NORTHAMPTON TOWN 1, STOCKPORT COUNTY 1
Stockport County undertook their last scheduled midweek evening away trip of the regular season and returned home with a point after sharing the spoils at Northampton’s Sixfields Stadium.
In an encounter short, for much of the time, on clear-cut opportunities, the Cobblers went ahead shortly after the half-hour before County, having had a late first-half goal disallowed, levelled through substitute Benoný Andrésson, fresh from his goal-scoring heroics in SK3 against Blackpool three days earlier.
The Hatters, who remain fourth in Sky Bet League One, took to the field on a clear Shrove Tuesday night showing four changes from their weekend starting line-up at Edgeley Park against Blackpool.
Callum Connolly returned from a one-match suspension, Sam Cosgrove was handed his first start in a County shirt while both Callum Camps and Owen Moxon were also recalled with that quartet replacing Will Collar, Jayden Fevrier, Ollie Norwood and Kyle Wootton, all of whom, except Fevrier, featured among the substitutes
The contest’s inaugural shot came after 12 minutes as Brad Hills blasted an effort well over the Cobblers’ crossbar. And eight minutes later, the hosts, without a midweek league victory in 13 games and 14 months, went a tad closer through Tariqe Fosu’s header that narrowly cleared the County goal following a long throw from the right by Mitch Pinnock.
With the half hour approaching, an aerial coming together between Hills and Ben Perry led to a spell of treatment for the Northampton midfielder, and the award by referee Lee Swabey of a home free kick just outside the County box that Terry Taylor fired in, courtesy of a deflection, to give the hosts the lead.
By way of a postscript to the goal, the protestations of Dave Challinor, who had played for the Hatters the one previous occasion, on Good Friday 2003, when they had enjoyed a victory at Sixfields, culminated in a yellow card for the County manager.
Cosgrove headed the ball into the hosts’ net during added time only for his close-range effort to be ruled out after Northampton skipper Sam Hoskins had gone to ground in the build-up.
The second half was 10 minutes old, when County made a quadruple substitution, bringing on Collar, Norwood, Ryan Rydel and Wootton in the hope of restoring parity. But chances continued to be at a premium until 12 minutes from time when, eight minutes following his introduction as the final replacement, Andrésson rose to head home Rydel’s cross from the left.
County’s tails were up in the closing stages, as home goalkeeper Lee Burge parried efforts in quick succession from Norwood, Lewis Bate and Wootton.
In the end, however, honours were to remain even, albeit with a first point at Sixfields for the Hatters in 22 years, following their run of four successive defeats.
Goals: Taylor (31) for Northampton. Andresson (78) for Stockport.
Stockport (3-5-2): Addai; Hills, Connolly, Pye; Knoyle (Collar 55), Moxon (Norwood 55), Bate, Camps (Andrésson 70), Touray (Rydel 55); Cosgrove (Wootton 55), Olaofe. Subs (unused): Metcalfe, Hamilton.
Attendance: 5,559 (552 visitors).
Report: Gareth Evans.