Post by hatter_in_macc on Aug 2, 2015 10:51:53 GMT
Morning, all. Here is my take on yesterday's friendly-closer...
Now that the serious business is about to get back underway, these reports will revert to creating themselves on - or as close as possible - to match days. I've given myself enough of a holiday
!
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COUNTY v gap CONNAH’s QUAY NOMADS (PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY): MATCH REPORT (01/08/2015)
By Hatter in Macc
Baggie Brilliance Holds The Quay To Final Friendly Win
The Hatters rounded off their pre-season preparations, and marked the beginning of a new month, with a single-goal victory at Edgeley Park.
In spite of there being nothing at stake so far as the friendly-match was concerned, it was a fitting way symbolically to commemorate the first day of the rest of County’s hopeful new life - following the welcome news, twenty-four hours earlier, that Stockport Council’s purchase of EP had been completed.
On the hallowed turf itself, the Hatters were, for the second time in two days, pitted against a team of Nomads. Having made the short jaunt along to Norbreck Avenue, and played their Cheshire League friends from Cheadle Heath, on Thursday evening, they now received Welsh Premier nomadic opposition back on the East side of SK3. gap Connah’s Quay - and mind the ‘gap’ (as it were) remains in lower case, for fear of any confusion with the clothing company! - arrived at EP unbeaten in pre-season, together with a rather healthy goals-tally of thirteen in three games.
Neil Young handed a start at left back to Scott Duxbury, after Gareth Roberts had picked up a dead leg against Manchester United Under-21s four days earlier. Also missing was Micah Evans, who had suffered a hamstring strain during the same match. Ryan Ellison, meanwhile, having hitherto appeared as a trialist, took his bow as a County player-proper, now that his registration with the Club had been formalised.
Sporting their new, alternate turquoise kit for the first time, the Hatters strived, on what was for the most part an unseasonably drizzly afternoon, to create a number of chances in the early stages without turning many into real goal-scoring opportunities.
Abs Baggie appears increasingly to have the knack soon after kick-off of making an opening statement of intent. And, once again, his initial calling-card was a low drive from distance - albeit one that fizzed wide of the post. County’s diminutive Sierra Leonean was soon in action again - crossing from the right to Sefton Gonzales, who headed wide.
County first tested John Danby, in the Nomads’ goal, when Lewis Montrose threaded a through-ball to Joe Garvin, whose rasping left-footed drive from the edge of the area forced the Connah’s Quay-per (see what I did there?) to dive and parry behind. From the resulting corner, Kay Odejayi did connect with the ball at the far post, but headed wide.
The Nomads, for their part, played some solid football during the first half without seriously threatening in the final third. The visitors’ best chance ahead of the break fell to a trialist, Sean Smith, who cut in from the left before firing at Danny Hurst. County’s Number One was, however, more than equal to the effort and cleanly gathered it without undue fuss or ceremony.
HALF-TIME: County 0, Connah’s Quay 0.
County looked to have created an excellent opportunity soon after the resumption of play, as a quickly-taken free kick inside the home half found Garvin in a good position on the left-hand side of the box. A first-time shot might very well have caught the Nomads napping, but Garvin elected instead to square the ball and the danger was cleared.
Not that the Hatters had to wait very much longer before troubling the scorers, mind. The contest had rather been in need of a moment of magic, and it duly came as Jordan Thorniley embarked on a Beckenbauer-esque run from the halfway-line, before releasing the ball to set Baggie clear in the visitors’ area. Baggie completed the move in great style - first allowing himself a tricky dribble, and then rounding Danby to fire home from an angle for his fourth goal in a County shirt.
By way of an immediate response, Connah’s Quay assumed the offensive. And Ellison proved his worth as a new signing by getting himself in the way of a goal-bound shot from Michael Wilson.
Remaining attempts by both sides were, however, destined primarily to be off target: a Garvin free kick to the right of the Nomads’ box curled wide of the far post; Sean Miller, after latching onto a squared pass by Callum Morris, fired wide of County’s left upright from just inside the area; Glenn Rule, seeking to put the icing on the cake of a Sponsors’ Man of the Match performance, shot from distance... but high into Cheadle End orbit; and Andy Robinson, making his inaugural home appearance, sent a free kick from twenty yards just over the bar.
Thorniley followed up his earlier assist upfield by confirming his fine defensive credentials on two occasions in the closing stages - first, blocking a shot from Nicky Rushton, and then denying the same opponent to intercept and clear another trialist’s dangerous cross from the left.
And so, here endeth the friendlies this time around. There have been eight of them in just three weeks - and, while their results mean or matter little in the great scheme of things, they can be summarised thus:
P8, W3, D3, L2, F11, A7.
To those yet-to-be-created County historians and statisticians compiling data decades from now... you’re welcome!
For the rest of us, in the here and now, next Saturday’s competitive opener can’t come soon enough. Bring on Boston!
FULL-TIME: County 1 (Baggie, 56), Connah’s Quay 0.
Team: Hurst, Ellison, Duxbury, O’Hanlon, Thorniley, Montrose, Baggie (Churchman, 84), Rule, Odejayi (Robinson, 62), Gonzales (Holsgrove, 79), Garvin (Russell, 80).
Unused Subs: Tyson, Murray, Morton, Ledsham.
Man of the Match: Rule.
Attendance: 688.
Now that the serious business is about to get back underway, these reports will revert to creating themselves on - or as close as possible - to match days. I've given myself enough of a holiday
!*****************************************************************************************************
COUNTY v gap CONNAH’s QUAY NOMADS (PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY): MATCH REPORT (01/08/2015)
By Hatter in Macc
Baggie Brilliance Holds The Quay To Final Friendly Win
The Hatters rounded off their pre-season preparations, and marked the beginning of a new month, with a single-goal victory at Edgeley Park.
In spite of there being nothing at stake so far as the friendly-match was concerned, it was a fitting way symbolically to commemorate the first day of the rest of County’s hopeful new life - following the welcome news, twenty-four hours earlier, that Stockport Council’s purchase of EP had been completed.
On the hallowed turf itself, the Hatters were, for the second time in two days, pitted against a team of Nomads. Having made the short jaunt along to Norbreck Avenue, and played their Cheshire League friends from Cheadle Heath, on Thursday evening, they now received Welsh Premier nomadic opposition back on the East side of SK3. gap Connah’s Quay - and mind the ‘gap’ (as it were) remains in lower case, for fear of any confusion with the clothing company! - arrived at EP unbeaten in pre-season, together with a rather healthy goals-tally of thirteen in three games.
Neil Young handed a start at left back to Scott Duxbury, after Gareth Roberts had picked up a dead leg against Manchester United Under-21s four days earlier. Also missing was Micah Evans, who had suffered a hamstring strain during the same match. Ryan Ellison, meanwhile, having hitherto appeared as a trialist, took his bow as a County player-proper, now that his registration with the Club had been formalised.
Sporting their new, alternate turquoise kit for the first time, the Hatters strived, on what was for the most part an unseasonably drizzly afternoon, to create a number of chances in the early stages without turning many into real goal-scoring opportunities.
Abs Baggie appears increasingly to have the knack soon after kick-off of making an opening statement of intent. And, once again, his initial calling-card was a low drive from distance - albeit one that fizzed wide of the post. County’s diminutive Sierra Leonean was soon in action again - crossing from the right to Sefton Gonzales, who headed wide.
County first tested John Danby, in the Nomads’ goal, when Lewis Montrose threaded a through-ball to Joe Garvin, whose rasping left-footed drive from the edge of the area forced the Connah’s Quay-per (see what I did there?) to dive and parry behind. From the resulting corner, Kay Odejayi did connect with the ball at the far post, but headed wide.
The Nomads, for their part, played some solid football during the first half without seriously threatening in the final third. The visitors’ best chance ahead of the break fell to a trialist, Sean Smith, who cut in from the left before firing at Danny Hurst. County’s Number One was, however, more than equal to the effort and cleanly gathered it without undue fuss or ceremony.
HALF-TIME: County 0, Connah’s Quay 0.
County looked to have created an excellent opportunity soon after the resumption of play, as a quickly-taken free kick inside the home half found Garvin in a good position on the left-hand side of the box. A first-time shot might very well have caught the Nomads napping, but Garvin elected instead to square the ball and the danger was cleared.
Not that the Hatters had to wait very much longer before troubling the scorers, mind. The contest had rather been in need of a moment of magic, and it duly came as Jordan Thorniley embarked on a Beckenbauer-esque run from the halfway-line, before releasing the ball to set Baggie clear in the visitors’ area. Baggie completed the move in great style - first allowing himself a tricky dribble, and then rounding Danby to fire home from an angle for his fourth goal in a County shirt.
By way of an immediate response, Connah’s Quay assumed the offensive. And Ellison proved his worth as a new signing by getting himself in the way of a goal-bound shot from Michael Wilson.
Remaining attempts by both sides were, however, destined primarily to be off target: a Garvin free kick to the right of the Nomads’ box curled wide of the far post; Sean Miller, after latching onto a squared pass by Callum Morris, fired wide of County’s left upright from just inside the area; Glenn Rule, seeking to put the icing on the cake of a Sponsors’ Man of the Match performance, shot from distance... but high into Cheadle End orbit; and Andy Robinson, making his inaugural home appearance, sent a free kick from twenty yards just over the bar.
Thorniley followed up his earlier assist upfield by confirming his fine defensive credentials on two occasions in the closing stages - first, blocking a shot from Nicky Rushton, and then denying the same opponent to intercept and clear another trialist’s dangerous cross from the left.
And so, here endeth the friendlies this time around. There have been eight of them in just three weeks - and, while their results mean or matter little in the great scheme of things, they can be summarised thus:
P8, W3, D3, L2, F11, A7.
To those yet-to-be-created County historians and statisticians compiling data decades from now... you’re welcome!
For the rest of us, in the here and now, next Saturday’s competitive opener can’t come soon enough. Bring on Boston!
FULL-TIME: County 1 (Baggie, 56), Connah’s Quay 0.
Team: Hurst, Ellison, Duxbury, O’Hanlon, Thorniley, Montrose, Baggie (Churchman, 84), Rule, Odejayi (Robinson, 62), Gonzales (Holsgrove, 79), Garvin (Russell, 80).
Unused Subs: Tyson, Murray, Morton, Ledsham.
Man of the Match: Rule.
Attendance: 688.
