Record’s blown
ABELOWPAR County slipped to a first home defeat in eleven months, as two stoppage-time goals gave high-flying Blyth Spartans a 3-1 win at Edgeley Park on Saturday.
The Hatters were booed off as two late goals by substitutes Michael Liddle and Jarret Rivers saw Jim Gannon’s side fall to 11th in the National League North, and further adrift of the play-off places.
Gannon made three changes to the side which salvaged a last-gasp point at Darlington the weekend prior, with Jimmy Ball and Ben McKenna starting in place of Connor Hampson and the injured Harry Winter – whilst the returning Matty Warburton replaced injured captain Harry Winter.
The Hatters were up against legendary former player Alun Armstrong in the opposition dugout, with the former County striker guiding Blyth to the Evo Stik Premier title last season, before overseeing the Spartans’ impressive start to life in the sixth tier.
But it was a County side looking for a first win in four who came flying out of the traps, pinning Armstrong’s away side into their own half early on – with winger Ben McKenna causing the Blyth back four all sorts of problems on the right-hand side.
Defender Chris Smalley, still looking for his first goal of the campaign, thundered a header against goalkeeper Peter Jameson’s crossbar just five minutes in, before leading goalscorer Jason Oswell saw the rebound hacked off the goalline.
It was a battle between the division’s two top scorers, as Oswell came up against Spartans’ Dan Maguire; with Maguire trailing The Hatters’ marksman by a solitary goal in the charts. But, despite Smalley marshalling the diminutive forward well throughout the first half, Maguire’s big chance came and went after twenty minutes.
Smalley’s clearing header cannoned back unfortunately off defensive partner Stephen O’Halloran and allowed Maguire a clear run on goal – and with nobody catching the pacy forward, the former Halifax man struck his low effort off Ben Hinchliffe’s upright.
Full-back Dan Cowan saw his fizzed low effort scrambled off the goalline, before Matty Warburton and Scott Duxbury flashed long-range efforts wide - but a dominant County didn’t have to wait long for the breakthrough.
McKenna was visibly causing panic amongst the shaky Blyth defence – who, despite Spartans’ strong start, have conceded eight goals their past three games – and the winger’s cross into the area sparked more confusion on the half hour mark.
Oswell leapt to head at goal, and midfielder Sean Reid inexplicably raised his hands well above his head to block the goal bound effort. Referee Leigh Doughty was left with the easiest decision of the afternoon, and Warburton confidently rolled the spot-kick home.
But, as Armstrong surmised afterwards, Blyth seem to gain confidence from going a goal down – whilst Gannon admitted that his County side appear de-energised once they take the lead; and the tide turned shortly after.
It took just three minutes for the resilient Spartans to level, with Stephen O’Halloran missing his clearance inside the area and the tricky Adam Wrightson neatly half-volleying past Hinchliffe into the bottom corner.
Following the blistering start, the tie settled into somewhat of a lull as the atmosphere dropped inside a clearly nervy Edgeley Park. County’s well-documented unbeaten home run has been far from a dominant one, with a number of disappointing draws making up a portion of the record – and Blyth’s sense