Torquay unable to stop Stockport’s title charge
TORQUAY United went to Stockport County on Wednesday hoping to do some damage to the leaders’ National League title hopes - but fell just short. Torquay were playing their penultimate game of the season and could have helped out Wrexham had they drawn with or beaten Stockport - but after the 1-0 home win it is Stockport who go into Sunday’s final day three points ahead of their Welsh rivals at the top of the table.
It could have been different however had the ball gone in instead of hitting the Stockport crossbar twice in the dying minutes. There were two changes to the team that beat Chesterfield 2-0 at home on Saturday with Chiori Johnson and Joe Felix coming in for the injured duo of Asa Hall and Tom Lapslie.
Torquay played in black and white stripes - and were forced to defend an early attack with Paddy Madden’s close-range shot blocked; Danny Wright flicked an Armani Little cross just wide on six minutes. The game settled down though with Torquay holding their own against a team desperate to make an early breakthrough.
Myles Hippolyte’s 10th minute shot following a good run was deflected wide by Joe Lewis. Will Collar’s shot hit the scoreboard rather than the back of the net on 17 minutes. Stockport were given a free kick in a dangerous area on 21 minutes when the ball hit Ben Wynter’s hand but that came to nothing.
On 35 minutes former Plymouth Argyle player Antoni Sarcevic was off-target with a shot after a poor piece of defending by the Gulls gifted him the chance. Hippolyte shot wide next, in the 41st minute. Stephen Duke-McKenna caught Hippolyte for a Stockport free kick a couple of yards from the penalty area but Sarcevic’s strike was blocked by Connor Lemonheigh-Evans.
Shaun MacDonald made a fabulous save from Madden on 44 minutes - it looked like a nailed-on goal. The Torquay goalkeeper had more work to do before half time, stopping a shot after Ali Omar had blocked the ball on the line. Johnson and MacDonald were both treated for knocks after that - and MacDonald couldn’t continue, with a knee problem forcing him off during the break. So it was with Mark Halstead in goal that Torquay started the second half.
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It wasn’t the brightest of starts to the second 45 for either side - Johnson having to flick away a cross from Zaine Francis-Angol on 54 minutes. Francis-Angol supplied the cross for Collar a couple of minutes later but the header was slightly wide. Stockport were knocking on the door Johnson twice, Felix and Wynter had clearing-up duties to do. Halstead made an outstanding save to stop a Collar header on 63 minutes.
But Madden finally broke through to give Stockport the lead within a minute of Halstead’s save when the striker connected with a low Elliot Newby cross. It was his 22nd goal of the season. Keelan O’Connell came on for Felix after the goal. Madden went close with a header that bounced down as Stockport tried to pull further ahead. Olaf Koszela came on for Wright with 15 minutes to go with the Gulls certainly not out of it. Lewis put a Little cross over the bar with a header that had the Stockport fans covering their faces.
Stockport substitute Ollie Crankshaw was set up by Madden after a mistake by Little in the middle of the park - but put a great chance into the side-netting. Little left the field injured after that, and with all three changes already made, the Gulls finished the game with 10 men before Halstead made another great save from Hippolyte.
Both Duke-McKenna and Omar both hit the bar in the 90th minute Stockport getting away with it big time - before O’Connell fouled Crankshaw on the edge of the box on the counter-attack, but Halstead held Madden’s free kick easily. Torquay finish their season with a dead-rubber game at Southend United on Sunday. Stockport are now odds-on to go straight up. But you never know in this division.