Wigan Athletic 1 Stockport County 1 ( Football League 1) Saturday 30 August 2025

 

 header by hedgegrower

 

 

 

 

County flattered to deceive at the Brick today ,where Wigan were able to work their way back into , and save a game that looked likely to be lost to them , as early as the fourth minute when Jayden Fevrier gave County the lead their energetic and precise play merited.

The problem was that after half an hour County`s play got sloppy ,and their control of events faded further away with every passing  minute.

County still held their 1-0 lead at the break , but the second half didn`t improve matters as Wigan gradually got closer and closer to nicking the equaliser , which eventually came ,with 10 minutes left , as Christian Saydee scored from close in.

After nearly going 1-2 down almost immediately after Saydee`s goal, County somehow survived , making a very late rally that did them credit but brought them nothing other than tears in the depressing Lancastrian drizzle!

Disappointing….yes…..but a point away from home should not be scoffed at, so we take it and look to see how we can get out of this habit of switching off for long periods in games we should be bossing!

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All the early play took place in the Wigan half , where County swarmed all over every available blade of grass, keeping Wigan from any meaningful possession.

When Diamond took play deep into home territory and pulled the ball back inside ,tension mounted as the ball eventually found its way to Fevrier who made his manager`s decision to delay his introduction until 87 minutes on Tuesday look  a massive blooper, slotting the ball home from close in.

And here`s a crowd shot vid of goal celebs from @machinsports-

 

 

 

 

County had their lead and continued to press – making life a total misery for home keeper Sam Tickle. Tickle is a decent keeper, but for now he and his defence were all over the place as a series of County corners tested their metal.

 

 

 

 

Joseph Hungbo seemed to offer Wigan their best chance of hitting back, and he was found by a couple of decent balls over the top of the green shirted blues back line, but his cross , on 11 minutes, was held onto well by the diving Corey Addai in County`s goal.

Beyond 15 minutes and it was still almost 100% County- Moxon`s drive deflected for a corner – Hills inches from Diamonds incisive through ball from this!

So, still 1-0…….and we got a wee glimpse of what might be coming later as Connolly did exceptionally well to head clear under pressure as Wigan circled like hornets seeking sundry invertebrates to dine on, around the County half.

That said the best chances were still arriving at the other end of the park where Hills ball to Diamond seemed to have set him up with a real chance….the Wigan goal looked  decidedly vulnerable, but when Diamond got his shot off, he leaned back sending the ball sailing impotently over the Wigan bar.

Just before the half hour mark, with County seeming to be losing control, we started to get a look at what Wigan had to offer  as Addai was called on to dash out of goal ( hope his critics saw that !) to  rob Trevitt who had been played clear by another ball over the top from the Wigan midfield.

Then we saw Connolly again in the thick of it, stopping Trevitt with a terrific blocking tackle when and where it mattered.

Suddenly , County`s hegemony was no more…their play ragged and sloppy- Addai having to go full stretch to push a cross from Hungbo out.

Fortunately, Wigan could not find the finish required to add and claw back County`s lead, the half ending instead with Saydee lifting a shot over the bar when well set, and Connolly rescuing County as Costelloe cut inside down the right for Wigan, the teams going in at the break with the score still 1-0 in County`s favour.

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The second half began as the first ended , with Wigan attacking- County forced to concede a free kick that Fraser Murray contrived to not trouble Addai with.

A run by Hills briefly offered County some relief, until ideas ran out when we reached deep into opposition territory- County tried to keep working at it but the momentum and invention of their early first half play was missing.

The blues were fortunate to escape again 6 minutes into the half  and maybe should have been on level terms with Ryan Lowe`s side ,as Will Aimson slipped   into oodles of spaces in the County box- Wigan looked quids in until Aimson ruined it for his team by shooting wide!

The pressure was gradually building now from Wigan, but I told myself they were overdoing the neat passing bit , only to see the ball land with Murray on the end of one particularly ponderous exchange of passes twixt the players in blue and white stripes.

We again looked toast, but it stayed 1-0 as Murray volleyed the ball over the top !

The pressure continued from Wigan- County struggling to reply- Pye doing extremely well to head clear midst the increasing intensity of activity from the home side.

 

A bit of a chink of light, for County ,occurred almost on the hour via a break engineered by Fevrier- Danny Andrews shot narrowly over the bar from this , so it was back to County on the back foot – Connolly`s splendid last ditch tackle saving County.

The referee gave a free kick for the tackle ,and I reached for the BP tabs as Fox`s kick rattled the crossbar and stayed out.

 

Credit to County- they did rally briefly next ,and Diamond looked likely to double County`s advantage , on the end of a fine move engineered from deep by Andrews and Addai whose excellent long ball filleted the home defences, but  Jack`s run was abruptly halted by a superb saving  tackle by Fox .

I said `briefly` but the next action of any consequence, some 6 or 7 minutes later also involved County busying themselves in opposition territory.

This time Lewis Fiorini was the instigator , having come on for Mothersille on the hour.

The pass from the former City man was excellent and so was the response from Benoni Andresson the recipient, his first time shot had all the necessary requirements for a successful strike- power …accuracy ….venom….and against almost any other keeper on any other day it would have seen County 2 up, instead it stayed 1-0 as Sam Tickle dived to beat the goal bound effort out brilliantly!

That effort told me that we should be giving the young Icelander more minutes on the park- he does it at international level and , in my view anyway, could do it for us, if given a fair chance!

It was back to defending next for County ,and they looked cooked again as Saydee got in close- heading over the bar when well set.

But the home specs` disappointment lasted about 60 seconds as Fox threaded a lovely ball inside to Saydee who made no mistake this time firing the equaliser home with just over 10 minutes left to play.

County could have been 1-2 down within a minute as Murray replicated Fox`s assist picking out the annoying Mullins who lurked ( annoyingly) in front of an obligingly open goal- he fluffed it failing to hit the target much to the merriment of well over 2000 under  the North Stand roof.

Every Wigan attack now spelt real danger for County – I still thought that Andresson offered us something ,but he needed the service which was not coming his way today .

But slowly, County began to emerge from the doldrums …to move the battle up the park to within sight of Sam Tickle !

We went into 6 minutes added time with Saydee upending Wootton as he headed for the home box at speed. We got the free kick, and it was centrally placed and just outside the box thus the situation demanded Norwood take it.

He did, but sadly hit the wall with his effort -the chance was gone, but County kept the late momentum going pushing forward- Andresson unlucky near the by-line on the end of an intelligent but slightly overhit ball

This was an entirely meritorious rally by County ,and it continued with another fine long ball from Addai adding fuel to the County fire.

The pass picked Andresson out perfectly , and the ball was soon sent to O`Keefe wide on the right. It looked nicely set up for another tilt at late/ late County glory until Referee Ross Joyce ( not the greatest custodian of the whistle and bag of white chalk I have ever seen)somehow hallucinated before our very eyes conspicuously saving the Latics bacon with a totally baffling free kick to the home side.

That was simply awful, and more or less the last meaningful action of the game.

 

Wigan Athletic line up :-

Tickle , Fox , Kerr , Aimson , Murray , Wright ( Asamoah 86), Trevitt ( Adeeko 79), Francois ( M Smith 46), Hungbo , Saydee , Costelloe ( Mullin 63).

Subs not used; Watson, Sessegnon ,J Smith.

 

Stockport County line up:-

Addai , Hills ( Olowu 82), Connolly, Pye, Andrew , Moxon (Dodgson 83), Norwood , Fevrier, ( O`Keefe 70) Mothersille ( Fiorini 59) , Wootton , Diamond ( Andresson 69).

Subs not used : Hinchliffe , Lowe. 

 

Attendance:11078 ( 2669)

hedgegrower

 

Crowd Shot Gallery from @machinsports…..