STOCKPORT COUNTY 1, MANSFIELD TOWN 2
Stockport County’s second home match in the first four days of 2025 saw them suffer defeat by the odd goal in three at Edgeley Park against Mansfield Town.
Will Collar scored his fourth goal of the campaign in all competitions, and Ben Hinchliffe saved a penalty, within the space of seven first-half-minutes – but the Stags netted both sides of that spell to secure maximum points, extending in the process County’s winless run against them to 10 National League and EFL matches.
County took to the field on a chilly afternoon ahead of forecast snow showing four changes from the starting line-up that had run out in SK3 to face Birmingham 72 hours earlier.
Callum Camps, Sam Hughes, Kyle Knoyle and Ryan Rydel made up the recalled quartet, replacing Jack Diamond, Jay Mingi, Macauley Southam-Hales and Ibby Touray. And Kyle Wootton continued as captain having, on New Year’s Day, worn the County armband for only the second time in a competitive fixture.
Camps, making his first start since Christmas, unleashed the afternoon’s inaugural attempt after one minute volleying beyond the right post after being fed by Ollie Norwood.
And three minutes later, Will Evans latched onto Hiram Boateng’s through ball before firing into the side netting behind the corresponding upright at the other end.
But, with their next chance of note, the visitors – sitting at kick-off two positions and four points behind seventh-placed County – took an early lead. The Hatters failed to clear Elliott Hewitt’s long throw-in from the right, and Lee Gregory fired home with a first-time shot into the near-bottom corner of the net.
County were back on level terms within eight minutes when good work on the left by Odin Bailey culminated in a cross that was met by Wootton to the right of goal, and headed down by the skipper for Collar to convert an equaliser from close range.
Just past the first half’s mid-point, referee James Durkin pointed to the spot after Aaron Lewis went to ground in the County area under a Camps challenge. But Hinchliffe denied Gregory and the Stags a second goal by diving to his left and parrying the striker’s penalty behind.
County went close around the half hour as Bailey’s looping delivery from the right was nodded on by Callum Connolly for Collar to head towards goal, only for visiting keeper Christy Pym to dive and smother the effort on his line.
Then, seven minutes prior to the break, the Stags regained their erstwhile advantage after Evans was again played through on goal by Boateng. The visitors’ leading scorer took a touch to the right of the six-yard box, before sliding the ball past Hinchliffe and sending his side in ahead at half-time.
County made two substitutions upon the resumption, introducing Diamond and Macauley Southam-Hales whose headed goal 12 minutes from time against Birmingham had earned the Hatters a more-than-deserved point three days previously.
Both replacements looked to make their presence felt at an early stage in the visitors’ box with Southam-Hales denied courtesy of an interception by left-back Frazer Blake-Tracy and Diamond forcing a one-on-one Pym save after getting behind the Mansfield defence.
A further double change with a quarter of an hour remaining saw Jack Stretton – recently recalled from his loan-spell at National League Woking – and Touray brought on. But, despite enjoying plenty of possession during both the second half’s normal time and some seven minutes added on, the Hatters were ultimately unable to find a way through and fell to a first home league reverse in two months.
Goals: Collar (19) for Stockport. Gregory (11), Evans (38) for Mansfield.
Stockport (3-5-1-1): Hinchliffe; Connolly, Hughes (Southam-Hales 46), Pye; Knoyle (Touray 75), Collar, Norwood (Diamond 46), Bailey (Stretton 75), Rydel (Fiorini 85); Camps; Wootton. Subs (unused): Addai, Gardner.
Attendance: 10,010 (1,193 visitors).
Report: Gareth Evans.