Unbeaten run

full-time clubs in quick succession; with Gannon’s promotion hopefuls travelling to title favourites Salford City on Tuesday as the Express went to print.

County got their National League North season up and running last week, with a comfortable 3-0 home win over neighbours Curzon Ashton at Edgeley Park last Tuesday night.

Boss Gannon stuck with his 3-4-1-2 formation deployed in that curtainraising loss, although Connor Hampson replaced Scott Duxbury in a like-for-like switch on the left, while defender Chris Smalley replaced the injured Stephen O’Halloran at the back.

Hatters chief Gannon praised his side’s “flowing football” in the crushing win, which began with Winter’s smart finish off the inside of the post after a pinpoint cross by Oswell on the right.

Oswell proved to be a pivotal cog in the win, as he was hauled down outside the area just minutes into the second half.

Warburton, The Hatters’ first summer signing in the close season, stepped up to curl a delicious freekick past Lowson in the Curzon goal from all of 25 yards. The home debutant’s eye-catching strike would have been a welcome tonic following Warburton’s pivotal penalty miss at Spennymoor the weekend prior.

County’s new strike force was looking particularly potent, and even more so when Darren Stephenson forced the Curzon mistake at the back, allowing Oswell to roll past Lowson to seal the three points in front of 3,002 inside Edgeley Park.

“Great credit goes to the players - we matched up to Curzon and applied ourselves really well,” said boss Gannon. “There was some really good football, and we looked like we could control the game and keep a clean sheet, which is what I want.

“I was really pleased with the clean sheet, and really pleased for the lads who got off the mark.”