ROTHERHAM UNITED 1, STOCKPORT COUNTY 1
Stockport County saw out 2024 with a second schlep across the Pennines in three days but this time returned home with a point from Rotherham where leading scorer Louie Barry once again added to his tally.
Having spent Boxing Day afternoon in West Yorkshire being edged out by Huddersfield, County on this occasion visited South Yorkshire for a Twixmas Sunday lunchtime fixture at the New York Stadium where each side scored within six first-half minutes to share the spoils.
Rotherham’s current ground represented for County a third venue in as many league encounters involving the Millers as hosts on the back of trips to Millmoor, during early 2008, resulting in the Hatters’ most recent triumph over them, and Sheffield’s now-demolished Don Valley Stadium in 2011.
As the prevailing mist of the previous post-Christmas days had gone, the teams took to the field under blue skies and winter sunshine with the Hatters showing four changes from their starting line-up at Huddersfield.
Kyle Knoyle – making his first start of the campaign – Ollie Norwood, Ibby Touray and Kyle Wootton were the players brought in, replacing injured skipper Lewis Bate (Fraser Horsfall taking the captain’s armband in his absence), as well as Will Collar, Ryan Rydel and Macauley Southam-Hales who all featured on the bench.
Following the opening exchanges, Barry, in what was the penultimate fixture scheduled ahead of his return to parent club, Aston Villa, seized on a loose ball around the halfway-line in the eighth minute, before weaving with it all the way to the six-yard box, where his eventual shot from the left of goal was kept out by goalkeeper Dillon Phillips at the near post.
The hosts, lying four points above the drop-zone following their relegation from the Championship last season, had their first opportunity of note four minutes later with a 25-yard free-kick by Joe Powell that took a deflection beyond the right post.
But within another minute, County went ahead through Barry, whose shot from 18 yards out curled into the bottom-left corner of the home net for his 15th league goal of the campaign.
The Hatters’ advantage lasted only six minutes as Hakeem Odoffin connected with Liam Kelly’s assist to lift a header over Ben Hinchliffe and level matters, despite a foul on Touray immediately preceding the corner which had led to the equaliser.
As the Hatters strove to get their noses back in front, Odoffin frustrated them at the other end by blocking a Tanto Olaofe shot before big challenges by Phillips and Kelly on Olaofe and Barry, respectively outside and within the area, went unpunished by referee Lee Doughty.
As half-time approached, an in-swinging corner from the right by Odin Bailey had to be punched away by Phillips whose counterpart Hinchliffe was well placed shortly afterwards cleanly to pluck out of the air a curling shot from Joe Hungbo.
The Hatters introduced Jack Diamond upon the resumption, as they began kicking towards the end housing a second successive 2,000-plus County following whom Callum Connolly almost gave cause to raise the roof three minutes into the new half, courtesy of a drive that fizzed narrowly beyond the left upright.
As County continued to press, Barry saw efforts saved by Phillips and blocked by Odoffin before Wootton chipped a lob over the home ‘keeper that bounced past the left post. Despite the Hatters’ early second-half dominance, parity persisted, and their cause was dealt a further blow when, following a heavy landing, Horsfall was stretchered off with 20 minutes left to play.
Largely as a consequence of Horsfall’s injury treatment, seven minutes were added on. During those, a Norwood free kick was kept at bay by the Rotherham wall and Bailey saw his low shot deflected into the arms of Phillips.
Ultimately, the scorers were not troubled further, although the fifth-placed Hatters’ point ended their run of three defeats on the road, as well as ensuring that they would end the calendar year in the play-off-positions.
Goals: Odoffin (19) for Rotherham. Barry (13) for Stockport.
Stockport (3-4-3): Hinchliffe; Connolly, Horsfall (Hughes 70), Pye; Knoyle (Southam-Hales 70), Norwood, Bailey, Touray; Olaofe (Diamond 46), Wootton, Barry (Collar 70). Subs (unused): Addai, Mingi, Rydel.
Attendance: 10,194 (2,068 visitors).
Report: Gareth Evans.