the bar.
For
County, Duxbury was now on for Ball, and within minutes County should have had
that vital second goal. Ross had just sent a ball of no particular quality into
the Town half. Gonzales was not far from it and the gap twixt him and same
dwindled rapidly ( but bizarrely in slow motion) as Belford and a defender
proceeded to `after you Claude’ each other. Eons passed, and Gonzales really
should have done better, but instead he could only watch as the keeper
eventually put hand to ball- chance well and truly gone!
Clarke
then went close following a move involving Ross, Felix and Duxbury.......
Clarke goes close... |
........ and Lloyd
went even closer shortly after as a dazzling bit of work from him saw him glide
beyond a clutch of defenders before leathering the ball goal ward. It was a
cracking shot but….bugger….with Belford no where…the ball smacked the upright
before going out!
The
excitement continued…Minhan seeing a shot blocked…..Chambers stopped by Hinchliffe from reaching a cross
by Mills.
We
were into the last 10 minutes now and Odejayi was on for Gonzales, as both
sides continued to seek that late /late winner.
Late cameo for Odejayi. |
County went the closer ,
with 4 minutes left, through Lloyd, and Belford spilled Lloyd’s cross briefly
offering opportunities for County in the shape of the loose ball- no one could
respond however and the chance was gone .
Kelly-
Evans and Nicholson were Town’s best performers in the game’s dying embers, but
in response Clarke was a rock, and the game ended with Minihan ending a period
of pressure from the visitors by hooking the ball to safety.
Game
over……just one point gained, but it might just be a vital point, come several
weeks time.
So
it’s off to Gainsborough next Saturday, and a stab at Scubby’s onions!
For
County no real reason to be down hearted, we are still in with a shout, and as
the man said- there’s still all to play for!
Stockport
County line up:
Hinchliffe,
Ross, Clarke, Smalley( Felix 45), Hampson, Montrose, Minihan, Winter, Gonzales(
Odejayi 81), Ball( Duxbury 73), Lloyd.
Subs
not used; Ormson, Meppen-Walter.
Nuneaton
Town line up:
Belford,
Penny( Mills 65), O’Hanlon, Scott, Langmead, Gascoigne, Kelly-Evans, Elliott,
Chambers, Daniels, Nicholson.
Subs
not used; Wallace, Mutton, Gould, Dibble.
Attendance:
3416
Ian
Brown
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