STOCKPORT COUNTY 1, BRADFORD CITY 2
Stockport County returned to Edgeley Park for their first midweek League One assignment of the campaign, but saw their unbeaten start come to a disappointing end under the lights against Bradford City.
The game was a proverbial one of two halves. Owen Moxon, with his first goal since arriving at EP, put the Hatters ahead in the course of a sparkling first half – but the visitors, sitting level on points at the outset, levelled quickly after the resumption, before erstwhile County favourite Antoni Sarcevic thundered home the winner 19 minutes from time.
Bradford’s first league victory in SK3 since 2004 was simultaneously a first home defeat there for the Hatters since their reverse against Mansfield – also by the odd goal in three – on January 1.
The Hatters took to the field on a cloudy evening for what was a fourth successive home meeting on a Tuesday night with the Bantams in all competitions showing two changes from the initial line-up at Leyton Orient three days earlier. Brad Hills and Malik Mothersille were the pair handed starts, replacing Joseph Olowu – who was named among the substitutes – and the injured Callum Camps.
The West Yorkshire visitors included among their starters, Sarcevic and Ibby Touray, two popular ex-County players who between them had won three titles at EP – although two other former Hatters and title-winners now with Bradford, Neill Byrne and the very recently signed Nick Powell, did not feature in the squad.
County earned the contest’s inaugural corner after four minutes when a good move down the left initiated by Jack Diamond culminated in a low Owen Dodgson delivery that was put behind by centre back and Jamaican international Curtis Tilt.
Diamond tried his luck from distance shortly afterwards with a punt that cleared the Railway End crossbar, and Dodgson unleashed a venomous strike to sting the hands of visiting goalkeeper Sam Walker as the Hatters continued to enjoy a good start.
County were good value for the opening goal after quarter of an hour. Mothersille’s break into the box saw the Hatters’ record signing pick out leading scorer Kyle Wootton, before the ball was partially cleared – but only as far as Moxon, whose left-footed drive flew through a crowded box and into the bottom-right corner.
Walker twice denied Diamond after the half’s mid-point by diving to palm away goal-bound efforts fired within half a dozen minutes of each other and the lively Mothersille curled a shot narrowly over five minutes before the break.
As dominant as the Hatters had been throughout the first half, they found themselves pegged back within four minutes of the second. A free kick by skipper Max Power down the right flank to Stephen Humphrys saw the forward deliver a low cross for newly introduced substitute Will Swan, at the far post, to turn in from close range.
Spurred on by their equaliser, the Bantams began to see much more of the ball in the final third – with Matthew Pennington and Humphrys respectively heading and half-volleying attempts over, Power seeing a low drive deflected beyond the left post, and Sarcevic forcing Corey Addai to parry a shot around the same upright.
Moxon interrupted the pattern of Bradford’s successive attempts and corners by earning one of the latter, courtesy of a shot that took a deflection past the right post at the Cheadle End. But the visitors had not lost momentum and, with their next attack, commencing with a long, looping ball by Alex Pattison, stunned County with a second goal, as Sarcevic proceeded to convert from a tight angle to the right of goal.
County made an immediate triple substitution with one of the replacements, Jayden Fevrier, soon firing a couple of shots on target that Walker smothered. And with two minutes of normal time remaining, later arrival Odin Bailey headed wide of the far post after connecting with Diamond’s cross from the left.
The final seconds of added time looked for all the world to have seen the Hatters salvage a point – only for Walker brilliantly to save a Beno Andrésson header in front of the left post.
Goals: Moxon (16) for Stockport. Swan (49), Sarcevic (71) for Bradford City.
Stockport County (3-4-3): Addai; Hills (Olowu 72), Connolly, Pye; O’Keeffe (Fevrier 72), Norwood, Moxon (Bailey 87), Dodgson; Diamond, Wootton (Andrésson 72), Mothersille (Lowe 63). Subs (unused): Hinchliffe, Fiorini.
Attendance:9,641 (1,199 visitors).
Report: Gareth Evans.