STOCKPORT COUNTY 1, STOKE CITY 0
Stockport County’s opening home friendly in back-to-back meetings with Championship opposition at Edgeley Park saw them prevail with a single-goal triumph against Stoke City.
It what was a first meeting between the two clubs in front of paying spectators for 19 years and one day (with County, in the 2005 pre-season, having edged out the Potters by the odd goal in three at Edgeley Park thanks to strikes by Jermaine Easter and Matt Hamshaw), matters were settled by substitute Kyle Wootton who headed in just after the half-hour.
The Hatters took to the field on a rather overcast late-July afternoon, and with an initial line-up that featured seven of the players who had started against Derby in the Spanish sunshine at the Pinatar Arena eight days earlier.
There was a first start as a Hatter for Burnley loanee-striker Michael Mellon while County’s latest arrival, Tayo Adaramola, whose season-long acquisition on loan from Crystal Palace had been confirmed the previous day, was named among the substitutes.
The game’s first attack of note saw Lynden Gooch, with three minutes played, cut in towards County’s goal from the left only for his shot to be comfortably caught by Corey Addai in front of the near post.
Five minutes later, Jack Diamond did likewise at the other end, having beaten a couple of defenders into the bargain, but fired high and wide of the far upright. And the end-to-end fare continued, as the six-foot, four-inch Addai stood (especially) tall before sticking out his left leg to deflect behind an effort from Andre Vidigal.
Mellon’s participation unfortunately ended only 17 minutes in when he limped off after suffering a knock. But shortly afterwards, Will Collar went close for the Hatters, connecting with Lewis Bate’s out-swinging corner from the right, and just clearing the Railway End crossbar with a 15-yard volley.
Diamond fired another shot wide of the left post, before Kyle Knoyle stopped Niall Ennis in his tracks when the visiting forward was bearing down on the Hatters’ goal. Given the openness of the contest, the scorers were threatening to be troubled by one side or the other – but when they indeed were, it was from a set-piece.
Wootton, on as the early replacement for Mellon, scored it, heading in Diamond’s free kick from the right for what was County’s first goal in more than four hours of friendly play. And five minutes later, the Hatters almost doubled their advantage as an Odin Bailey shot took a deflection off Ben Wilmot, before dipping narrowly over.
The Hatters, upon the resumption and under sunnier skies, introduced Ben Hinchliffe and Sam Hughes, for Addai and first-half skipper Fraser Horsfall, respectively. And within three minutes of the new half, they fashioned an opportunity through Jayden Fevrier, whose shot from the right was deflected past the near post by the head of Stoke captain, Ben Gibson.
Cometh the hour, cometh further changes on both sides involving eight players for the Potters as well as a County for Adaramola.
One of the Stoke substitutes, Wouter Burger, looked certain to score within five minutes of his arrival, only to be thwarted at point-blank range by Hinchliffe who had already saved County 10 minutes earlier, by tipping over Vidigal’s well-struck thunderbolt while Hughes blocked a follow-up shot from Millian Manhoef after Burger had been denied.
Hinchliffe kept out further strikes by Boe Junho, Manhoef, Nathan Lowe and Lewis Baker, as the visitors enjoyed a plethora of chances with the keeper and his defence continuing to hold firm to secure a first County friendly victory of the summer.
Goal: Wootton (31) for Stockport.
Stockport County (3-4-3): Addai (Hinchliffe 46); Knoyle, Horsfall (Hughes 46), Pye; Fevrier (Okeke 62) Bate (Gardner 77), Bailey, Touray; Collar (Camps 62), Mellon (Wootton 17 (Adaramola 62), Diamond (Johnson 77). Sub (unused): Metcalfe.
Attendance: 4,159 (1,334 visitors).
Report: Gareth Evans.