STEVENAGE 2, STOCKPORT COUNTY 1
Stockport County ended February with a second defeat of the week away from home after being edged out by the odd goal in three at Stockport County ended February with a second defeat of the week away from home after being edged out by the odd goal in three at Play-off-chasing Stevenage play-off-chasing Stevenage.
Adama Sidibeh, with his fourth goal as a Hatter in all competitions, headed County in front shortly before the half-hour only for the hosts quickly to restore parity before adding a decisive second three minutes ahead of the hour.
The reverse was the Hatters’ fifth in as many visits to Broadhall Way and their third successive loss there by the same scoreline as well as consigning them to the wrong end of a second double in the current campaign as they lie fifth in the table.
Glimpses of sunshine had appeared in Hertfordshire after a showery morning as the Hatters took to the field showing four changes from their initial line-up at Burton four days previously.
Corey Addai was handed his first league start between the sticks since mid-September while Tayo Edun, Sidibeh and Josh Stokes were also brought in replacing Ben Hinchliffe, Tanto Olaofe, Joseph Olowu and Ben Osborn who all featured on the County bench.
Boro team, sitting at kick-off three positions and eight points behind fifth-placed County, included, in club captain Carl Piergianni, a one-time Hatter who had plied his trade at Edgeley Park during County’s inaugural National League campaign of 2011/12.
Piergianni’s fellow defender Luther James-Wildin, as well as midfielder Dan Phillips, meanwhile, had been capped at full international level from having represented the respective archipelagic Caribbean countries of Antigua & Barbuda and Trinidad & Tobago. And leading scorer Jamie Reid, who had notched goals in the Boro’s three most recent triumphs over County, could boast more than a dozen senior caps for Northern Ireland.
The Hatters, in the third minute, earned the contest’s inaugural corner, which took the form of a short set-piece exchange on the left between Josh Dacres-Cogley and Ollie Norwood – before the former launched a more telling delivery into the box, and Piergianni headed it away.
But the first half was around its mid-point when a chance of note for either side finally arose. Odin Bailey’s free kick from the left found Sidibeh whose header was deflected past the far upright by Matt Phillips.
Five minutes later, Sidibeh connected with a Jack Diamond cross from the right by-line with home goalkeeper Filip Marschall doing well to tip around the near post another headed effort by the Gambian striker. But from the resulting corner, taken by Bailey on the right, it was a case of third time lucky for Sidibeh as the forward got in front of Marschall to head home from close range.
The hosts strove to get back on level terms through James-Wildin who latched on to a Saxon Earley long throw from the right and drilled a low shot towards goal that was parried by Addai before the County keeper tipped Piergianni’s follow-up header on to the crossbar and behind.
And then, just as the Hatters had done seven minutes earlier, Stevenage scored following a corner, as Harvey White’s delivery from the left was headed on by Piergianni for the equaliser, helped home by a deflection off Edun and with Reid in close attendance.
Despite the disappointment of losing their lead, the Hatters finished the half strongly with Sidibeh using his head once more to force a save by Marschall, and Diamond seeing a shot blocked three minutes before the interval.
The first opportunity of the new half involved a 12-minute wait, but when it arrived the hosts were to get their noses in front with Matt Phillips connecting with Reid’s squared ball from the right to convert from close range.
County made a double-substitution seven minutes after the hour, which saw Malik Mothersille and Osborn introduced and went close almost immediately following that, as Matt Phillips deflected an in-swinging Norwood free-kick narrowly shy of the far post.
But clear-cut chances for the Hatters in open play remained at a premium after the break save for a Mothersille shot four minutes from time that was gathered up by Marschall without undue ceremony – as they were left to undertake their third homeward trip of the month empty-handed.
Goals: Piergianni (35), Phillips (57) for Stevenage. Sidibeh (28) for Stockport.
Stockport (3-4-1-2): Addai; Dacres-Cogley, Hills, Pye; Diamond, Bailey (Mothersille 67), Norwood, Edun (Osborn 67); Stokes; Sidibeh (Olaofe 74), Wootton. Subs (unused) Hinchliffe, Bate, Olowu, C Gardner.
Attendance: 3,974 (592 visitors).
Report: Gareth Evans.