Hope springs eternal

Ok. So the blue skies didn't last long. After a quick dash into town (Carol's Cheeses for the latest batch of Cheshire & Stilton), it was a dash to avoid the downpour. Sadly I failed, arriving at Edgeley Park feeling (and looking) rather soggy.
Thus far, the biggest cheer of the day has greeted the sight of Alex Ferguson after Everton's 2 injury time goals snatch a draw from the jaws of United victory. For once there is a buzz in the stadium, and not just because of the fate befalling the red side of Manchester. Even the flags are back in the Cheadle End! Just goes to show the effect a win can have on supporters as well as players.



What's nice is that there is a decent crowd today (4277), with a fair number from Bradford. Throughout the game there has been a bit of noise around Edgeley Park, the first time in a long time that that has happened.

Sadly, we've only got a point from the game, when a little bit of composure (at both ends) would - and probably should - have seen another 3 points in the bag. Sadly, Bradford easily weathered the County pressure (if not the torrential downpour), and took the lead just after half time. A hopeful long ball caught the County defence at sea. A slip by the to this point solid Assoumani saw the Bradford player clean through on goal. One square ball across the 6 yard box later, Bradford were 1-0 up against the run of play. Cue wild celebrations in the rain for those in amber & claret; rueful shakes of the head for those in blue & white.



However, County - rather than buckling - pressed for the equaliser. Donnelly, Proctor ( who to be fair did well when replacing the woeful Conlon), Vincent & Tansey all had efforts either charged down or narrowly wide. As time wore on and County's final ball became slightly more desperate, the breakthrough came. A brilliant short corner caught Bradford out, and Griffin's pinpoint cross enabled Donnelly to bundle the ball home. A deserved equaliser and more to the point, the first goal at home for a long time.

After that point, Bradford seemed to settle for the point while a bouyant County pressed for a winner. Again, a frustrating lack of movement and poor final ball tended to end promising moves.

For once, County recovered from going a goal down and showed real character. It helped that the crowd - although frustrated by the slow final ball - kept behind the team. Assoumani made a single mistake in the whole match and got punished, but didn't let that get to him. Vincent was excellent in the "defensive midfield" role and rightly won man of the match. The only disappointment was Conlon: his substitution was greeted by cheers such was his obvious lack of effort.

On the train home I'm encouraged by the performance, if a bit disappointed over the final result. At least I can now say I've seen a goal for County at Edgeley; just need that elusive win now...




-- Post From My iPhone

Rain, rain, go away!

This doesn't look terribly promising. I'm just south of Macclesfield on the train to Stockport and the heavens have opened. What's worse, the wind direction looks like it's blowing from the east: in other words, straight into the faces of those in the Cheadle End (i.e., me). Mind you, the away fans won't fare much better, at least the home fans have a roof!

Speaking of away fans, today should see a sizeable following from our cross-Pennine opponents Bradford.

Bradford have so far failed to live up to the billing of pre-season promotion favourites. Mind you, they've failed to love up to that billing for a few years now. Just goes to prove that gates of 10,000 don't necessarily equate to success. So far they've struggled to get results, and could probably do with a win today to kick start the season.

County on the other hand are looking to win successive games for the first time in, well, a very long time.

So it could be a tense affair. Or it could follow the trend of previous matches against Bradford in being a thriller (if not necessarily high scoring). Either way, County need a result to build on last weeks defeat of Macclesfield, so I'll stick my neck out and say home win. As I say this, here comes the Sun; must be an omen!



-- Post From My iPhone

Miracle at Moss Rose

Yyyyyyeeeeesssss!!

Finally after 6 months of waiting, County fans can finally celebrate a win. The performance wasn't necessarily great and Macclesfield were terrible, but a win is a win, especially against your local rivals.
Paul Simpson made a brave decision by giving Matt Glennon his debut in place of OFW, and brought Matt Mainwaring (now recovered from his horrific broken leg) into the midfield alongside Tansey, Turnbull and Vincent. Fellow new signing Josh Simpson started on the bench.
Once again, details on the match are fairly sketchy (neither the BBC nor Sky deemed the game important enough for extensive coverage) so the first I was aware of any excitement was just before half time. George Donnelly - who up until this point is the only player to score for us this season - picked the ball up wide on the left, cut inside (beating 4 Macclesfield defenders in the process) and hit a low shot into the far corner. Cue mass celebration amongst the massed County supporters behind the goal.
Early in the second half, Glennon made an instant bid for hero status amongst the fans. Normally the award of a rather dubious penalty (following a 'foul' by Assoumani) against County leads to inevitable capitulation. On this occasion however, Glennon saved the (admittedly terrible) penalty to preserve County's slender lead. Furthermore, the next goal was scored by County (at the right end thankfully); Assoumani lashing the ball home from 6 yards out following a Griffin free kick. 2-0 to County, when was the last time that happened?
Despite some rather nervous moments (and woeful finishing from the Macclesfield forwards), the final whistle finally blew to confirm the first 3 point haul for the season. What's more, the spectre of a 19 game winless run had been ended, lifting County to the heady heights of 16th in League 2.

If I was being harsh, I'd be worried Donnelly is our only real goal threat; that the midfield still looks as tough as a limp lettuce; or that a hint of accuracy from Macclesfield would have converted some of the many chances they created. But that would be wrong: a win is a win no matter how it comes, and it's about time County had one to celebrate. The hard part now is building on it: we can't afford to wait another 6 months for the next one!

-- Post From My iPhone

Derby Day

SCFC vs. Macclesfield Town
Moss Rose, 3pm

Today is one of those dates most keenly looked for in the footballing calendar; a meeting with a local rival. In this case, County make the relatively short trip to Macclesfield for a game that bears more significance than who has the local bragging rights.

Almost 4 years ago, County were well and truly demolished 6-0 in this fixture, leaving us rock bottom of League 2 and staring non-league football in the face. What happened afterwards is a tale of returning heroes, epic last day survival, record breaking runs (for the right reasons) and eventually, promotion. We've since paid the price for that high, and now return to Moss Rose once again occupying one of the relegation spots (yes, I know there have only been 4 games played).

This is one of those games we have to win. Not only would the 3 points be very welcome, but also as a means of exorcising the ghosts of that 6-0 defeat. It would also help erase another painful memory for County fans. Unable to play an FA Cup tie at Edgeley Park due to pitch conditions last year, we ended up playing "at home" to Torquay at Moss Rose. As if playing a home tie on someone else's ground wasn't bad enough, we lost 4-0 to a side near the bottom of League 2 (ok, we were bottom of League 1 at the time, but that really was unacceptable).

What is quite positive today is that we have 3 (yes, three) new signings eligible to play. Robbie Williams I've mentioned previously, while yesterday, goalie Matt Glennon and midfielder Josh Simpson were signed up. For a long time we've been without decent cover for OFW in goal, and Simpson - despite being so young- does seem to have a bit more experience about him than our current midfielders. Hopefully they will have a positive impact both in terms of results and team morale.

I'm quietly confident today that we can get something from the game. Last weeks non-performance obviously hurt everyone, and I suspect nothing less than a whole hearted, battling performance will be accepted by Paul Simpson or the fans. Lets face it, if you can't motivate yourself for a derby game, there really is no hope. If we can get that, we certainly stand a decent chance of gaining that elusive first win.

-- Post From My iPhone

Same old feeling

Well, it's not the Tuesday after the Saturday before, and I'm only now getting to full terms with the Shrewsbury horror show. Again, having not been to the game it's incredibly hard to write a justified opinion, but from what I've seen of the goals and the reports, County were quite simply, awful. The whole performance was summed up by Shrewsbury's second goal - a woeful back pass from midfield, a feeble (if that) attempt to beat the Shrewsbury forward to the ball, a lack of determination to make up for the mistake (Swailes, on both occasions) and a less than convincing effort to save the final shot - all resulted in a gift of a goal to (admittedly) superior opponents.

I mentioned previously about some players needing a big performance to win over the County faithful. Suffice to say that the impressions made by some players were certainly far from positive. Swailes by all accounts had an appalling day (new dad syndrome?); Assoumani - up to now a solid looking defender,simply wasn't at the races;  Lynch struggled, the midfield was once again over-run (despite the extra man) and no support whatsoever was given to Donnelly up front. Conlon when he came on was anonymous, while the less said about Proctor the better.  

In the end it was 4-0 and in the words of one wag, County were probably lucky to get nil. Paul Simpson summed it up perfectly in his post-match interview - defending that would shame a Sunday League team coupled with a chronic lack of confidence is really hurting the team (and supporters) at the moment. Quite simply, at the moment, County have to score first to stand a chance of getting something out of any game. The problem is however, scoring that goal....

There has however been a slightly more positive development today (Tuesday). Although it's never nice to see people leave (unless their name is Jamie Proctor), County have announced that Gianluca Havern, Sam Hare and Ritchie Partridge have left the club by mutual consent. To be fair, none of them really made that much of an impact - Havern & Hare as youngsters never really broke into the first team picture, while Partridge simply didn't make any impact - a pretty damning statement for a senior player in an otherwise inexperienced squad. What probably also didn't help was his rumoured wages - one of the top earners at the club thanks to the Administrators offering him a new contract over the summer without the consent of the new owners or manager.

So how is 3 players leaving good news? Well for starers it give Simpson a bit more of the wage structure to play with; so much so that Robbie Williams (the footballer) has been signed up permanently. When fit - Williams is a excellent player, and his presence can only be of benefit to the team (he hasn't lost yet in a County shirt - mind you, he hasn't won either). It also means Simpson can look elsewhere - loans, free-agents - to try and bolster a squad crying out for additional bodies. If they happen to be a tough tackling midfielder, all the better.....

Taming of the Shrews?

Firstly, apologies for the lack of a post last week. Being in the North East for the weekend, I watched (via the BBC) as Stockport fell 3-1 at Stevenage; a disappointing result and a missed opportunity to continue the unbeaten run. Saying that, 2 of Stevenages' goals were real belters, and the third was, shall we say, a bit iffy - when they go in you really know it's not going to be your day. About the only good thing that seemed to come out of the trip was another goal for Donnelly. It may be early in the season, but I dread to think what would happen if he gets injured any time soon.

This weekend it's another of the anticipated big guns of League 2 - Shrewsbury Town - who make the (relatively) short trip to Edgeley Park. Shrewsbury are unbeaten in the League so far this season, and come into the game having narrowly lost away to Stoke City in the League Cup. They also come with an expectation that they will be up amongst the promotion contenders at the end of the season. Once again, there is a touch of additional spice to the match; Shrewsbury are another of Paul Simpson's former teams.

The big question for County supporters is which version of their team will turn up? If it's the side that came so close to beating Wycombe then there is a real chance of 3 points. However if it's the side that turned up for Stevenage last weekend, the story may be markedly different.

The key - as always - appears to lie within the midfield. Questions are still being asked about the Tansey-Turnbull partnership in the middle (who is the ball winner and who is the creator?), while the on-loan Proctor could do with a decent performance to win over those fans not exactly enamoured with his (thus far) selfish and lacklustre displays. Furthermore, do you go for the adventurous-but-raw Danny Pilkington or the solid-if-unspectacular David Poole on the right? Either way, support is needed for the blossoming Conlon-Donnelly partnership - given the right service, these two could score plenty of goals.

My gut feeling at the moment is that the Shrews may have a bit too much for a still bedding-in County. A win would be fantastic, so would a draw if I was being honest; but I just think we may be waiting another week before celebrating 3 points.

The Third Man

Match Summary:
Stockport County (0) 0
Wycombe Wanderers (0) 0

Venue: Edgeley Park, Stockport
Attendance: 3,837

Stockport: fon Williams, Lynch, Williams (Griffin 73), Swailes, Assoumani, Turnbull, Tansey, Poole (Pilkington 77), Rowe (Proctor 61), Donnelly, Conlon
Subs (unused): Vincent, Halls, Fisher, Ormison
Booked: Tansey

Well that's me told. After Friday's prediction of a goal-fest, yesterday's game ended as a 0-0 draw, albeit a fairly exciting one. Mind you, County did pretty much everything right except score - especially in the second half.

The first half was fairly tense - not helped by the fact County appeared to be playing with only 7 men. Once again, the midfield went AWOL, leaving Donnelly and Conlon with a pretty thankless task up front. The best opportunity of the half fell to Williams, whose free kick from just outside the area was well saved low down by Wycombe keeper Bull. Wycombe had their own chance, mainly through the reluctance of fon Williams to come any further than his 6 yard box. Fortunately this was cleared by a defence that looks more assured with each game.

And that was pretty much it for the first half. The biggest question was would Greater Manchester Police bring in the helicopter and dog squad on the search for 4 missing footballers, last reported to be in the Stockport area.

Whatever Paul Simpson said at half time must have done the trick, as County - now playing with 11 men - really set about Wycombe. Suddenly the ball was being played to Rowe (anonymous in the first half) who was enjoying the opportunity to run with the ball, while Poole was working hard on the right wing. Suddenly County looked threatening, and created numerous opportunities that on another day  would have been converted. The best of these fell to Donnelly, who could have done better with his one-on-one effort having done the hard work getting into the box. The most criminal miss however came from Swailes, who - with the goal at his mercy - made a rather half-hearted attempt to reach a great free kick from Poole.

The introduction of 3 substitutes didn't disrupt the pattern of play. Proctor came on for his home debut and looked good - however he could really do with looking up once in a while and not thinking he can do it all. His insistence on beating the man 2 or 3 times and not passing to a better placed team-mate seemed to me to show a little bit of disrespect to his colleagues and opponent. The impressive Williams (rightly named as Man of the Match) limped off again to be replaced by Griffin, while Poole (who had a good game) was replaced by Pilkington. Chances continued to be created, but that final, killer touch was lacking. The same was true for Wycombe, a little bit of composure may have seen them snatch an unlikely victory in injury time, but luckily for County, the headed finish posed more of a threat to the corner flag.

So, all in all a good performance, and a point gained that last season would have very easily been lost. County look a lot more resilient, and with the discovery of a killer instinct could do well this season. I'm still not too sure about the midfield; Proctor will make a difference with his willingness to run and shoot, but an experienced head wouldn't go amiss in the centre. What really impresses me thus far is the defence - Assoumani is ridiculously calm, Lynch is solid and hard-working, Swailes never seems to shut up, and Williams - although lacking a bit of fitness - really stands out both at the back and coming forwards. A special mention must also be made about the pitch, which looked immaculate in the summer sunshine. Let's hope it manages to hold up once the rugby season starts.

The match wasn't the highlight of the day though.

Whilst getting my new County top and chatting to the shop assistant, the subject of "Where do you come from?" cropped up.
"Milton Keynes" I replied.
Assistant: "That's a fair way - get to many games?"
me: "A few - mostly away but I try to get to as many home games as I can"
Third man: "That's great commitment to your club. I like that"

The "Third man" only happened to be Paul Simpson! What to do now - ask him how he is finding his time at County? Where does he think the side needs strengthening?  Nope - journalism (or spontaneity) was never my strong point, so all I could do was accept his offered handshake and smile, so that exclusive interview with the current County manager will have to wait.

BBC Match report
SCFC Official match report