Colne FC 0 Stockport County 2( Pre Season Friendly) 5 September 2020

 

 

All photos in this report were taken by hedgegrower.

 

 

Recently it was confirmed that a mouse sized elephant shrew ( the Somali Sengi) that sucks up ants through its tiny trunk like nose, mates for life  and used to race about at a nippy 19 mph in the Horn of Africa, has been discovered alive and well after being lost to science for 50 years.

 

It is not quite that long since last I watched County ply their trade, but it certainly feels about the same length of time!

That said, it was a massive pleasure ( if one with an inbuilt frisson of fear honed by months of splendid isolation ) to make it to Harrison Drive today and see JG`s County side take on Colne FC of the Northern Premier League in front of an actual crowd!

Colne Manager Nathan Rooney will be pleased with his side`s performance , that made things difficult for the blues for 90 odd minutes, making it another good work out for JG`s newly minted squad.

It gave us a glimpse of what might be possible as the new season unfolds. Would County have anything up front to mark them out as promotion candidates?

Well….Jordan Williams looked good particularly early in the first half where only the mightiest of saves by Colne`s keeper Hakan Burton kept him out and the score line blank, and there was a definite hint of a renewed understanding twixt Williams and Bennett. I really like Alex Reid in the striking roll, but if Bennett can build on bits we saw today……..

 

Bennett at the sharp end.

 

 

Elsewhere Liam Hogan reaffirmed my high opinion of him with a solid showing at the back which included a fine clearance off the line at one point when Hinchliffe was in trouble, Adam Thomas made one, scored one and well justified his presence by securing the  2-0 win for County in a frenetic last few first half minutes. Maynard looked as smooth as silk on occasions in a first half that right up until the death was in the balance, but then so did Jordan Keane after the break, so JG has his work cut out to decide who fits in best- possibly Keano`s defensive input shades it, but James will have it sussed when it matters!

 

Keano on the ball.

 

 

 

 

In addition  Kitchings second half showing flagged up a tasty challenge to the excellent James Jennings at left back, and it was mightily reassuring to see County enact a shut out denying their hosts but a few  sniffs of goal with the excellent  Ash Palmer in the thick of it.

 

Kitching in good nick !

 

 

 

County are understandably not at max performance yet, but we can see some encouraging signs that something good is brewing!

Back at 1 o`clock there were circa 400 inside the welcoming walls of Holt House, perhaps 50% from Stockport, and there was no sign of the rain forecast for 1pm, as the bulk of the County contingent took up position behind one goal on the open terrace.

 I was quickly smiling to see Williams already making waves in the home side`s  half running clear, but he was out of luck. Connor Jennings fared similarly moments later, darting through only to be flagged offside.

 

CJ on the move !

 

 

 

This brought Harry Cannon- Noren to the fore for Colne, and I made him their top man, but this time weight of County numbers at the back did for him.

Back came County through that man Williams again, he was onside, but there were no takers for the lay back that followed.

Alex Samizadeh tested Hinchliffe with a snap shot to no avail, but the most incisive move so far came at the other end where a shot from Rooney was on its way in before Burton rose to push the ball over the bar.

 

No luck for Rooney.

 

 

 

Burton was in action again just 2 minutes later, thwarting Williams this time, earning his corn with a brave piece of keeping.

 

Williams close !

 

 

 

Colne were not cowed however, Russell, Jordan and Samizadeh taking turns to probe for an opening that County successfully managed to avoid conceding.

Back came the blues, and Rooney`s free kick went close, Palmer being foiled from a corner not long after.

With 10 minutes left of the half County just failed to capitalise on what looked like something of a re-kindling of the Williams/ Bennett partnership of old, but after good work from Bennett , Williams could only lift his effort over the bar.

 

Bennett again.

 

 

 

There was time for a reply by Colne via Cannon- Noren  , but Hinchliffe made the save from Russell when the fullback pulled the ball back from the by-line.

It continued in the same vein , and  Hogan did brilliantly to clear Samizadeh`s shot off the line after the forward had beaten Hinchliffe to the ball in the box.

Maybe County would be happy with a 0-0 half time score- line, but nobody had mentioned this to Adam Thomas( but I noticed that moments earlier JG had been in discussion with Adam whilst play was held up), and the County supporters were cheering loudly as  the County wide man fired a low hard cross into the box where it rattled into a defender ( a triallist apparently) before going into the net for County`s first goal.

 

Thomas truly on song !

 

 

 

Hogan came close to setting up a second goal shortly after with a surging run into the box, but that second was not long in arriving, and it was Thomas doing the biz again , on the spot to head Jamie Stott`s cross in from close range.

Hogan puts Colne under pressure !

 

 

 

 

 

County were ending the half in rampant mood, and Burton did well to deny Bennett with his legs, to keep it at 2-0 as the teams went in at half time.

 

Now a few crowd shots:-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only Hogan and Palmer of those on duty for County in the first half were out there when play resumed,  Bell and Reid resumed striking duties and Alex Curran was able to turn out against his old club.

 

 

 

 

Reid was in lively form straight away and James Cooke did just enough to ensure Reid`s shot went the wrong side of the woodwork as the County man burst clear down the left.

 

Reid- lively!

 

 

 

The left flank was well blessed, as Kitching was clearly in the mood to flag up that he wanted that shirt, and there was Curran and an unnamed trialist trying to take the eye as well- the trialist seeing Burton save his shot after Kitching had set him up.

 

 

Kitching seeks out Reid.

 

 

Cannon- Noren was still doing good stuff for the Northern Premier side, but his cross found no takers with just over 20 minutes left.

Again County responded, and once more it was through Kitching, but Curran`s shot just missed out.

This signalled a reply from Colne and it was a good one - Barnes doing well to push the ball around a post.

 

Colne press.

 

 

County continued to press urged on by Keane, but with Palmer being replaced by Hopkins, Keano was pressed into service at the back.

Gilmour did his best in this period, twice out of luck…once seeing the keeper hold onto his shot, and then watching as his free kick just carried the bar late on.

 

County break late on....

 

 

 

Colne had their moments too, most notably the tireless Cannon- Noren, who came close with a close range effort that Barnes pushed over with 5 minutes left.

But County were not having it, and that shut out was sorted in good style in the end.

This was a decent test for the team, but off the park we could have done without the fracas that had the local constabulary on site in numbers- is all I am saying!

 

Colne FC line up:-

Burton, Cannon- Noren, Unsworth, Brown, Dean ( Dodd 32), Trialist, Cooke, Russell, Jordan, Samizadeh, Gooden.

Subs at h.t- Webb- Foster, O`Halleron, Diabi, Coleman, Chippendale.

Sub at 82 mins- Bailey for Chippendale.

 

Stockport County lune up ( first half)

Hinchliffe, Hogan, Palmer, Stott, Thomas, J Jennings, Maynard, Rooney, C Jennings, Bennett, Williams.

Second half:- Barnes, Minihan,  Hogan, Palmer ( Hopkins 76) , Kitching, Keane, Gilmour, Trialist, Curran,  Reid, Bell.

Attendance c 400

 

hedgegrower