HATTERS FAIL TO DELIVER THE PRIZE
Play-off dreams are ended
Zack Kotwica broke Hatters’ hearts as his second-half equaliser ensured Stockport could not make the play-offs.
The script needed no embellishing on a day when County had to win to secure a play-off position and hope that results at Salford City and Chorley went their way.
In his programme notes, Jim Gannon said his players needed to “play the game and not the occasion” but the throbbing atmosphere inside Edgeley Park made it difficult to ignore the importance of the game.
It was a record crowd of nearly 6,000 for the division, beating the attendance County set against FC United this season.
County came out of the traps like a prize greyhound but all the hustle and bustle was not matched with quality.
Chris Smalley fired a header straight at Jasbir Singh, but County’s best chance fell to big Kayode Odejayi.
After sterling work from Harry Brazel on the right he managed to squeeze a cross to Jimmy Ball, who pulled it across the area for it to hit Odejayi’s shin a yard out and fall into Singh’s hands.
More chances were to come, but Gloucester were not overawed by the occasion. Edward Williams’ jinky run and rasping curler was tipped onto the crossbar by County’s Ben Hinchliffe.
The away side hit the post again just before half-time when Williams’s shot was deflected onto the post by Lewis Montrose. Joe Hanks fired the rebound over the bar.
The biggest cheer of the first half came when the home fans learnt of Halifax taking the lead at Chorley. The next half would define the Hatters’ season. And it started perfectly for County when Spencer Hamilton brought Odejayi down in the penalty area. Lloyd stepped up to send Singh the wrong way and Edgeley Park erupted.
For a while it looked like County could press on and get a second. Scott Duxbury played Lloyd in over the top, but Singh quickly thwarted the danger.
It was no surprise when Gloucester bagged their equaliser. Williams ran past a host of County players and pulled back to Kotwica, who buried his effort past the diving Hinchliffe.
For all County’s pressing the away side controlled possession until the last minutes when Lloyd was fouled on the edge of the area. He stepped up, but curled the free-kick into Singh’s hands.
Gannon was philosophical, saying: “I’m really disappointed because if we had won the game we would have been in the play-offs. “It was the last game of the season so you have to take stock and on the whole I’ve been pleased and proud with the progress we’ve made. “I think over the last three or four weeks we’ve just looked a bit jaded, and it was a tall ask for our players to finish the season off.”