Stockport County 2 Bristol Rovers 0 ( Football League 1 ) Saturday 13 August 2024

County turned on the gas impressively at Edgeley Park today to claim a third win in three and maintain their position atop League One against Bristol Rovers.

Rovers looked a business-like outfit and , to their credit, were still trying to get something from the game in its dying embers, but that added something that looks to be needed to unsettle a County side playing with exceptional determination and flair, was just not there for Matt Taylor`s side!

It was another terrific team performance from the blues filled again with borderline M.O.M showings from DC`s boys- Woots won it with another outstanding match, but point to Will Collar……to Fraser Horsfall, Ethan Pye or Jay Mingi who particularly shone today, and they were not that far away in terms of excellence.

No one didn`t do a shift , Ollie Norwood gave us 90 odd minutes and earned applause along the way - he found his range reasonably quickly and looks a banker for us as we look to stay top and exit the right end of the division, and Louie Barry scored the inevitable snorter in the first half to cap another mint showing.

A goal in each half did the trick for County as Kyle Wootton added to Louie`s opener with a corker of his own just beyond the hour mark.

We stay top then – a situation probably beyond our most optimistic expectations before the season started- lots still to do of course but the blues can only deal with situations and teams that are turned out against them , and they are doing that in gloriously emphatic style !

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There was no end of positivity about , in the old place, as another big home crowd prepared to welcome their heroes onto hallowed turf at the absurd kick off time of 12.30 ( lets hear it for Sky and the EFL County fans!).

There was one change to the side DC sent out with new signing Ollie Norwood starting in place of Lewis Bate who I assumed was injured.

An early flurry started at the wrong end of the park as Bristol surged forward , fuelled by a free kick which was thankfully promptly put down by good work from Jay Mingi.

But Rovers were not going away and Horsfall was perhaps fortunate not to get a very early booking as he carted Bryant Bilongo in peremptory fashion in front of the Pop Side to usher in another free kick for the visitors keeping the pressure on the blues.

County were apparently struggling, but it was early doors and the kick flew wide so…..

But, hey….what`s this?....Addai briefly got himself in a tangle way out of his goal- we survived this, but it did not look good at all, and the angst went on for County as they failed to clear their lines until 6 minutes in when Mingi emerged to send Collar darting clear down the right- the Rovers back-line covered their tracks well and Collar`s run was cut short, but it was a start!

The improvement continued from County with a Mingi/ Wootton cooperation not long after followed by a long ball from Addai that gave first Wootton then Diamond chances – the County fire at first dampened as Diamond found himself blocked by the Rovers defence , then lit once more via a free kick.

It was promising stuff from the blues but none of it tested Josh Griffiths in the visitors` goal.

It took 3 more minutes of honest toil from County to do that as excellent play by Wootton ended with Griffiths serving Rovers cause well by pushing a shot by Collar around the post.

County had done pretty well to weather the early storm and push on a bit, but Rovers would not let us forget they were on the park- Bilongo doing well to pick Promise Omochere out with his cross- the ball flying wide from this to the disappointment of a decent away following on the Pop Side.


A good following from Bristol.....

Diamond broke clear( offside apparently)…..then an excellent cooperation twixt Wootton and Barry all hinted that County were in sniffing distance of sussing their opponents out!

`But generally speaking, Rovers were coping with what County could throw at them reasonably well, but would `reasonably well` be quite good enough with the blues in their current form?

Then Rovers went close as Corey Addai had to make a vital save ,tipping a header from Taylor Moore onto and over the bar from a cross from Isaac Hutchinson . A corner followed which saw Bilongo get in an all together better header that promised much but ended up bouncing wide of goal!

If I was tempted to be somewhat `nervy` about the number of times Addai tries to play from the back, sometimes in the most iffy of situations-, I am a fan of his use of the long ball – his latest example disturbing the visitors back line enough to see them bullied into conceding a corner by Woots.

That looked really good, what didn`t was that we then played the ball back to Addai from the corner !

I nitpick obviously, and County soon banished the angst through Barry whose shot was ushered out for a corner by Rovers when worse threatened.

And it threatened again from Norwood`s kick- Griffiths making a vital save to keep a firm header from Horsfall out with just over 15 minutes left of the half.

By this time Barry was warming up nicely- his latest run only halted by a foul. Up to the foul I felt hopeful of a breakthrough , but then, after a prolonged delay, Norwood sent his kick looping over the bar into the now sodden Railway End .

Rovers replied via Hutchinson, but his run was curtailed nicely by Mingi with 10 minutes left.

Barry tested Griffiths next in cahoots with Woots – the keeper`s save might just have dimmed the enthusiasm of some young players but Barry is simply relentless, and it took him just 3 more minutes to get the EP crowd cheering and singing his praises again.

It started with Addai going high and long down the middle. Wootton looked to be the target, but the ball fell at Barry`s feet – the celebrations starting as he took a pace or two before firing an unstoppable shot with a delicious hint of curve on it beyond the keeper`s attempts to get a touch ,into the net- County had the lead!

County were not content though- Camps and Diamond unlucky not to profit from some neat play- it was not clear just how Rovers had managed to not concede again but somehow they sorted that.

Rovers made a serious effort to hit back also- Mingi and Touray doing crucial work to deny them.

Suddenly, with half time almost on us, County were under the cosh – defending a corner -Pye doing brilliantly to stop Omochere as he ran onto the ball at the back post from the kick.

Rovers were making a decent show of it for sure , continuing to probe County looking for an opening, but their best effort, a shot from Moore, with a minute left, was kept out by Addai albeit at the second go.

There was time for Camps to shoot wide as Referee Paul Howard allowed play to flow despite a foul on Wootton , as the teams went in with County nicely placed 1-0 in the lead.

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County opened the second half attacking the Cheadle End looking to double their advantage- Mingi impressing at both ends of the park.

The pressure continued from County, building gradually to a peek 53 minutes in when Griffiths had to pull off a brilliant diving save to deny Collar keeping his well struck shot out at the last gasp.

There seemed a decent chance County could get their second goal from Norwood`s corner, but Omochere did some good defensive work ushering the ball off the line to keep his side afloat and thwart the blues.

Fevrier replaced Diamond at this point as Barry saw his latest effort kept out by Griffiths.

It was not all County though- Luke Thomas managed to ping a decent cross over that Omochere wasted by heading over the bar.

That was possibly a pivotal moment as County soon made their green shirted opponents pay dearly for not nicking one back.

Jayden Fevrier was by now working up a head of steam , making good headway down the right , but he saw a shot deflected for a corner from Ollie Norwood`s diagonal ball. Norwood took the kick delivering the ball to where Horsfall and others lurked just beyond the back post. Horsfall headed the ball back across goal and Wootton did what Wootton does- making light of his markers to hit the back of the net from close in to give County the 2-0 lead they craved!

County were in full flow now, and Barry was unlucky to see Thomas on his case stopping the rot for Rovers – Fevrier similarly placed as Jake Garrett blocked his shot not long after.

It went on…..County attacking….Wootton unlucky to see his shot on the turn just miss out with less than 20 minutes left to play.

Tanto was now on for Barry, so there was little prospect of respite for Rovers anytime soon , but they did keep trying – Sinclair perhaps trying a tad too hard lifting what looked a bit of a shoo in over the bar, from Senior pass , with Addai exposed with 12 minutes left.

But most of the attacking was coming from County- Fevrier disappointed no doubt to see keeper Griffiths keep his shot out with his legs 4 minutes later.

County looked determined to nick that third goal- as determined perhaps as Matt Taylor`s side were to deny them that pleasure- Griffiths again in action foiling the boys in blue keeping Wootton`s goal bound header out from Fevrier`s cross.

The game looked to me to be lost to Rovers, but they earned respect by plugging away looking to take something from the wreckage of their day……..Addai saving from Omochere on 86 minutes, then again to keep Sinclair out 3 minutes later.

Both sides had a go in the 5 minutes of added time that followed- Tanto winning a corner for County that brought another fine save from Griffiths to keep Fevrier`s shot out- Omochere again in close for Rovers , but unable to hit the target with what was the final action of the game.

That was a decent match , fought out in a good spirit by both teams , and another very impressive performance from County that rightly keeps them top of the League One pile!

Whilst there is an understandable desire amongst long standing County supporters for us not to get too excited too soon, this County team does rather invite you to dream a bit….to believe….that`s a bit good is`t it ?

Stockport County line up :-

Addai, Touray, Horsfall, Diamond (Fevrier 58), Camps, Collar (Onyango 90), Pye, Mingi, Wootton (Bailey 90), Barry (Olaofe 73), Norwood.

Subs not used: Hinchliffe, Cina, Mapengu.

Bristol Rovers line up:-

Griffiths, Moore (Taylor 69), Wilson, Mola, Ward (Garrett 69), Omochere, Thomas, Martin (Sotiriou 49), Hutchinson (Senior 69), Conteh, Bilongo (Sinclair 76).

Subs not used: McCormick, Shaw

Attendance : 9423

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