Stockport County 5 Milton Keynes 0 ( Football League 2 ) Saturday 23 March 2024

 image by Darren Berry.

 

 

 

County stormed to a resounding 5-0 win in front of the Sky TV cameras in extraordinary fashion today, wiping the floor with a pretty decent Milton Keynes side at Edgeley Park.

I say `pretty decent` and they looked to be just that, playing some lethal looking football that might have seen them 2 or 3 goals up in the first 30 minutes of a game in which at that point Ben Hinchliffe looked a cert for the M.O.M award so breathtaking were the string of saves he had to pull out to keep MK at bay and County`s ship afloat!

Thankfully, Ben`s brilliance was not in vain as his teammates responded with a defiant raft of goals starting with a gift that Camps put away with typical aplomb, two further first half goals from Madden and Tanto ( his 20th of the season) with strikes by Evans and substitute Neil Byrne adding to County`s 3-0 half time lead .

 Mike Williamson`s team despite their desire to play their way out of their difficulties, were done, and the blue promotion push was confirmed to be right back on course!

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 If MK made a couple of early bloopers in the first few minutes that maybe hinted at what would happen later, it was still 0-0 three minutes in, at which point the visitors set about trying to scare the pants off us with some nicely controlled football and an all too apparent willingness to have a go at goal.

Madden did get an early word in for County, but his first-time effort went a foot wide of keeper Michael Kelly`s right hand post.

That was 7 minutes in, and County had been pushed back for much of that time, and the next action had more than myself reaching for the BP tabs I guess as Hinchliffe pulled off a terrific save to deny Stephen Wearne when he was clean through. Ben had just kept Kyran Lofthouse`s cross from a clutch of white shirted forwards in the box moments earlier- this did not augur that well for County`s prospects!

Milton Keynes had settled into their game quickly and another 2 minutes saw them go close again Emre Tezgel unlucky to see his effort drift inches wide of goal with Ben exposed.

Then things got a tad desperate for the blues with MK piling the pressure on forcing both Pye and Camps to opt for fouls to keep the white shirted attackers at bay.

It was unclear to me whether Pye had been booked for his indiscretion, but it was very clear that Jack Payne would take the free kick and it was central and scoreable!

Well, Payne must have thought he did(score that is ) the ball looked on its way in for sure until somehow Hinchliffe pushed the ball onto the post and clear.

I then found myself scribbling “Milton Keynes are winning the midfield battle” and they were, and they pushed on again, 18 minutes in, through Alex Gilbey and the path to goal looked open to him, but he curled his shot goal ward only to see Hinchliffe on hand to make another save. To be fair it was not his best of the game so far but it did not need to be, had Gilbey taken note however of Joe Tomlinson`s presence to his left as he thought about a shot, and passed to him County might have been in trouble- on such moments of decision doth fates hang.

Hey up though, Milton Keynes were back again a minute later piling more pressure on with a series of attempted strikes on goal – Payne the most successful of these shredding County`s right flank with a languid run – Hinchliffe having to pull off another crackerjack save to keep it at 0-0!

The one-way traffic continued as County struggled to reply to more attacking from MK that saw Powell make two vital interventions- a mighty tackle to stop Lewis Bates` run then a thumpingly good clearance when the men in white shirts would not go away!

It did not look good at this point- County were second best for sure and the visitors` precision passing was beginning to be worrisome-Tomlinson underlining this aspect by turning County`s right flank inside out with a run. His eventual cross was cleared but with 30 minutes gone 0-0 hardly looked a good reflection of how the play had panned out thus far!

Then, in a heartbeat, midst a storm of biblical proportions that was engulfing SK3 this afternoon, for County the sun came out to illuminate the day as Pye won the ball, passed to Madden who threaded the ball for Camps to dispute with keeper Michael Kelly. Camps had Kelly`s number and the keeper spilled the ball deliciously into the County man`s path.

The angle was tight, the chance missable, but Camps didn`t, slotting a beautifully precise strike into the net to give the blues an unlikely 1-0 lead!

County were still experiencing the euphoria of that last action when just a couple of minutes later their opponents hit back and with Tomlinson in behind the blue back line and with `only` Ben to beat- it was 1-1 wasn`t it?

Well, no- it might have been, maybe should have been, but again Hinchliffe defied physics and good manners getting his right leg to it keeping the ball out in improbable fashion- Gilbey blazing the follow up effort way wide.

      Then, just five minutes after the opening goal, County had a second and it was again via a Camps/ Madden link up- Camps dinking a superb ball to Madden who drilled it home with relish!

MK looked suitably subdued in the 9 minutes of play that remained of normal time in the first half, with no further addition to the score but the half was to end on a high note for Dave Challinor`s boys as just one minute into 2 added minutes Madden intervened again stealing the ball before sending Tanto on his way goalward with a lovely weighted through ball.

Tanto still had work to do before celebration of his 20^th goal of the season could commence, he had Kelly and one other defender twixt him and goal – it was no contest…..Kelly moved towards the ball but was left floundering….the defender was nowhere as Tanto`s shot hit the back of the net.

It was 3-0 to County and not long before it was half time!  

 

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Some Raw Nostalgia from the Beatles in Half Time Entertainment…..

 

 

https://youtu.be/KQetemT1sWc?si=MwOK3k9SMsIpINLN

 

https://youtu.be/Opxhh9Oh3rg?si=-5wgxBDKIqcy8g1-

 

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This was looking like being a great day for the blues, but we needed them to consolidate on what they had got and hopefully build on it.

For their part MK wanted to rain on that particular parade and for 4 minutes worked hard to make an impression spending most of the time in County`s half.

But, that said, Hinchliffe did not look at all troubled in this period.

Then, just 6 minutes into the half County struck again and a lovely goal it was too- started by a raking run from the much-maligned Ibou Touray who made powerful headway deep inside opposition territory before releasing a cross low into the box where the arriving Connor Evans latched onto it fashioning an exquisite finish that saw the ball sail over Kelly`s head into the net!

It was 4-0- County had the game won – it was not that ridiculous to suggest that, even with just under 40 minutes remaining to be played!

Kelly`s day was less than a great one and Wootton went within an ace of worsening matters for him – almost inducing another spill with a bit of assistance from the Cheadle End but Kelly  recovered sufficiently to push a shot from Madden onto the angle of bar and post.

Tomlinson and Tezgel had their moments for MK next but County`s back line held well- Touray earning applause with work relieving the pressure from the visitors.

The hour mark saw County start to ring the personnel changes- Powell replaced by Croasdale at that point .

By the time that Byrne and Bailey had come on for Tanto and Kane 9 minutes later, MK had begun to probe for something…anything from the ashes of their afternoon-substitute Ellis Harrison fluffing a chance having been put through by Cameron Norman`s looping cross- then being denied by Hinchliffe on the end of another ball from Norman.

County continued to soak up pressure perhaps conceding more free kicks than they needed to- one such picking Norman out who missed the target from close in.

Evans, Bailey and Touray took the game to MK in the minutes that followed before Evans gave way to Hippolyte.

MK were continuing to try to get something from the game- a late free kick driven in hard and low by Tomlinson only to see it cleared by Camps.

The visitors certainly had not given up as we went into 4 minutes added time, but it looked to me that County were upping their game for something of a finale!

Madden was still as spritely as anyone on the pitch running the ball clear before sending Wootton in with a neat pass.

It looked the sort of half chance Wootton last season would have buried in short order, but this time he hesitated before releasing the ball inside to Bailey whose shot took a deflection going out for a corner.

We were into the last minute of added time as a small panto ensued at the corner flag before eventually the ball headed across and into the box where Horsfall met it with a cracking header that Kelly did extremely well to keep out. It was a parry though and the ball went Byrne`s way and he ushered it home with exemplary precision.

It was 5-0, County had secured a win that should shake their rivals for promotion to their very foundations.

It did wonders for the morale of most of the 9700+ who were present today and answers the managers critics in the best way possible!

See you in Nailsworth atop that hill on Friday then!

 

Stockport County line up:-

Hinchliffe , Kane ( Bailey 69 ), Horsfall , Pye , Touray , Camps , Evans ( Hippolyte 76) , Powell ( Croasdale 60) , Wootton, Madden , Olaofe ( Byrne 69).

Subs not used : Smith , Richards , Knight.

 

Milton Keynes line up ;-

Kelly , O`Hora , Williams ( Norman 58) , Gilbey , Payne ( Harrison 58) , Tomlinson , Harvie , Tezgel ( Dean 58) , Wearne ( Robson 80) , Lofthouse , Bate .

Subs not used : Marschall , Lewington , Ilunga.

Attendance : 9727 ( 568)

hedgegrower

 

Additional Gallery from Andrew Machin......