Stockport County 4 Everton Under 21`s 1 ( EFL Trophy) Tuesday 17 September 2024

 

 

 

 

 

County entertained a small Tuesday evening crowd rather well at Edgeley Park with a comfortable 4-1 win against Premier League Everton FC`s Under 21 side last night.

The Hatters were never seriously challenged throughout what was nevertheless an entertaining game.

Two fine goals from Tanto Olaofe and another couple of belters- 1 each from Jayden Fevrier and Nick Powell saw County home before Omari Benjamin stepped up to reduce his sides arrears with a late goal.

Fevrier had a fine game and took the M.O.M award , which just might have miffed Tanto somewhat after he had dipped generously match long into his well of talents- blinding speed……iron determination ….ruthlessly efficient finishing- boy did the small crowd lap his work up!

Overall though it was a fine team performance from County , perhaps not against the greatest side they have ever faced but the task was to see off the challenge of the Premier Leaguers Under 21 team and in that respect ,it was mission accomplished- very professionally!

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Jack Diamond had a bright first half and was well to the fore as the game started with the visitors pinned down in their own half.

It was good to see Nick Powell starting and he was soon in behind the Evertonian cover slipping a neat ball back inside where there were no takers.

And then there was Jayden Fevrier, and he already looked likely to turn the visitors back line over , forcing a corner that ended with Lewis Fiorini`s header being brilliantly saved by Zan Luk Leban the Everton keeper.

We had gone 10 minutes, and the game was much better fare than some peeps felt would be the case, and it continued with County attacking the hard-pressed visitors defence, Fiorini , faced with what looked an open goal, hit the bar with his effort- the follow up by Powell going over the top.

Not much came back from Everton who had quite enough to do thank you, dealing with a fairly relentless County press.

It was midway through the half before anything remotely significant occurred again as Diamond`s cross was headed on by Fiorini, but Odin Bailey could not make anything of it.

We had almost reached the half hour when Everton started to show up at the sharp end for the first time – Jacob Beaumont-Clark failing to read an intuitive ball by Odin Samuels- Smith inside the blue box.

It was a start…we had a real match on, and the same thought occurred to me again as Ben Hinchliffe was called into splendid action making a terrific save with his legs to stop Chas Whitaker`s shot from hitting the back of the County net!

That was good from the young Toffees, but it stirred County into a prompt reply via an irresistible run from Fevrier who having picked out Diamond, watched happily as the resultant cross reached Tanto and in a blink of an eye it was 1-0 !

Fevrier then switched to operating left for a time – warming keeper Leban`s hands in the process with a rasping shot.

The keeper`s confidence at that point would have been high but within 30 seconds or so it took a massive dive in the opposite direction as Fevrier returned to torment him stealing possession from Leban he had no right to have. Fevrier had the ball and ,in a flash…...he hadn`t as despite a fairly acute angle it was in the Everton net courtesy of Jayden`s shot!

That was excellent , and County looked likely to build on that 2-0 lead!

That was what I hoped anyway, meanwhile Everton were seeking to spoil our party with what looked like a decent break by Whitaker who had Benjamin for company picking him out with a lethal through ball that had him in on goal . It looked 2-1 all the way until Ethan Pye`s wonderous tackle saved County`s bacon. It was a belter as was Ben`s reaction save to keep it 2-0 as the corner saw the ball heading goal ward!

That was Everton`s last   gasp of the first half – Tanto saw a shot saved by young Leban , and Diamond`s late run was halted by a neat last ditcher from someone in black- the teams going in at the break with County still 2-0 up

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Everton opened the second half showing every intention to sort their predicament out by attacking the blues who were indebted early in the half to Ben  again for a brilliant save to deny the lively Benjamin at point blank range!

But after a spirited effort by the visitors their plight just got worse  as County plundered another goal, and it was one of Tanto`s very best.

It looked to be Jack Tierney`s ball , in fact he actually had possession then he didn`t as Tanto nodded it forward as the ball bounced giving Tierney no chance to recover powering his way on before concluding a marvellous example of the classic goal scorer art with an emphatic finish!

It was 3-0 and the blues were well worth that lead!

And 3-0 should have been 4-0 within a minute as Powell stole possession cheekily before feeding Fiorini with a neat pass. But the good stuff ended there as Fiorini sent his shot tamely into keeper Leban`s arms.

Fiorini had a shot deflected for a corner 3 minutes later which started a siege of the Everton goal by County -Tierney managing to head the incoming kick from Bate ( who it was good to see back , and did well throughout) out , the siege ending with a shot from Touray that cannoned into Tierney on the line before heading off out of the danger zone.

County were playing some slick football now, and Tanto was urgently feeding off it- thwarted one moment by Leban who kept him from a Bate ball, then in confident action the next as a brilliant turn of speed won Tanto the ball he had no right getting to. It was a great moment and might have been even better , but when he picked out Fiorini with an inch perfect pass he was crowded out and the chance was gone.

The County press was constant now forcing Everton into injudicious tackles , the latest teeing up County`s fourth goal via a Bate free kick that was lifted to the crowded back post where Nick Powell bossed the ball home under pressure from the keeper.

The goal was well received by County fans and rightly so- here`s to many more for Nick Powell!

At this point the personnel changes proliferated from both teams  - County bringing  Sam Hughes , Che Gardner, Callum Camps and Will Collar on for Horsfall, Fiorini, Bate and Powell.

It should have made a wakes of County`s cohesion ,but it didn`t – those still on the park continued to play the neatest football – Leban doing well for Everton with a brilliant save to deny Collar , tipping his shot over the bar impressively, following a dazzling run by Fevrier that had the crowd roaring!

Hughes then headed wide from a corner, and Collar went close again with just over 10 minutes left to play as County looked for a fifth goal.

But Everton were determined to be heard  Whitaker just missing out for his team shortly after.

Then, just 2 minutes later, Everton got their reward as Ben spilled possession to Benjamin who made it 4-1 in a heartbeat!

County continued to dominate in what remained of the match- Che Gardner , who I think is definitely one to nurture and watch, shot inches over with the keeper beaten at the death.

That was a very satisfying game and a good result for County who by fielding a strongish side and allowing them to play in the correct spirit gave the competition more respect than do the EFL the custodians of same!

I wish the young lads from Merseyside well for the future ,but the competition was set up to help clubs in the lower leagues – Premier League Under 21  teams make a mockery of that !

That said, well done County, and here`s to another win on Saturday against Orient!

See you there hopefully!

 

 

Stockport County line up :-

Hinchliffe , Connolly , Horsfall( Hughes 64), Pye ( Touray 46), Bate ( Camps 64) , Fiorini ( Gardner 64), Powell (Collar 64) , Fevrier , Diamond , Oloafe , Bailey.

Subs not used: Addai , Mapengi.

 

Everton Under 21 line up:-

Leban , Benjamin ( Graham 83), Butler ( van Schoor 63), Tierney , Smith , Heath ( Finney 83), Patterson ( Foster 63), Thomas , Beaumont- Clark ( Catesby 63) , Bates.  

Subs not used: Pickford , Logie.

Attendance: 1299

hedgegrower

 

Some crowd shots from old hedgies phone.....