CARLISLE UNITED 2, STOCKPORT COUNTY 1
Stockport County completed their pre-season assignments with a defeat by the odd goal in three at Carlisle.
In what was a first meeting with the Cumbrians since the League Two play-off final 14 months earlier, County fell behind in a first half that their hosts dominated.
Although Captain Kyle Wootton, with his third friendly goal of the summer, equalised shortly after the interval, home substitute Luke Armstrong settled matters in Carlisle’s favour with just over 20 minutes remaining.
The Hatters took to the field for the second time in as many days on a sunny Border Country afternoon.
Their starting line-up was changed in its entirety from that which had kicked off against Blackburn at Edgeley Park the night before with notable replacements including Louie Barry, following his return to County for a second season’s loan from Aston Villa, and Jay Mingi, the club’s first signing of the summer, who was making his first appearance as a Hatter after recovering from injury.
The fourth-tier hosts included former Hatter Ben Barclay among their substitutes. And there were two other members of the home squad boasting County family connections with Ken Mulhearn’s goalkeeping grandson Harry Lewis and Armstrong, son of ‘Super Al’, featuring between the sticks and on the bench, respectively.
The first minute of the contest saw Carlisle go close to troubling the scorers after a slip by one of County’s two starting trialists let Dan Adu-Adjei through on goal, but Ben Hinchliffe stood firm, using his legs to block the newly arrived Bournemouth loanee’s strike.
Hinchliffe was called into action again a couple of minutes later, as he dived to smother Josh Vela’s shot from the edge of the box. And Carlisle’s strong start continued with Cameron Harper, from the left, feeding Adu-Adjei who skied over from close range.
Barclay was introduced to proceedings at an early stage after Dylan McGeough picked up a knock shortly after the quarter-hour mark. And just under 10 minutes later, Hinchliffe was on hand again to keep out another attempt, as he palmed away a dangerous delivery by Jon Mellish from the left.
The County goalkeeper, however, could do little to repel the next attack on his goal courtesy of Adu-Adjei, whose hooked, point-blank shot flew into the net to give Carlisle a deserved lead.
Harrison Neal, on the half-hour, looked to double the hosts’ advantage with a curling effort from the edge of the area that was heading for the top-right corner before Hinchliffe dived to catch it cleanly. And, from one of their several first-half corners, Vela applied a goal-bound touch that could not find its way through a packed six-yard box.
The hosts began the second half much as they had spent the first in attacking mode as Neal blazed high and wide of County’s goal in the opening seconds after the resumption.
But the next opportunity, and County’s first of the afternoon, saw the scores levelled. An excellent run byJack Diamond who, earlier in the year, had turned out 16 times for Carlisle on loan, fed Wootton, and the skipper’s first-time shot fizzed past Lewis to put the Hatters back on terms.
Hinchliffe then denied Mellish twice in quick succession – first by diving at full stretch to tip a shot from the edge of the area on to the right post, and subsequently blocking a closer-range effort.
Fevrier, after combining well with Barry, tested Lewis with a well-struck left-footed effort, but midway through the half, the hosts were back in front.
Armstrong, who, minutes earlier, had headed over a Barclay cross from the right, made no mistake when a long throw by the ex-Hatter on the same flank found him at the far post, and he converted from close range.
Harper, fed from the right by Dan Butterworth, who had drawn Hinchliffe away from his goal saw a shot blocked by Fevrier, and the latter, late on, turned provider at the other end for substitute Che Gardner to unleash a shot that was smothered by Lewis.
Goals: Adu-Adjei (26), Armstrong (68) for Carlisle. Wootton (49) for Stockport.
Stockport County (3-4-3): Hinchliffe; Mingi (Trialist C, 54), Trialist B (Mapengu 64), Touray; Fevrier, Camps (C Johnson 70), Bailey, Trialist A (Watson 64); Diamond, Wootton, Barry (Gardner 70). Subs (unused): Metcalfe, Lawless, H Johnson.
Attendance: 1,880 (121 visitors).
Report: Gareth Evans.