STOCKPORT COUNTY 1, PRESTON NORTH END 0
Stockport County completed their pre-season at Edgeley Park for a very special afternoon – celebrating the most decorated player in County history.
Goalkeeper Ben Hinchliffe’s richly deserved testimonial against Championship visitors Preston – the club of his birthplace and, professionally, the first outfit at which he had been a player – saw the Hatters enjoy a second successive single-goal friendly victory, courtesy of Jack Diamond’s strike midway through the second half.
Hinchliffe himself took his place between the sticks and was made captain for the occasion, following a 10-year playing career in SK3 which had seen him make 427 appearances (the most for any County ‘keeper, and the sixth highest of all Hatters) across four divisional levels, and win championship medals in the National League North, the National League and League Two.
County’s keeper was welcomed on to the pitch one last time to great acclaim all around as both teams formed his guard of honour on a sunny afternoon – with Hinchliffe’s replacement of Ollie Whatmuff constituting the sole change from the Hatters’ starting line-up for the friendly at Oldham four days earlier. Another stopper, Luca Ashby-Hammond, having a day earlier returned for a second spell in SK3, was named as goalkeeping substitute.
The visiting Lilywhites who, three summers earlier, had provided the friendly opposition at EP to celebrate County’s 140th founding anniversary, included four full internationals among their starters with skipper Ali McCann and Jordan Thompson (both Northern Ireland), Andrew Moran (Republic of Ireland) and Andrija Vukčević (Montenegro) all having been capped at senior level.
Goalkeeper Ben Hinchliffe, whose testimonial was against Preston, celebrates an earlier promotion
With a couple of minutes on the clock, Ryan Glover struck the game’s first chance, cutting in from the left before drilling narrowly wide of the left post. And, three minutes later, Kyle Wootton went closer still, after connecting with Diamond’s chip back from the right by-line only for his goal-bound header to be parried at point-blank range by Danish keeper Daniel Iversen.
North End’s opening shot, after a dozen minutes, also led to the afternoon’s first corner after a Thompson effort was deflected behind off Wootton. And at the other end shortly afterwards, Diamond fired a low drive past the right post.
Opportunities during the remainder of the half were at something of a premium although, three minutes before the break, visiting substitute Ed Nolan’s innocuous-looking cross from the right clipped the top of the Cheadle End crossbar.
A little over one minute into the new half, the Hatters earned their first corner of the day and, six minutes later, Thompson cleared the County bar with a shot from the edge of the box.
As the hour approached, Ollie Norwood stung Iversen’s hands with an effort from 25 yards before Andrew Hughes’ volley took a deflection beyond the right post at the other end.
And, seven minutes following the hour, Tayo Edun blasted over from close range after meeting a header from the left across the six-yard box by recently introduced substitute Beno Andrésson.
But the Hatters, with their next attempt, broke the deadlock with Diamond drilling home from the edge of the area following more good work on the left by Andrésson.
No goalkeeper in County’s history has kept more clean sheets than Hinchliffe and, after adding yet another one to his name, he received a further, dedicated round of applause on being replaced by Ashby-Hammond 13 minutes from time.
County’s remaining substitutes were brought on shortly afterwards with one of those, Owen Moxon, firing a shot over within two minutes of his arrival. And a minute from time, second-half North End replacement George Gryba skewed wide of the Hatters’ left post.
And so ended, in front of a buoyant pre-season crowd exceeding 5,300, an excellent tribute-event for Hinchliffe, who will continue to contribute to the club in his post-playing role as Head of Goalkeeping.
Meanwhile, and having gone through the close season without conceding a goal, the team to which he has given so many years of service will, seven days hence, begin a new season of competitive fixtures, starting with a home League Cup-tie meeting with Doncaster.
Goal: Diamond (69) for Stockport.
Stockport (4-4-2-1): Hinchliffe (Ashby-Hammond 77); Gordon (Moxon 82), O’Connell (Rydel 82), Pye (Dodgson 82); Edun, Bate (Fiorini 73), Norwood, Glover (Andrésson 62); Diamond (Adigun 73), Wood (Osborn 62); Wootton (Mothersille 82).
Attendance: 5,303 (692 visitors).
Report: Gareth Evans.