GANNON’S WARNING AS COUNTY START TO ‘CLICK’

Hatters find cutting edge at Giant Axe: Match report – pages 66-67

COUNTY chief Jim Gannon praised ‘a real group effort’ as his side kicked off their festive fixture list with a largely dominant 3-1 win at Lancaster City in the FA Trophy on Saturday.

Goals by leading marksman Jason Oswell, Gary Stopforth and a late sealer by Bohan Dixon secured The Hatters’ passage into the last 32 of the Trophy at a wintry Giant Axe, with County comfortable despite substitute Matt Winder’s penalty reducing the arrears to 2-1 for much of the second half. And the County boss,

above, who already has one Wembley win on his Hatters CV after a League Two play-off final victory in 2008, explained that the method behind the cup win came in County’s ‘harassing’ of their lower league opponents. “I’m really pleased. We spoke in training about being more direct, not in possession but pressing teams much higher and forcing them back – and I think for the most part that worked well for us on Saturday,” said the 49-year- old.

“I think we struggled down our left throughout the game – and that’s not the fault of Steve (O’Halloran) or Scott Duxbury. They played to their strengths down that side, whereas our real strength was on the other flank where we had Dan Cowan and Kallum Mantack as constant outlets, and Dan in particular has whipped in a great ball for the opener.”

After Oswell’s 21st of the season, the tireless Stopforth summed up The Hatters’ work rate on the afternoon by chasing down a back pass to the young Lancaster stopper before capitalising on a slip to roll into the unguarded goal, to provide Gannon’s men with a commanding half-time lead.

Despite Winder’s second half penalty – which was hotly contested by The Hatters – late substitute Dixon, replacing club captain Harry Winter, drilled home from the edge of the area to seal County’s cup progression.

“If I’m being critical of myself, I should have made the change earlier of Bohan for Harry. Craig Carney for Lancaster was really exposing the weakness we’ve got at the back.

“We’ve been strength-testing the lads for the past few months, and Winter, Clarke and Smalley have consistently been the lowest scorers in terms of aero- dynamics and jumping.

“They exposed that at times, and we made the move with Jimmy Ball dropping deeper. Forget Gary Stopforth’s non-stop energy for a second, I thought Jimmy was superb in that deep-lying role once we made the switch and we were able to go on and secure the win,” said the former Motherwell boss.

The late strike was Dixon’s third in County colours since moving to Edgeley Park from National League side Halifax, and Gannon expressed his belief after the tie that the 27-yearold’s contribution summed up County’s ‘group effort’.

Attackers Adam Thomas and Ben McKenna have had to wait for game time alongside Dixon in recent weeks, although Gannon gave some hope to his squad players that all would be called upon as the Hatters’ play-off push rolls on through Christmas.

The proof of Gannon’s claim may come in the pudding of a hectic festive schedule for The Hatters, with a trip to neighbours Curzon Ashton in National League North action preceding a Boxing Day hosting of Alfreton Town, before a trip to the Impact Arena for the return fixture on New Year’s Day – and the County manager was quick to fire a warning shot to County’s opposition.

“I’m delighted for Bohan because he’s been frustrated to be out of the side. But he’s put a real stamp on that position now, and to be truthful I thought any one of the lads could have started.

We’ve got a really good bench, Ben McKenna and Adam Thomas have been good for us coming into games recently, so it was a really good group effort – and with a tight-knit bunch like this, that’s what we’re going to need to help us progress.

“I mentioned this in my pre-match interview, and with no disrespect to these sides, if we want to be up there, then we really need to be beating the side’s we’ve got coming up like Curzon and Alfreton.

“We then head into New Year with the likes of Salford and Kidderminster to come, but there’s every chance we head into those games already in a play-off spot if we keep up this grafting and fighting for each other that we’ve seen of late.”

“We’re beginning to really find out what we’re about as a team and beginning to really click.”