For high five

for the season despite a string of impressive showings – who could only scoop over the bar from close range.

Lloyd danced past fullback Matt Challinor minutes later to fizz in a low cross for debutant Hooper, whose instant strike on the turn could only barrel straight into Ashton’s midriff, before a Lloyd corner was chested down majestically by man-ofthe-match Lewis Montrose and volleyed wide of the upright.

Perhaps the most impressive feat of County’s afternoon was that the hosts had no real clear-cut chances, with County shutting Jansen’s men down for the majority of the game – and The Magpies had still yet to test Hinchliffe when The Hatters got their noses in front.From a wayward Dale Whitham cross, quick-thinking Hinchliffe pinged a delicious 75-year diagonal into the path of Lloyd straight from the goal kick, with the County top scorer chesting down and racing into the area before deftly clipping past Ashton.

It was Lloyd’s ninth of the season, with the former Fylde forward living up to his bold promise of ‘start me every week, and I will score every week’, made shortly after joining County in the summer.

Gannon heralded his match-winner after the game, but also pointed to the performances of goalkeeper Hinchliffe, as well as his back three, as proof of the intelligent recruitment made at Edgeley Park during the close season.

And Hinchliffe’s day didn’t end with the magnificent assist – Chorley did pile on the pressure in the four minutes of stoppage time, and the big stopper had to be alert to back-pedal and tip Adam Roscoe’s looping header over. Substitute Marcus Carver’s deflected effort appeared to glance the post from the resulting corner, but Hinchliffe rose to claim the next cross into the box in front of the travelling County faithful – whose roar greeting Hinchliffe’s catch equalled that of Lloyd’s winning strike 15 minutes prior.

County cleared their lines, and the joy on the players’ faces was visible after smashing the unbeaten home record of their fellow promotion chasers - with Gannon noting that his side were ‘drained and elated’ after the victory.

But, after a fine away performance, confidence has again grown around Edgeley Park that Gannon and his coaching team of Dave Conlon and Mike Flynn may well have found the winning formula in County’s fourth season in the National League North.