Northampton Town 1 Stockport County 1 ( Football League 1) Tuesday 5 March 2025

 

 

 

 

County came away from Northampton Town`s Sixfields Stadium with what will probably turn out to be a vital point at season`s end , via a 1-1 draw .

But despite a distinctly under par first half performance , Dave Challinor`s team were profoundly unlucky to not win – an outcome almost entirely down to rank bad refereeing by  Lee Swabey.

”One nil to the Referee” 552 County supporters sang 32 minutes in as just a minute earlier Town had scored via a ludicrously unfair free kick awarded to County opponents when Town`s  Ben Perry`s contact on Brad Hills    was the only foul on view.

Then just 15 minutes later and County scored , only for the ref to again confound reality and disallow Cosgrove`s diving header- I am told that local broadcasters were unable to identify any foul committed by the County player- join the club folks!

Thank goodness for Benony Andresson  and Ryan Rydel though – the latter`s excellent pinpoint cross teeing the former up to score the equaliser  just 8 minutes after the young Icelandic striker had been introduced as substitute.

This begs the question why Andresson did not start, and why Rydel is so rarely used when he is far and away our best crosser of the ball and user of the quality set piece?

Meanwhile we take the point and hope that Mr Swabey does not cross our paths again any time soon!

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If I was pleased to note that the County line up had Hills, Connolly and Pye back operating as a back 3, and that Camps had earned a start , I was more than a little surprised to see Sam Cosgrove on when Saturday`s double scorer Benoni Andresson was on the bench.

I hoped that Cosgrove would prove his manager to be correct and myself wrong but the early indications were not encouraging as instead I looked on as the Cobblers had us pushed back defending long throws – Addai punching the first of these decisively clear within a minute of the start.

But it was reassuring to see the back 3, I mentioned earlier, in fine nick faced with the early pressure- Connolly first to put head above parapet , blocking Sam Hoskins` run just over 5 minutes in.

The pressure from Town continued as Mr Swabey fed them a tasty platter of free kicks the first morphing into a corner that saw Hoskins head wide, under pressure from Connolly, on the end of Taylor`s kick.

Nothing changed much in the game`s pattern- County defended well but we were not seeing anything emerging at the other end of the park- our attention almost exclusively on covering free kicks and long throws, and another headed into our box from the stratosphere 12 minutes in, Hills doing excellent work to keep Town out before an `indiscretion` by a home forward offered respite.

Then , at last County replied, and it was through the excellent Brad Hills, whose run through the middle from deep ended with his shot clearing the bar – a disappointment, but a start, we needed more of that !

But it was back to defending for County, and Pye did well to keep Dara Costeloe out on 15 minutes.

On it went- Connolly under the cosh from Costeloe and McGeehan - emerging with credit….and the ball!

County`s first shot on target came midway into the half as Tanto turned provider again to tee Pye up for a shot, but his fierce drive was kept out well by Lee Barge the home keeper who I thought was easily their best player!

Enter Mr Swabey with a quite catastrophically bad piece of officiating.

The action was clear…the ball was in the air just outside the County box and Brad Hills did his job heading the ball out only for Ben Perry to crash into him head to head- an assault on the highway…..a free kick to the perp in this refs book.

We were still reeling from this travesty when the  free kick was smashed through the County wall by Taylor and through Corey Addai`s hands too into the net- we were 1-0 down and not thinking kindly thoughts in Mr Swabey`s direction !

The referee  followed his `mauvaise blaque` by going for broke confronting DC and booking him much to the pleasure of the locals  surrounding the dugouts !

It took County some time to recover after this, and by contrast Cobblers were buoyed by recent events- keeping County under pressure – but they needed to take any chance that came their way in this period, but instead Perry fluffed the sole chance that very definitely came his- firing wide from close in.

As half time approached so it became increasingly apparent that the Cobblers were `playing for cards` …going down easily and with a frequency that did them no credit whatsoever when laid against the action.

But I took heart to see Connolly rise to head yet another cloud scraping throw from Town out under pressure , as it pinged into the box with 5 minutes left!

Then , with 3 minutes added time just  announced , another refereeing  horror hit us ,as with County  attacking down the right- a cross sailed unerringly over to the far post where Sam Cosgrove flung himself forward to head the ball home.

Fantastic…it was 1-1….but not in Mr Swabey`s universe …he quickly had the home specs chuckling with glee again as he ruled the goal out for an unidentified reason.

It looked a perfectly good goal; indeed it emerged later that broadcasters also could not pin-point any foul in conjunction with the goal- put simply we had been mugged again!

County continued to press for the remainder of the half but without success, half time arriving to more choruses of “ 1-0 to the Referee” piercing the cooling Northamptonshire evening air from 552 livid County supporters under the South Stand roof.

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The first 5 minutes of the 2^nd half saw Northampton on the attack, but with no real sign that a clear way through the County defence was available to them.

The sixth minute brought a reply from County ,and a rare free kick as Taylor earned a booking for Town with a foul just outside the box with County pressing.

Sadly, the free kick came and went with Town`s goal still intact, but maybe this signalled a change of fortune for County?

It took me approximately 5 minutes to disavow myself of that useless bromide as a brilliant ball sent Tanto surging clear and set to nick the equaliser with the keeper at his mercy….but no…the liner`s flag was up- I assume `offside` and flip another BP tab down!

Tanto was looking menacing and within a couple more minutes he was in Barge`s face again – the keeper thrashing the ball into the crowd with Tanto in the vicinity. We made nothing of the throw that followed sadly!

A rash of substitutions followed for County just before the hour as Wootton , Rydel, Norwood and Collar replaced Cosgrove, Touray, Moxon and Knoyle.

For a while after the changes , Northampton got a second wind-  free kicks and corners pushing County onto the defensive, but with no success with DC`s men playing a resolute defensive game in response.

Then with 20 minutes left, Andresson came on for Camps, but the immediate action saw Addai make a confident claim as a long throw and a corner again put County to the test.

But it was not long before the young substitute made his mark- initially by chasing a long ball and inducing panic in the home keeper who found touch with some speed!

County did not capitalise from the throw, but it mattered not, as good news was on its way to NN5 as some silky passing ended with the excellent Ryan Rydel sending a wonderful cross into the crowded box where Benoni Andresson proved master of his art by ignoring those around him heading the ball home netting his third goal in 2 games ( 3 in 53 minutes to be exact -at this point).

That was quite simply excellent and no less than County deserved, and their play seemed to take on another level next as Town`s challenges withered in their wake.

Tanto and Andresson combined nicely to win a corner , with 10 minutes left, only for Mr Swaney to remind us that he was still amongst us by relieving the pressure on the home side with a ludicrous goal kick!

No matter back came County…a run by Hills….another neat cross by Rydel….Town survived but it wasn`t greatly pretty on their part!

On it went…County pressing…time seeping away….but chances were coming County`s way- most notably via Andresson whose lay off allowed Norwood a shot on goal, but his volley was tipped over the bar by Barge!

The keeper then excelled himself again by punching the incoming corner out decisively.

But that was not the end of the home keeper`s heroics , he was in the action where it mattered  again almost immediately as another peach of a cross by Rydel teed Bate up for a shot that Barge did really well to keep out, sorting County`s follow up as well.

Time passed…County kept pushing Town back- a break by Collar shredding their cover  sufficiently for Wootton to get a shot in that…..yes…you guessed it…Barge dived to beat out with some bravery!

Normal time ended ……Pye earning applause from the away end with neat work under pressure…..Andresson seeing a sight of goal but blazing over the bar……

Into added time we went with Town under the cosh – a Rydel cross winning a corner , then another as Barge flapped unaccountably .

This ushered in pretty much the last meaningful action of the game Hills impressing to the end getting up in the opposition box – his effort blocked but not unappreciated by this writer!

County had come away with a point- scant reward -despite a poor first half showing we should have been 1 up at the break instead of 1 down.

I guess the only blessing from this is that we are not blighted by VAR – we have that to come of course , and maybe sooner than some think, and we will be County and cope somehow.

See you at EP on Saturday then !

 

Northampton Town line up :-

Barge , Hoskins ( Magloire 90), Perry , Pinnock ( McGowan 90), Guinness- Walker , Costelloe , Taylor , Mc Geehan , Odimayo , Fosu ( Roberts 66), Dyche.

Subs not used : Tzaney , Wilson , Kolki , Hondermarck.

 

Stockport County line up ;-

Addai , Knoyle ( Collar 56) , Hills , Connolly , Pye , Touray ( Rydel 56) , Bate , Camps ( Andresson 70) , Moxon ( Norwood 56) , Cosgrove ( Wootton 56), Olaofe.

Subs not used ; Metcalfe , Hamilton .

 

Attendance: 5559 ( 552)

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Gallery via hedgegrower`s phone camera.....