16-01-18 – Report – Stockport County 3 Harriers 0

Harriers say goodbye to Cup glory for another season

Report: Phil Lench

A weakened Harriers made their exit from the FA Trophy tonight in Stockport after losing 3-0 in a replay of the game that was played at Aggborough on Saturday. We came back from a two goal deficit three days ago but tonight, even with the bulk of the possession and shots on target we failed to find the net while the home side had a fraction of that yet still managed to put three goals away.

The starting line-up was also changed from Saturday with James McQuilkin and Elton N’Gwatala both ruled out with illness while Joe Ironside and Lee Vaughan went to the four man bench for reasons known only to others. There was no Andre Wright, Joel Taylor or Tom Palmer on the bench but there were two academy lads, Tom Smith and Harry Stratford, there too while Declan Weeks made a comeback from injury and went straight into the starting eleven.

In front of a tiny crowd, by Stockport standards, of 883 the game kicked off with the Harriers enjoying the opening stages more than the hosts. Andre Brown, Liam Truslove, James Pearson, Dan Bradley and Ryan Croasdale all had chances to open our account for the evening but the shooting was wayward and more often than not over the bar. It took the home side fifteen minutes to register their first chance and that fell to Bohan Dixon when his on target shot was saved well by Brandon Hall who pushed it away for their first corner.

Ten minutes later and, still against the run of play, County scored the opening goal when Jason Oswell played in Rhys Turner on the edge of the area and his smart strike went past Hall and into the net.

We responded with another chance for Truslove which, this time, was on target but pushed away from the County keeper Ian Ormson. His next effort wasn’t so good with it going wide and that was repeated by Emmanuel Sonupè when he also sent his shot wide. As on Saturday we were keeping their keeper busy.

The end of the half arrived with the host in the lead but outplayed in almost every area but in front of goal. That lack of an end product was going to punish us hard.

HT: 1 – 0

After the break the snow began to drift down and so did our hopes of Trophy glory.

Within five minutes of the restart we had four chances to score but all were spurned. Bradley shot wide, Brown had his shot blocked, Ormson saved from Sam Austin and Pearson then sent another wide of the target. There’s a pattern emerging here. In some kind of effort to improve our target practice we sent on Joe Ironside in place of Declan Weeks but it still didn’t improve matters. 

Two more chances followed but both were put wide of the target from Austin and Sonupè before Stockport increased their lead further. With only their third chance in front of goal Ben McKenna, on ten minutes earlier for the scorer of the first goal, Turner, took aim from twelve yards out and after striking a Harriers player deflected into the goal to break our hearts.

We continued to spurn our chances with another three going wide and then we had a penalty shout turned down by the referee after Ironside was pulled down in the area. It wasn’t going to be our night and so it proved soon after when Stockport were given a penalty after James Pearson got his foot to the ball but Darren Stephenson fell over it.

Bohan Dixon converted and that was it. Stockport go to Maidenhead and we have a day off. 

FT: 3 – 0

Goals for Stockport: Turner 25, McKenna 73, Dixon 89 (pen)

Talk about the game here and phone the Harriers Hotline on 01905 577 777 after the game too

Latest table and stats here

Stockport County	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Ormson
Thomas
Duxbury
Ball
Clarke
O’Halloran
Turner			59
Winter
Oswell			90
Dixon
Stephenson			90
Subs:
Downing			90
Hinchcliffe
Whitty
McKenna			59
Etches			90
Harriers	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Hall
Pearson
Austin
Croasdale
Horsfall
O’Connor
Sonupè
Weeks			61
Brown			90
Truslove
Bradley			75
Subs:
Ironside			61
Smith			90
Stratford
Vaughan			75
Referee:
Mr Daniel Middleton
Derbyshire