County close in
COUNTY got back to winning ways in the National League North in emphatic style on Saturday, brushing aside struggling North Ferriby 4-1 at Edgeley Park.
After back-to-back league defeats on the road at York and AFC Telford respectively, The Hatters breezed through the challenge of Steve Housham’s Ferriby side, who currently prop up the league table after an horrendous start to life back in the sixth tier following relegation last season.
It was a man of the match performance by wing-back Scott Duxbury which proved the inspiration for The Hatters’ second home win on the bounce, just one week after they edged past neighbours Curzon Ashton in the FA Cup.
Youngster Duxbury, brought back to the club by boss Jim Gannon in the summer of 2016, produced two superb assists before rounding off the crushing victory with a simple finish in the second half - to move his side to within one point of the play-off positions.
The Hatters once again lined up in their increasingly regular 3-4-1-2 formation, with Adam Thomas continuing his comeback trail to start alongside top goalscorer Jason Oswell in attack.
There was also a first start for midfielder Gary Stopforth, who had began to look like returning to his energetic best during a late cameo in last Saturday’s 1-0 win over Curzon.
Attacking midfielder Matty Warburton dropped out after missing training earlier in the week with a dead leg.
Despite County’s progression in this year’s FA Cup a week prior, there was an air of expectation around Edgeley Park as County hosted the league’s bottom club with the home supporters largely quiet throughout the first half, almost in anticipation of an opening goal which took its time in coming.
In fact, Ferriby could have twice taken a surprise lead before County did make the eventual breakthrough - firstly, pacy striker Kuda Muskwe tested Ben Hinchliffe’s reactions with a fizzing drive from distance which the former Fylde stopper was equal to with a superb fingertip save.
Then, Ferriby stalwart Connor Bateson should really have slotted the visitors into the lead when he found far too much space inside the area, only for Hinchliffe again to spring into action with a pointblank block.
But in Jason Oswell, County seem to have found a goalscorer who pops up when The Hatters perhaps aren’t at their best - and the hosts duly went ahead on the half hour.
Stand-in captain Stephen O’Halloran - starting as a left-sided defender given license to rampage forward by Gannon threw in to midfielder Sam Walker down by the corner flag; and Walker’s drilled strike across goal was flicked deftly home by Oswell for the former Newtown forward’s tenth of the campaign.
Bateson again tested Hinchliffe from closerange shortly after, but Ferriby’s resistance was all but ended when the outstanding Duxbury crossed on a plate for the diminutive Sam Minihan to head past the sprawling Ross Durrant, to provide The Hatters with the comfort of a two goal lead at the interval.
In a nod to Duxbury’s dominant first half showing, Ferriby made two substitutions within their defence at half-time although the replacement of young Rotherham loaned Mason Warren did nothing to slow Duxbury’s roll.
Yet it was the visitors who started a hectic second half brightly - with