Warrington Town 1 Stockport County 0 ( Cheshire Senior Cup- Round 2) Tuesday 21 January 2025
All images in this report kindly supplied by @machinsports
Tuesday evening in January, it`s teeming with rain , so there`s only one place to be and that`s Cantilever Park , Warrington to watch County take on Warrington Town , of the National League North in the 2nd Round of this season`s Cheshire Senior Cup !
The match looked to be a cracker on paper , and it was -as both sides gave of their best in trying conditions.
County sent out a young side and it must be said they acquitted themselves really well, but Warrington had the edge in terms of stamina ending the game as strongly as they had started with a flurry of attacking football, winning the game with the only goal on the night scored with 10 minutes left by Matty McDonald.
There was much to commend about County – their ability and willingness to play quick and incisive passing movements switching play from one end to the other, a feature.
It has to be said it was a full-blooded encounter with free kicks ( for both sides) proliferating, and one of County`s top performers was keeper Max Metcalfe who ran through a range of impressive saves including a fabulous effort to keep Joe Rodwell- Grant`s penalty out on the hour when County could have been sunk had it gone in.
Other top performers for County were Mark Kouam, Lee Williams , Harry Johnson and the impressive Desire Okoligan.
So, in the end Town`s stamina and experience told, but what a game our young County lads gave them!
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Despite the pouring rain, it was good to witness some real football in a fantastic competition , and it was even better as for the first time since our National League, the match report would have pitch side action images provided by Andrew Machin of @machinsports- all the images in this report come from Andrew!
Town were out of the gate first pushing County onto the back foot early with new signing Edy Majeco darting clear but disappointing the locals , his shot blocked by the blues.
It was 10 minutes before County replied through Joe Hilary whose pacy run won us a corner, but Clarke got back to head this clear for Town and keep the scores level.
By this time County were putting some pleasing moves together -Marcus Kouam going close on the end of one of them 2 minutes later.
Rodwell- Grant having shot wide on the break for Town , we then saw Desire Okoligan for the first time, and his speedy skills down the right almost nicked the opener for the blues- an excellent move ending with home keeper Dan Atherton saving Harry Johnson`s goal bound effort.
It went on with Williams and Okoligan continuing to plague Town with incisive passing at the sharp end – Kouam again unlucky ,his glancing header just missing out.
I fancied that pretty soon Kouam would nick one, but he was flagged offside with under 10 minutes of the half left, when played clear.
Attacking football of good quality was very much in evidence from County as half time neared, and it took the poorest of fouls to stop Joe Hilary`s run at the edge of the box. The free kick looked scoreable, but Williams lifted it into the away end .
It went on- Hilary impressing again but missing out with his effort- the half ending on a sour note as Jack Hont went right through Okoligan laying him out.
Desire eventually rose to his feet and hobbled off, with all in the 100 or so County fans present hoping he would be OK to continue when play resumed.
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As in the first half, Warrington opened the second on the front foot, pinning County deep in their own half for the first 5 minutes- Mc Donald missing out with a shot that drifted wide.
County`s response took a while to materialise, but when it came it deserved better as Kouam was only just thwarted by excellent work by Atherton between the sticks for Town, after some impressive County football had promised much.
But County had to be wary, and in this regard Rhys Watson did brilliantly to halt a tasty run by Matty Mc Donald – Max Metcalfe pulling off a fantastic save to deny Eliiott Morris almost on the hour .
Things were beginning to build from Town now, and a lively break by Rodwell -Grant saw him in on goal with Metcalfe apparently toast. But Max did what he had to and put his body where it mattered bringing the hyphernated forward down.
It was a clear penalty, the ref doing well in my opinion to opt yellow in response rather than red- Metcalfe setting the away end alight by saving Rodwell- Grant`s powerful kick in impressive style!
Would that be the inspiration that County needed to get them into Round 3….we would see , but Max was not resting on his laurels meanwhile making a nonchalant save to thwart Rodwell- Grant again,5 minutes late, when he tried to lob him at the edge of the box.
It was quite a match, and Warrington continued to put County under pressure- Williams-Lawless and Fowles doing particularly well keeping them out.
We gasped as the unlucky Rodwell- Grant saw his shot come back out off a post , Mikey O`Neill`s shot going wide.
It was not all Town- Williams did see a shot saved by Atherton in the last 15 minutes, and Kouam was extremely unlucky to see his shot hit the keeper`s leg on the end of a determined County raid.
Commendably, County were trying to wrest the game from Town , but it was not to be, and the next Town move was decisive- McDonald powering his way through the middle before drilling the perfect finish beyond Metcalfe`s best efforts to deny him.
County had put up a brave fight and played some good football at times, bested on the night by a Town team whose stamina told in the end.
The game ended with County defending- Metcalfe pulling off a late/late save to halt Rodwell- Grant- the same player stopped by excellent defending by Josh Fowles in the games dying embers.
Well played Town, well played County – our young team deserved the cheers in the rain at the end of a battling performance!
Warrington Town line up :-
Atherton, Amaral, O’Neill (Basnett), McDonald, Rodwell-Grant, Bennett (Williamson), Maieco (Adams), Morris, Southern, Hont, Clarke (Gill).
Unused sub: Roper.
Stockport County line up :-
Metcalfe, Okoligan (Fowles), Hillary, Williams-Lawless (Redshaw), Atkinson, Watson, Rawlinson (Dialundama), Johnson, Kouham, Gardner (Maylett), Williams.
Unused sub: Bove.
Attendance: TF
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