Clinical County
FREE-SCORING County struck again on Saturday, crushing struggling Chorley 4-2 at Edgeley Park in National League action.
Just seven days after helping themselves to five goals in a 5-1 win over Torquay United at Plainmoor, Jim Gannon’s exciting young side came from behind to breeze past bottom club Chorley and remain within touching distance of the play-off placed.
A brace by in-form Nyal Bell, a first league goal for popular defender Festus Arthur and a stunning long-range strike by Tom Walker sealed another big three points for Gannon’s men, and helped continue a strong recent run of form which shows no signs of slowing.
Skipper Paul Turnbull returned to the starting line-up to replace the injured Sam Walker, whilst Devante Rodney - fresh off scoring his first Hatters goal in the demolition of the Gulls last week - replaced Adam Thomas on the right.
A common theme of this run of just two defeats in eleven league games has been the success of Gannon’s changes, and this clash with last season’s title rivals proved no different, with both Rodney and Turnbull enjoying solid afternoons.
Gannon has also managed his two strikers to perfection in the shape of Bell and number nine Frank Mulhern, rotating both regularly before opting in recent weeks for Bell - a selection which coincided with a good run of goalscoring form for the former Rochdale youngster.
And it was Bell again who came to County’s rescue in the first half, after the Magpies had taken a somewhat unlikely lead early on.
The lively Alex Newby saw his scooped effort from the edge of the area deflect over a helpless Ben Hinchliffe after just seven minutes.
Unlike Chorley’s bright start, The Hatters grew into the game - and eventually found themselves level on the half hour mark courtesy of a goal typical of a Gannon side.
Ash Palmer won the ball back before a seventeen-pass move followed from back to front, with the ball only leaving the ground when Bell finished off Devante Rodney’s pinpoint cross to lift the ball high into the goal past ‘keeper Matt Urwin.
Despite the wellworked equaliser, the first half remained open for large spells, with Newby and striker Chris Holroyd both drilling wide of Hinchliffe’s goal, whilst Elliot Osborne and Tom Walker did likewise at the other end.
Chorley, who have enjoyed a recent upturn in form which saw the Lancashire side briefly exit the relegation zone, may have fancied their chances of a result as they made it to within seconds of the half-time break with the scores level - before County opportunistically struck on the stroke of the interval.
The Magpies were once again unable to cope with the sheer pace and directness of Rodney, and the winger’s fellow Salford loanee Martin Smith was eventually forced to hack his Ammies teammate down on the edge of the area.
Smith took a booking to prevent the spot-kick, but the respite proved only temporary as another fellow Salford loanee in Tom Walker stepped up to hammer the free-kick goalwards, with cult hero
Arthur pouncing to roll Urwin’s spilled save home.
From there, County stepped things up a gear after the break against a somewhat deflated Chorley side.