STOCKPORT COUNTY 2, BOLTON WANDERERS 0
Stockport County’s League One campaign got under way with a second successive opening-day two-goal victory at home, as they triumphed in front of a five-figure Edgeley Park crowd against near neighbours Bolton Wanderers.
Record signing Malik Mothersille marked his arrival by scoring for his new club on the stroke of half-time before a late Kyle Wootton header sealed the three points, and a third successive league win against the Trotters, who had struck the woodwork once in each half.
Drizzle filled the air, by way of a prelude to the forecast arrival of Storm Floris, as the Hatters were led out, in the absence of injured captain Lewis Bate, by Ollie Norwood on his 50th appearance for a noon Sunday kick-off to accommodate television coverage.
Their starting line-up saw three summer arrivals, loanees Owen Dodgson and Corey O’Keeffe, in addition to Mothersille make competitive-debut bows, while a further trio of new County faces, Danny Andrew, Nathan Lowe and Joseph Oluwu featured among the substitutes.
The visitors’ starting debutants, meanwhile, included on-loan striker Mason Burstow, who, eight days previously, had scored the only goal in the friendly at EP for parent club Hull.
Bolton earned the first corner after a little under five minutes, and Aaron Morley’s consequential delivery from the left led to the contest’s inaugural chance with the ball eventually dropping to Xavier Simons whose low drive struck the right post.
A mild and (as it turned out) brief glimpse of first-half sunshine emerged as the Hatters won a corner of their own seven minutes later, although Norwood’s in-swinger from the left was headed well wide of the far upright by Callum Camps.
Corey Addai deflected behind a shot from Amario Cozier-Duberry after the winger had cut in from the right. And, around the half’s mid-point, the Brighton loanee tested County’s goalkeeper again with an effort from the edge of the box that Addai did well to tip beyond the left post.
A promising County move down the left led to a delivery into the six-yard box from Dodgson only for visiting keeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe to claim the ball ahead of intended target Mothersille. And, at the other end, Addai’s hands were stung courtesy of a strike from distance by Guinea-Bissau international Carlos Mendes Gomes.
With just over four minutes of the half remaining, another Dodgson cross from the left was met by Wootton who headed narrowly over. But the final opportunity before the interval, towards the end of added time, was to see the Hatters go in at the break ahead.
Jack Diamond’s foray from the left led to some brief pinball action in Bolton’s area before the ball fell to Norwood just outside it, and the acting skipper’s low shot was turned in by Mothersille at close range to give County the lead seconds before the half-time whistle.
The sun returned over SK3 as the Hatters took to the field after the resumption and they proceeded to win a couple of early second-half corners in quick succession as they looked to get their noses further in front.
But the first chance of note following the break fell to the Trotters as John McAtee blazed over from 10 yards out after a Morley cross had only been partially cleared. And, two minutes later, they went closer still with Max Conway striking the left post and Morley drilling beyond it on the rebound.
Another Norwood corner, with a dozen minutes left, led to an Ethan Pye header that cleared the Cheadle End bar before Addai used his legs to keep out a close-range strike by Barbadian substitute Thierry Gale as the game remained on a knife edge.
But, two minutes from time, County made matters much safer as Andrew, five minutes into his debut which had also earned him the milestone-award of the 1,500th Stockport County Appearance Number [SCAN], delivered a pinpoint free kick from the left for Wootton to head home.
The Hatters then proceeded to hold firm during seven minutes of time added on to finish with a clean sheet and, moreover, three well-earned points to get their season up and running.
Goals: Mothersille (45+2), Wootton (88) for Stockport.
Stockport County: Addai; O’Keeffe, Connolly, Pye, Dodgson; Norwood, Moxon; Mothersille (Bailey 64), Camps (Andrew 83), Diamond (Lowe 70); Wootton. Subs (unused): Hinchliffe, Olowu, Fiorini, C Gardner.
Attendance: 10,172 (1,205 visitors).
Report: Gareth Evans.