Stockport County 2 Exeter City 0 ( Football League 1 ) Saturday 7 December 2024

 

 

 

Winning ugly, sometimes warms the cockles of your heart , especially on days when the weather`s so foul you would not even turn a Man U supporter out on, and today was such a day, County`s methodology …laboured at times but ultimately successful!

The first half was totally forgettable- as dire as the weather with neither team igniting the smallest spark in a very good crowd who had spurned the fireside for the privations of Edgeley Park that was in the firm grasp of Storm Darragh!

 

 

 687 Real Supporters  Made the Trip from Devon !

 

The second half was marginally better from  County  , but crucially they  plugged away remorselessly until eventually the Grecians dam burst via a goal inspired by  Bate and Wootton that went in off defender Tristan Crama- a shade fortunate perhaps , but there was nothing fortunate about the second goal that sealed the win for the blues- Louie Barry sliding home another perfect penalty after being upended in the box moments before.

It had been a dreadful day climatically speaking …..not a great game either  ….but it was in my view a decent win  and at the sharp end of a promotion push, points won ugly are every bit as valuable as those oozing class and style ( possibly more so) . We have produced a fare few of them this season – we are allowed this one for sure!

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My first thought at 3.01 as rain bucketed down whipped about by  merciless storm winds , was for a good number of County fans who were braving the Railway End – the earliest action was at that end where Bate and Wootton harried Joe Whitworth the Exeter keeper determinedly but unsuccessfully.

Dismissing Wednesday evenings demons Hinchliffe then picked out Touray with a very good ball – Touray was blocked by Jack McMillan eventually!

The play continued to  hover around the visitors` right flank, from where Camps made progress ,but saw his shot charged down in the box.

Barry then got home specs excited with a surging run ,turning the right side of the Grecians back line asunder as he went, and it looked for a moment that he would  score- but pressure from Sweeney forced Louie to miss the target.

County kept going forward ,if in a somewhat laboured fashion – Camps just shy of a through ball……Mingi optimistically falling down and expecting a penalty in the box shortly after , and not getting it , and I thought Referee Scott Oldham was correct .

The first reply from Exeter came 13 minutes in .

Omari Niskanen started it , his run halted by Ethan Pye . From the resultant throw Caleb Watts looked to be in on goal- a miscue by Fraser Horsfall stopping the rot for County but conceding a corner, that saw Watts glide in ( unmarked)beyond the back post to head fractionally wide.

That was a definite chance!

The prevailing wind looked to be in the Grecians sails , at least for a brief while, but Vincent Harper overhit his cross after being sent clear by Watts. County were able to clear easily from this, and it was a while before the visitors could raise their game again.

Meanwhile County continued with the irritatingly slow build up , but they were keeping possession, which counts, but we needed someone in blue to apply the required finish on the end of all the studious passing, but a Collar/ Barry cooperation ended with Wootton shooting wide- 20 minutes in.

Breaks then by former Hatter Millenic Alli for Exeter and Louie Barry for County, both fell short of expectations, and more disappointment surfaced for County as Fraser Horsfall had prolonged treatment for the second time .

I was again impressed by Mr Oldham `s sympathetic response to Horsfall`s obvious problems.

Unfortunately, Fraser was to be subbed , being replaced by Ollie Norwood ( I was confused by that move expecting Hughes to come on)just after the half hour mark.

County kept pushing forward , their press inducing Exeter to play themselves into trouble , and lucky to escape greater punishment as Camps` shot grazed the woodwork 5 minutes later.

Norwood faired no better  shortly after – gifted the ball by Whitworth – missing the target in response.

It was time for a reply by Grecians and it came via Caleb Watts , who I made City`s top performer so far, but having comprehensively skinned Ibby Touray, the move then fizzled out as County`s back line re-grouped.

County continued to press- Camps isolated as he headed for the box with 2 men on him. He was second favourite for sure but the defensive duo somehow managed to foul him ushering in a free kick in a reasonably good position.

Sadly, any optimism then faded fast as Norwood`s free kick failed to make any headway or cause Whitworth the slightest alarm.

Added time came and went uneventfully – the teams going in with the game still poised at 0-0.

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There was no immediate sign of anything changing in County`s approach when the game re-started after the break, but they kept the ball pretty much always in the visitors` half – their best half chance emerging on 51 minutes , but the blues failed to capitalise on a free kick after Jay Mingi had been fouled.

It was another 6 minutes before anything meaningful occurred on the park and it came from Barry whose 1…2 with Camps saw him surge into the box. He had company , but he was well set about half a yard out when it all went pear shaped via an un- Barry like air kick- and Exeter had escaped!

Barry was fired up now, perhaps a tad too much, as another run  2 minutes later saw his none too classy dive to the ground go unrewarded by Mr Oldham- again he was 100% correct in my view!

Back came County from that one though ,still wanting that much needed opening goal , but I looked on in anguish to see Bate`s shot caress a post with the visitors` back line stretched to its limit.

The pressure continued on Exeter , increased by a free kick as their discipline  nose-dived. Niskanen did good work for the visitors blocking the free kick, conceding a corner that County could not make count.

A run by Millenic Alli briefly offered a break in the County hegemony, but it did not last .

County now had Sam Hughes on in place of Jay Mingi as Whitworth made a routine save to keep a shot from Barry out with under 25 minutes left to play.

It only took another minute however to lift the afternoon`s storm induced gloom, as Bate made great headway finding Wootton inside the box with a lovely pass. Wootts took but a short while to react and hit his shot goalward where Whitworth managed to get a hand to it forcing the ball into the retreating Crama, who could not avoid pushing it into the net.

County had their lead and most of the 9000 + plus crowd were delighted!

Play continued in the Exeter half with the blues searching for a second goal and in that respect Collar did exceptionally well to take on Crama and the keeper when , of the 3 players, he was the least favoured to win out, but when the trio came together ,he prevailed - fairly in my view, the ball going out off Whitworth.

It was a corner , Collar knew it was…..Cheadle End knew it also…..the referee probably could not see it but the liner could and of course he did the classic bottle job.

Exeter got the free kick, which I thought was a tad rich in the circumstances, but Exeter`s view on the issue was exceedingly skewed in my opinion- blatantly massaged by Whitworth`s corpse like stillness on the deck until it was obvious that Mr Oldham was not buying his theatricals , whereupon his recovery was rapid.

Thereinafter for a while Exeter`s discipline again went AWOL…..Ryan Woods booked for a poor foul, followed  by Manager Gary Caldwell.

Exeter needed more than theatricals if they were to turn this around , instead they were defending grimly- Crama doing excellent work for them heading the ball out off the line after Barry had won a corner for County.

We were into the last 10 minutes now and it was still 1-0 , so Exeter still had a definite chance-but they needed to attack , but when they did next via substitute Josh Magennis he was thwarted by a fine save from Ben Hinchliffe- the liner`s flag was up for offside , but the County keeper was not to know that!

Kamari Doyle, another Exeter substitute  was next over the parapet for Grecians , with 8 minutes left, but his shot was a foot wide!

Back came County ,and Barry was onto Touray`s pass in a flash and in on goal – his shot was going in when somehow Whitworth pushed it out at the last gasp- it was a vital save that kept his side notionally still in the game.

Credit to Exeter they did make a decent effort in the 5 minutes that followed but I looked in vain for some danger from Alli, who I rated when he was at County, or another Grecian, but they could not penetrate the impenetrable blue back line and….you guessed it…eventually County hit them on the break .

Barry was the man of course ,and he must have been gagging to score when he was upended by Crama in the box.

Mr Oldham pointed to the spot- a slightly annoying panto followed involving Collar/ Barry and eventually Mr Oldham ended with Barry comprehensively beating the keeper to double County`s lead to 2-0.
 

A rash of County substitutions followed as 6 minutes added time was announced- Camps , Barry and Collar giving way to Bailey, Tanto and Diamond.

I did not expect much of the 6 minutes ,but I was pleasantly surprised- Tanto treating us to a gutsy , never say die run that deserved better-  but even joined by Bate he went unrewarded- Exeter somehow surviving without conceding again.

The C/E was now giving Odin Bailey good support ,and he responded well with some excellent football – Whitworth denying him with a terrific save at the death !

That was perhaps not the greatest performance County have put on for us of recent times, but `warts and all` it was more than good enough to do the job under trying conditions today.

Well done County!

Finally, on Fraser Horsfall, I understand he went to hospital as a result of his difficulties today, so I would like to wish him well and a speedy recovery!

Stockport County Line up:- Hinchliffe, Touray, Bate , Horsfall (Norwood  33), Camps (Olaofe 90), Collar (Diamond 90), Pye, Connolly, Mingi (Hughes, 59), Wootton, Barry (Bailey, 90).

Subs not used: Addai , Rydel.

 

Exeter City line up:- Whitworth, McMillan, Sweeney , Crama, Francis, Harper (Magennis 54), Woods (Doyle 81), Watts (Cole 63), Niskanen (Mitchell 81), Aitchison, Alli.

Subs not used: MacDonald , Fitzwater, Cox.

 

Attendance 9192 ( 687)

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And Finally , Darren Berry , making light of my successful attempt today to establish a new UK Layers Record- sent in this one....I deny everything !