Stockport County 3 Larkhall Athletic 0 ( FA Trophy- Round 3) Saturday 15 Janauary 2022

 

 

 

 

( Words by hedgegrower, images by hedgegrower & Andrew Machin )

 

County claimed their place in the last 16 of the FA Trophy today by virtue of a business like 3-0 victory over a very decent Larkhall Athletic side at Edgeley Park.

The Larks operate 3 divisions lower than DC`s men in the UK football pyramid, but their performance belied this fact as the Southern League Division 1( South) side limited County`s recently acquired scoring habit to 3 when 4`s and 5`s have become expected at National League level.

With Mike Baker and Josh Jones playing with great confidence at the back for our visitors from Somerset such numbers were never on.

That said it might have been one of those `banana skin` cup games that County have rather specialised in falling foul of over the years but again this never looked likely either as a County side showing 10 changes including a start for young Scott  Holding and a place on the bench for 17 years old Josh Edwards who made it on the park showing up well for 25 minutes, quickly established a lead and never looked likely to relinquish it thereafter despite heroic efforts from Ollie Price`s men!

 Holding unruffled.

 

 

 

 

 

Much of the interest for myself seeing the line-up that DC opted for, was to see how , what I saw as a back three of Holding, Keane and Johnson would do, and it must be said they looked good……Holding on the right was   solid throughout as was Keane in a slightly unaccustomed central role, and new man Ryan Johnson capped an unruffled showing with a goal that would have pleased his manager!

Elsewhere, top man for the blues was undoubtedly CJ who shone like a beacon particularly in the first half when he notched 2 very good goals, and Josh Edwards put his 25 minutes centre stage to good use slotting seamlessly into the left-wing back role.

 

 CJ -in the mix early !

 

 

 

 

There were 3514 inside the stadium at 3 o`clock, 169 of these having made the trip to support the Larks from the Somerset village.

 

 Some of the 169!

 

 the Larkhall Huddle ( Andrew Machin )

 

 

 

 

The 169 were in excellent voice as the game got underway with their team under heavy pressure from the blues who had Minihan and Keane providing early ammunition for the likes of CJ who looked in top nick. 

 

 CJ in top nick early ! ( Andrew Machin )

 

 

 

 

An early shot from the County number 11 smacked into the advertising hoardings a foot wide with 4 minutes gone-but things would improve markedly for him and soon!

 

 Close from CJ.

 

 

 

 

The seventh and eighth minutes gave us a reprise of matters early doors on Tuesday at Altrincham as a lively attack from the Larks had their supporters on their feet- they missed out though, Lambert shooting just wide, and almost straight from this disappointment another worse one hit them hard.

 

 Pressure from Larkhall !

 

 

 

It started out on the Larks left where Minihan bullied sundry white shirted defenders into allowing him possession of the ball just outside the box.

 

 Sam`s the man !

 

 

 

 

 That`s usually bad news …and it was as Sam`s cross saw CJ beat Reid to the punch to open the scoring with the firmest of finishes!

 1-0 courtesy of CJ !

 

 and Andrew Machin`s shot of CJ`s goal !

 

 

 

 

Larkhall responded with spirit to this reverse exerting pressure on County, winning a corner in the process.

The 169 were in expectant mood again but disappointed again as Brad Norris`s header from Alex Lambert`s cross cleared the County bar.

County resumed attacking action next, and CJ went close during a concerted period of pressure, but with Baker rock solid at the back for Larks , and others in white following suit it stayed 1-0 as the game reached the 20 minute mark.

 close from CJ ( Andrew Machin )

 

 

 

 

Cue CJ again and his run deep into the Lark`s territory looked very tasty indeed until keeper Shaun Semmens unceremoniously clattered him a foot or so inside the box.

 

 err.....pen...or wot !

 

 looks no better from Andrew Machin`s angle either !

 

 

 

The referee had a good to perfect view of this, as did I, and whilst I would have pointed to the spot, Aaron Jackson chose to point towards the corner flag- something of a bottle job there Mr J !

No matter, maybe we would make something of the corner, but…no….Rooney lumped it over all takers out of play- chance gone.

County kept plugging away though- Walker winning a corner that sadly just served to give Semmens catching practice.

Crankshaw won another corner almost 5 minutes later with a run down the left and having disparaged Rooney`s previous effort I must say that this time the delivery was inch perfect and so was CJ`s response as he rose majestically to head home to double his and his team`s tally of goals!

 Magnificent header from CJ makes it 2-0 !

 

 and Andrew Machin`s view of CJ`s 2nd .......

 and Keano joins him in celebration ( Andrew Machin )

 

 

 

 

County kept the pressure on for the rest of the half- Reid unlucky trying to lob the keeper, and Crankshaw was prevented from reaching a potentially telling ball from Rooney by Joe Hillard.

County racked up a number of corners in the lead up to half time, but none of them prised open what was a fairly parsimonious Larks back line!

 

Now some crowd shots starting with a few from hedgegrower:-

 

 

 

 

 

And these are from Andrew Machin :-

 

 

 

 

 

The corners continued to pile up for County as the game re-started after the break, but Semmens dealt with the first of these with some authority!

 

 Semmens in command....

 

 

 

 

He was less authoritative a minute later  with TW advancing on goal, but the shot flew inches wide so it mattered not!

 

 ......and under pressure !

 

 

 

 

Getting used by now, to County attacking, it was somewhat chastening to see Lambert latch onto the pill and send Norris scurrying clear down the right. It looked tasty but Keane came to County`s aid cutting Norris out of the picture.

 Keano on the ball ( Andrew Machin )

 

 

 

 

 

A period of County pressure followed, and CJ ratcheted it up a degree or two with the neatest of turns on the edge of the box to set Crankshaw up with a pot at goal. He took it but was blocked, and Reid followed suit almost immediately his effort going out of one of a clutch of white shirted defenders.

 

 County press......

 

 

  

Corner then….maybe we would do something with this, but instead TW ballooned the ball into the Cheadle End from Rooney`s pass.

More pressure followed …more corners…..Kitching winning one…..Keane another with his dogged persistence, but neither produced a goal, the second flying out over the heads of all and sundry.

 

 No one`s !!

 

 

 

 

 

Surely, we could make one count. Well yes…we could and did starting with CJ`s shot that flew behind off a defender.

Cue Rooney and his corner picked out Ryan Thomson who planted his header beyond anything the Lark`s defence could do into the net – it was 3-0!

 

 Johnno makes it 3-0 !

 

 

Not long after the goal we were treated to handbags in front of the Pop Side   as something of a mountain was made out of a very small mole hill indeed as Jack Camm TW and CJ initiated a small fracas , triggering a `Council of the Wise` …well 3 men in black anyway , and this resulted in a trio of yellows !

 

 handbags !

 

 Council of the Wise ?

 

 

 

 

 

The free kick from that action put Larkhall on the offensive for a while- Lambert again the closest to making anything of anything for the Larks, but once more narrowly missing out on a run that took him to the by-line.

As we entered the last 15 minutes or so, County raised the ante- Crankshaw inches wide from TW`s pass-Semmens in action for Larkhall commanding his box against a series of corners.

 

 Semmens a busy lad !

 

 

 

Inevitably I suppose, a reply from the visitors was on the cards and it came via Jack Camm, but he pondered on the ball just long enough for Keano to stop any rot for County with a cracking tackle!

Back came County but Crankshaw found the way to goal blocked by Goodall.

 

 Crankshaw on the attack !

 

 

 

The momentum continued first via CJ and Reid and then Minihan and Crankshaw – the latter coming as close as anyone with an effort that thudded into the advertising hoardings off a defender. 

 

 Johnno close ( Andrew Machin )

 

 

 

 

 

County were really trying but finding that the defending from Ollie Price`s men was cancelling their efforts out.

It was good to see both Holding and Edwards playing their part in keeping attacks alive and thwarting any break outs..............

 

 Holding (top) Edwards ( below) doing there stuff ( Andrew Machin )

 

 

 

 

 

........... but disappointing to see CJ`s header fly over the bar with 10 minutes left.

 

 Late header from CJ !

 

 

 

 

The last 10 plus 4 added minutes were a continuation of what had just gone before……a string of County corners……a one on one twixt CJ and Semmens…..and a late/late run by Norris as the keeper pinged the ball into his path following the one- on-one, but thoughts of a late consolation for the Larks were not to be rewarded and a blast or two of Mr Jackson`s whistle told us that County were in Round 4 of the FA Trophy.

All parties will be pleased with this….County keep heading off towards Wembley, and Larkhall and their supporters will be mightily pleased to have got what amounts to a decent result against a high flying/ free scoring County team, albeit one with 10 changes!

 

Onward then to Eastleigh on Tuesday under the lights at Edgeley Park- unmissable I think !

Oh….and in the spirit of the current obsession of some with `Floodlight Porn` I offer you this from today……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stockport County line up:-

Ross, Holding, Keane, Johnson, Minihan, Kitching( Edwards 66), Walker, Rooney, C Jennings, Crankshaw, Reid.

Subs not used: Hinchliffe, Hogan, Croasdale, Madden, Sarcevic, Quigley.

 

Larkhall Athletic line up:-

Semmons, Hillard ( Restorick 58), Goodall ( Clarke 71) , Evans ( Simons 66), Baker, Jones, Lambert, Britton, Demkly, Norris, Camm.

 

Subs not used: Humphries, Warren, Pearson- Brown.

 

Attendance: 3514 (169)

 

hedgegrower