Weymouth 1 Stockport County 2( Vanarama National League) Saturday 2 October 2021

 

(All words & images by hedgegrower)

 

We`re the County, the Mighty County, We Always Win Away!

Well……we did it today at Weymouth`s Bob Lucas Stadium anyway, but in doing so County took their excellent following , I put at 302 on the wettest of days, on a somewhat familiar roller coaster ride,  coming back from 1 down with a stunning late second half performance that saw them home 2-1.

It was County`s first win against the Terras, but it did not look all that likely to come about for much of the game, and Brian Stocks side might just have considered themselves badly done to being only a goal up at the break- a tap in by Sean Shields after an epic comms mix up twixt Hogan and Ross.

For sure they could have had 2 or 3 in the first half, Brandon Goodship being denied what looked to be a perfectly legitimate goal on one occasion by a liners flag and some inventive appeals from a clutch of white shirted County players. He struck a post late on also with Ross beaten to leave it 1-0 to our hosts as both teams trooped off in prodigiously awful weather conditions.

The conditions were no better when play resumed, but County`s  prospects improved dramatically with the introduction of new man Ollie Crankshaw . 

 

 Crankshaw- impressive !

 

 

 

 

Within 10 minutes we were level via a Madden strike, and we thought it was 2-1 when County`s number nine slotted another in only for the same liner who frustrated them earlier to frustrate us by flagging for offside.

 

 Well, I`d have kept my flag down !

 

Thankfully County did not crack on this bad reverse, and they got their reward late on when Crankshaw finished off a neat County move to make it 2-1, sending County`s loyal travelling fans wild with excitement.

There was no Barclay or Fryers in County`s line up as the game got underway in Dorsetian Monsoon conditions.

 

 Part of County`s following high up in the stand!

 

 

 

This meant County lined up with a back 3 of Hogan, Palmer and 18-year-old Ethan Pye who was making his debut on the left.

 Pye did well throughout !

 

 

 

 

 

The early minutes saw the Terras searching for an opener, , Croasdale  went closest for County .

Croasdale close early !

 

 

 

 

 

But it was plain to see that Weymouth fancied notching their third win of what had been a disappointing start to their season. Goodship seemed to be offering home specs the most encouragement and County looked to be perplexed as he probed their right flank, with Ollie Harfield joining in forcing a couple of corners, one of which Madden saw off with some keen defending.

We seemed to have early jitters, the more so as again Goodship slung a tasty offering in from the right which neither defenders nor forwards could reach.

County replied quickly though but not decisively as Croasdale shot over the top.

 County press....

 The home side continued to look for a goal, and 20 miutes in they thought that they had it when  more good work by Goodship saw him beat Hogan before putting what looked like the Terras opening goal home. It looked a good goal to me, but not to the main stand liner so it stayed 0-0 much to the dismay of the Weymouth side.

 

 

County were trying to get back into it but not all that convincingly. Whitfield was trying more than most only to see keeper Ross Fitzsimons smother the shot at the foot of a post.

 Whitfield busy.....but......

 

 

 

 

 

 

........ Foot of the post job by Fitzsimons !

 

 

 

 He combined nicely with Pye on the half hour winning a clutch of corners that saw Whitfield go close 2 or 3 times in a period of County attacking.

 Pye in control.

 

 

 

Goodship meanwhile continued to be Weymouth`s danger man- a shot from him ricocheting for a corner on 38 minutes. This was only half cleared, the ball coming back into the danger zone where Ross and Hogan contrived to mess up big time, the former taking an age to decide whether to pick the ball up, whilst the latter simplified the dilemma by allowing Shields the freedom of Bob Lucas to tap home!

 Shields taps in.....

 

 

 

 

 

That was awesomely bad defending, but Pye looked unaffected doing well to block McQuoid on the break almost immediately after. 

 

 Pye covers the break...

 

 

Pye was by far the most inexperienced of County`s backline but it did not show!

 

 Kitching sees danger off...

 

 

In what was left of the half the Terras would have been further mortified to see the ball thud into an upright and fly to safety as Goodship and Leslie-Smith caught County on the hop again.

Now a few more crowd shots:-

 

 

                                                                           

 

 

 

The prevailing mood on the away terrace was not good, as the teams came back out with the heavens still unloading on them.

Early action saw Whitfield`s cross kept from Reid by Olomowewe, with Rooney and Kitchen probing for scraps down the left.

 

 Cross on way from Kitching.

 

 

 

 

None of this seemed to disturb Fitzsimons between the sticks for the Terras.

 

 No issue for the keeper.

 

 

 

 

It was the 53rd minute before our hosts replied through Harfield who saw Ross rise to tip his effort over the bar.

Weymouth continued to press but could not improve on a clutch of corners, they lacked a finisher.

County waited their chance to respond which they did via Rooney whose shot was deflected wide of goal. This ushered in a notional chance from the corner, which Palmer was alive to, but so was Fitzsimons and it stayed 0-1.

 Rooney`s shot......

 .....Palmer wants it.....

 

....... Fitzsimons makes the save !

 

 

 

 

 

Weymouth came back at County again, Ross doing well under pressure, Goodship doing less so, dragging a poor effort wide when well set for the home side.

The hour mark saw Reid and Kitching give way to Crankshaw and Rydel.

The introduction of Crankshaw seemed to energise the County following, we needed this element to get a hold on the men in white shirts now though.

A foul on Whitfield gave us a sporting chance to see if this was about to come to pass, but after neat work by Pye and Rydel, Weymouth cleared their lines.

 Whitfield still busy...

 

 

 

Slowly however the `Crankshaw Factor` began to have an effect, starting with his unselfish chasing of apparently lost balls, moving on via his pass to Croasdale that saw the shot narrowly miss out.

 Close from Croasdale.

 

 

 

 

 

Weymouth`s reply came from Goodship, but again he fluffed his lines, and this was perhaps a crucial moment in the game, as play switched ends immediately, Crankshaw sending Southam-Hales through passing inside to Madden who scored from close in.

 Cross on the way ( honest) from Crankshaw ......

 

 Madden applies the finish....

 ...and the County following like what they see!

 

 

 

 

That was really worth waiting for, and more of the same almost followed in rapid order – Crankshaw to Madden who was just wide with his shot.

If Crankshaw`s introduction was significant so was Madden`s impact, which is so much more evident when he can forget defensive duties and lurk in the last third of our opponents!

County were buoyed somewhat now but again just missed out from another free kick after Southam- Hales latest break was halted by a crude home foul.

 

 Terras under pressure !

 

 

 

It went on…Madden close from Rydel`s prompt, but we needed County to be 100% alert ,only to see Ross tee up a free kick in a dangerous area with a poor clearance. This was defended well, but we needed to tighten up.

 

 Could have been costly...wasn`t !

 

Then we were tempted to think that last para was perhaps superfluous, as County made it 2-1, or so we thought. Crankshaw did the initial damage breaking down the right. His pass inside picked out Madden nicely, and he did the rest, turning to the County fans behind the goal in triumph having put the ball into the back of the net.

 Madden makes it 2-1 ( not).

 

 

 

 

 

Enter main stand liner once more…flag upraised….generally challenged as to parentage thereafter…..it stayed 1-1 and  this made the constant falling rain that much more depressing !    

That was 82 minutes in, another 4 and County were still pressing and Southam- Hales was still drawing fouls as he sped clear on the break. The 87^th minute saw Crankshaw`s shot from the free kick drift wide.

That took us to a minute from time, and …yes….before you ask…it was still pouring down!

County were attacking also unsurprisingly perhaps through Southam- Hales . Another dangerous cross followed but Fitzsimons made a total wakes of picking it up….he didn`t……the ball ran on to Crankshaw and it was 2-1 !

 Keeper has it.......

 

 ....then he hasn`t as Crankshaw notches the winner!

 Team & fans celebrate  in the sun.....

 

 

 

 

You will think I lie….but I do not….the sun then came out for the first time the instant the ball smashed into the back of the net!

 

 Wow.....I told you !

 

 

 

 

County fans could not have ordered it better if they had tried, and they went a AS, and rightly so!

Credit to the Terras , they tried hard to snatch the draw which was , despite the referee finding 5 minutes added time from somewhere, looking like their sole possible solace!

County, alarmingly perhaps, were now defending deep, but Shields put a gilt edger wide, and Hogan did a superb last ditcher midst the mother of all goal line scrambles in front of the County goal deep into what was beginning to look like 6- or 7-minutes time added!

Eventually the referee blew for time, and the points were County`s.

Well played, in the end, County, that second half rally made a long and tiring trip worthwhile for the County faithful.

It is clear there is something in there worth prising out of this County squad, but can we work on allowing County fans to bin the BP pills and anti-depressants please by being more consistent over 90 minutes?

Nit picking I suppose, but it`s on to EP and the visit of Aldershot, so we will see!

 

Weymouth line up:-

Fitzsimons, Cordner, Goodship, Mussa ( Bearwish 77), McQuoid ( Ash 77),Leslie-Smith, Robinson, Murray, Harfield, Olomowewe, Shields( Thomson 90).

Subs not used: Mc Burnie, Brooks.

 

Stockport County line up:-

Ross, Hogan, Palmer, Pye, Southam-Hales, Kitching ( Rydel 62), Croasdale, Rooney, Madden, Reid ( Crankshaw 62), Whitfield ( Collar 91).

Subs not used: Hinchliffe, Fish.

Attendance : 872

hedgegrower