Stockport County 1 Exeter City 0 ( Football League 1) Saturday 18 October 2025

 

 

 

 

 

County`s promotion juggernaut continues to deny footballing gravity keeping the blues in 4^th place in League 1, now shared with AFC Wimbledon .

Whilst this sets up County`s away game with the Dons on 15 November nicely , today it took their supporters on another 90 odd minute roller coaster ride as the blues again established a lead in the first half to then , having failed to add to that lead,  hang  on under mounting pressure from the Grecians.

In the end , a win is a win, and this one keeps us right up there in the mix, so criticism should be  considered and not slung out carelessly as I did just after the hour mark when goal scorer Nathan Lowe was replaced by Owen Moxon. It signalled a move to a familiar defensive strategy for the last 25 minutes or so, not a great prospect I thought.

I have had a word with myself since the game ended though, remembering  the brilliant County team of 66-67 who won a ridiculous number of matches 1-0 , but they ended up winning the Division 4 Championship – sometimes it wasn`t massively entertaining, and if you got into the game late and County had scored, you rather knew they would not score again – they did not need to I suppose the team was ram jam full of top players who knew how to win!

So , I give DC credit for a winning strategy, but I for sure will not be throwing the BP tablets away any time soon!

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 Gary Caldwell had clearly sent his team out with instructions as they turned County around making them play towards the Cheadle End for the first half.

As strategy`s go it is proving to be less of a banker these days, so I was not at all miffed and I rather expect that County would be quite sanguine about it and get on with attacking the visitors who were backed by over 500 in the Railway End.

In the very first minute we had a bit of a scare as Ben had to dash from his goal to cut Jayden Wareham off as he chased a long ball deep in the blue half.

Another minute and play switched ends as a decent diagonal ball from Norwood picked Osborn out wide left- it looked a priceless move , then it didn`t as Almari Niskanen ( who I thought was Grecians top attacking player) opened his account by stopped Osborn`s run in its tracks.

So, an interesting start then, and it looked like continuing as Bailey crossed to Norwood , but though well placed, his shot, on the volley, was blocked by a defender.

Exeter spent a good portion of the next 6 or 7 minutes probing for an opening in County`s half- whilst I had expected them to give us a tough game it was none the less alarming to see Hinchliffe have to make a hurried save to deny Ethan Brierley , the County keeper having to react quickly as the ball bounced off his chest to the seemingly always available Jayden Wareham. It was still a chance to City then, but the speed of it all weighed on the visiting forward more than the wily Ben and the save was completed securely!

Some Grecian naughtiness  in the box was ignored by Referee Aaron Bannister as 2 County corners sped over next to be cleared eventually.

Then play switched ends again , Exeter pushing County back but without making a breakthrough, but on 18 minutes they looked like they had, as a loose ball by County set Wareham up with a real chance- – County`s bacon saved by a prodigious block by Connolly !

That was excellent from the returning Connolly , but it was 5 more minutes before the deadlock was broken, and County scored.

Ed Turns must have thought he had done well when he forced the ball out of play for a County corner with Tyler Onyango on the offensive. He was wrong, as a short corner on the right saw Norwood lift the ball brilliantly into the box here Nathan Lowe met it firmly with his head- it was 1-0 and absolutely no argument !

That was good and better threatened within a couple of minutes as County surged onto the attack- the tireless Kyle Wootton keeping a  move alive with some massively impressive play forcing the ball wide to Diamond.

This looked really impressive and more so as Diamond lifted the ball into the box where Wootton sent a bullet header heading for the top corner of Whitworth`s net- 2-0 ….except we had not factored the keeper`s response into the equation and it was a brilliant one- Whitworth throwing himself upwards to tip the ball over the bar in improbable fashion!

Both teams worked hard after that last action , probing the other without notable success.

We went into the last 10 minutes of the half with County working up a head of steam again but just not able to convert chances notably Diamond whose run from halfway , on 36 minutes, saw him drag his shot wide with only the keeper twixt him and glory. Then , just a minute later, having been set up nicely by Osborn , he lifted a poor effort over the bar.

These lost opportunities must have , to some extent, galvanised the visitors, well the pressure did switch ends pretty soon thereafter- Connolly again in action stopping Niskanen`s run to the by-line, and Hinchliffe urgently having to make a save to keep a snap- shot by Reece Cole out!

We went into added time with County back attacking but unable to convert chances to the gold of goals…….no one in blue there to add a finish as Diamond lifted the ball invitingly into the box….. Wootton kept from another dangerous cross by Sweeney……a late run by Diamond promising much but fizzling out disappointingly…..

That took us to half time and County still led 1-0 and that would do wouldn`t it?

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Ex County man Danny  Andrews stepped up to show us what we were missing with a run that saw him trick his way to the by-line before releasing a near perfect ball across the County box to where Niskanen approached it at speed- `Goal `thought I…..but no….Niskanen somehow contrived to smash the ball into the ground sending it flying up and over the bar- chance gone!

Play was fairly even after this, both sides having a go but lacking real fire power where and when it mattered- the  closest call for either team in this period,  being from a Norwood shot that had Whitworth somehow clawing the ball out under the bar keeping County`s lead down to 1 goal.

I have mentioned Almari Niskanen ,and he was impressing for City, but so was Josh Magennis , and County had to live on their wits at times with Niskanen upping the revs down County`s left flank – and he was sent clear by a terrific ball over the top just beyond the hour- and this time his shot was on target and going in when Connolly again threw himself at it making another sensational match saving block !

It was at this point that DC  swapped Owen Moxon for Nathan Lowe and I went off on one , the change signalling a move to a more defensive strategy in what remained of the game.

I have replied to this argument myself earlier so will move on swiftly as excellent work by Bailey and Diamond ended with Moxon forced out by weight of numbers deep in Grecian territory.

To be fair to myself , Exeter did begin to work more and more deep in County half of the field- Magennis managing to beat Connolly, with 15 minutes left, but then sending his shot wide of goal -Higgins beating Olowu in the box only for a foul by Exeter`s Jack Aitchison to stop the rot for County.

On it went with Exeter attacking via Niskanen ,whose ball across the box seemed to have County in trouble until McDonald blasted his shot over the bar.

On…on….and I would not have been that surprised had Exeter nicked the much sought after equaliser, but no….the 83^rd minute saw Magennis`s glancing header held by Hinchliffe from Mc Donald`s cross.

It was at this point that Jayden Fevrier got his 5 minutes to sort things for County , coming on with Callun Camps for Diamond and Bailey.

It was never likely to work  but I liked the idea, however late in proceedings, that we were thinking of attacking.

Exeter were doing that too, but with time almost up, Andrew wasted a free kick lifting it wide from a decent position.

Something of a late Exeter siege of County`s half was broken 5 minutes into 6 added, with a County free kick.

This would maybe put the game to bed and it was in a decent position…scoreable ( I wrote)….but though Norwood`s kick was on target , Whitworth did enough to keep it out, smothering it at his back post.

Not long after the Ref blew for time and County had gained 3 more excellent points that serves their promotion push nicely.

See you at Port Vale on 27th!

 

Stockport County line up :-

Hinchliffe, Olowu, Connolly, Pye, Onyango, Bailey (Camps 86), Norwood , Osborn,Lowe (Moxon,65), Wootton, Diamond, (Fevrier 86).

Unused Subs: Addai, O’Keeffe, Fiorini, Astles.

 

Exeter City line up :-

  Whitworth, McMillan, Turns (Francis 85), Fitzwater, Brierley (Wilson, 85), Wareham (Higgins 58), Cole (Aitchison 58), Niskanen, Andrew, Sweeney  (McDonald 58), Magennis.

Subs not used: Bycroft , Woodhouse.

Attendance: 9,190 (504 )

 

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