COUNTY WEATHER THE FYLDE STORM
Hatters happy at halfway
AFC FYLDE 0 STOCKPORT COUNTY 0
AFC Fylde and Stockport County go into next weekend’s second leg all square after a hardfought scoreless draw at Mill Farm, on a day when the weather was the real victor.
With both sides going well in their respective leagues, it was always likely to be a close affair and so it proved with neither team able to take an advantage at the end of 90 minutes, leaving it all to play for in the second leg at Edgeley Park on Saturday.
The National League North visitors started brightly, putting the home defence under pressure from the first whistle with Darren Stephenson a constant threat in the opening exchanges.
The lightning-quick winger clearly had the better of the Coasters defence as his power and pace brought two early chances – the best of which saw his snap shot come back off the foot of the post with home keeper Jay Lynch beaten.
The home side’s best effort in the first half saw James Hardy skip through a couple of challenges before sending in a 25 yard shot that Ben Hinchliffe saved at full stretch before Adam Thomas came close to putting the visitors in front with a header from Sam Walkers free kick.
After the break, it was County who again looked the sharpest, earning three quick corners in succession, the last of which Nyal Bell headed over when well placed.
And the big striker should really have opened the scoring minutes later as he raced clear of the Fylde defence before shooting straight at Lynch.
With the hosts struggling to find a way to get their talisman Danny Rowe into the game, Bell again broke clear of his markers, this time choosing to curl the ball only to see his effort slip just wide of the post.
Tom Crawford wasted the home side’s best chance of the game, blazing over from a neat Alex Reid pass, before Lynch ensured a goal less draw saving well from County’s top scorer Matty Warburton, who surprisingly started as a substitute and was given just six minutes to make his mark.
“In all honesty I would have taken a draw before the game once we knew what the weather was going to be like,” admitted Coasters boss Dave Challinor.
“Obviously we set out to win the game but in two-legged matches the important thing is to still be in with a chance when the second leg kicks off.
“We knew that we would be in a tough game as County are up there at the top of their league and have shown what they can do in the cups against higher opposition this season already. We are both now just one game from Wembley and whoever gets there will have earned it over the two games.”
Stockport boss Jim Gannon was equally happy to be in the tie but disappointed not to be taking a lead back to Edgeley Park next week.
“I am really pleased that the lads have taken the very least they deserved from the game as their work rate and overall effort throughout was exceptional,” Gannon said.
“I am just a little disappointed that they didn’t have the cutting edge with the good chances we created to take the win that I personally thought they had earned.
“We knew that we would have to work for the full 90 minutes and I felt that we were the better side for the majority of the game, our midfield created several clear-cut opportunities and apart from one or two moments, our defence was under no real pressure.”
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