Good away draw for Quakers at Edgeley Park
By Ray Simpson
Stockport County 1 Darlington 1Goals: Thompson (32mins, 0-1), Cowan (63 mins, 1-1)Injury-hit Q...
Stockport County 1 Darlington 1
Goals: Thompson (32mins, 0-1), Cowan (63 mins, 1-1)
Injury-hit Quakers picked up a deserved point at Edgeley Park in front of a 6,163 crowd -- the biggest crowd in the division this season.
Manager Tommy Wright's selection was hit by several players being hit by injury, and then Joe Wheatley failed a fitness test.
This meant that 16 year old Mitchell Glover came in for his second full game, while teenagers Brad Moncur and Jamie O'Brien were put on the bench. The squad certainly had a young look to it.
Darlo won an early free kick on the left for a foul on Saunders, it was driven in by Glover but headed away.
Quaker nearly fell behind on 6 minutes, when Stephenson made ground down the left and crossed into the middle where Warburton had a shot blocked on the line by Heaton.
Gary Brown then had to make a good defensive header from a right wing cross by Minihan.
Brown then pushed up front to support his attack, and his left footed through ball into the box was just ahead of David Syers.
Stockport had a chance on 18 minutes when Bohan Dixon found half a yard of space ten yards out, but fired straight at Pears.
They had another opportunity from a corner on 24 minutes that was swung over by Duxbury to the far post where Winter headed over the top.
After Styche and Thompson had shots blocked, Stockport broke down the right through Dixon, who weaved his way into the box and then fired into the side netting.
Saunders then nearly got on the end of a through ball, Ormson saving at his feet just inside the area.
0-1 Quakers took the lead on 32 minutes when Syers won the ball inside the Stockport half and set up Thompson, who sidestepped a defender and beat Ormson with a left foot shot into the bottom corner!
[caption id="attachment_42333" align="alignnone" width="300"] David Syers squares for Stephen Thompson[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_42334" align="alignnone" width="300"] Thommo fires towards goal[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_42335" align="alignnone" width="269"] Thommo celebrates with Mitch Glover[/caption]
After that, Quakers weren't really troubled by a side that is in the play offs this week
Half time 0-1
Quakers got a free kick on the right touchline on 52 minutes for a foul on Thompson. It was whipped in by Glover, but Thompson’s volley went wide.
There followed a spell of pressure of Stockport pressure before Thompson had a volley saved under the bar by Ormson, and Styche broke into the box but a defender got a tackle in.
1-1 Stockport levelled on 63 minutes when Dan Cowan ran forward to the edge of the Darlo box, and beat Pears with a right foot shot into the bottom corner.
Quakers replied with an effort by Syers that went just over the top.
Syers was then replaced by Phil Turnbull on 73 minutes.
Tom Portas won possession on the right and found Styche in the middle, he set up Thompson whose right foot shot was deflected wide for a fruitless corner.
Thompson also had another effort from the edge of the box, a dipping volley that Ormson held under the bar, as Quakers looked more likely to score the winner.
[caption id="attachment_42336" align="alignnone" width="282"] Thommo tries his luck from the edge of the box[/caption]
Quakers kept going, and Styche battled down the right and fired low into the box, where Ormson gathered in front of Brown and Thompson.
In the last minute, Jamie O'Brien and Brad Moncur came on for Ben O'Hanlon and Harvey Saunders, and no sooner had they set foot on the pitch, then the ref's whistle went for full time without playing any stoppage time. Maybe the shortest ever Darlo debuts!
Final score: Stockport 1 Darlington 1
Attendance 6163
After the game, the players walked across to the 500 travelling fans to thank them for their support throughout the season!
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Pears, Brown, Heaton, Vaulks, O’Hanlon (Sub Moncur 89), Glover, Portas, Syers (sub Turnbull 60), Thompson, Saunders (sub O'Brien 89), Styche
Subs: Bancroft, Caton
Stockport: Ormson, Cowan, Duxbury (sub Smalley 63), Winter (sub Czubik 76), Clarke, O'Halloran, Minihan, Brazel, Dixon, Warburton (West 46), Stephenson
Subs: Hinchliffe, Turnbull