Ending year in
RESURGENT County made it four wins in a row on Saturday in their last home tie of 2016, signing off with a comfortable win over struggling neighbours Altrincham on Saturday in front of 4,000 supporters at Edgeley Park.
Danny Lloyd’s fourteenth of the season gave The Hatters a 1-0 lead before the interval, before the tally was doubled by Jimmy Ball’s second half header, with Sam Minihan drilling home a stoppage time strike to round off a perfect afternoon for Gannon’s play-off chasers.
County’s starting lineup saw just one change from the side which started in the dramatic 3-2 win over Marine in the FA Trophy last weekend, with Jimmy Ball returning in place of John Marsden.
Ball may have been seen as somewhat of a surprise inclusion after coming under fire from a section of supporters as of late, but the move proved to be a masterstroke from Gannon, with the young midfielder grabbed a goal and an assist as The Hatters dominated proceedings.
The managerless Robins, twelve points adrift at the bottom of the National League North before the game, had just one attempt which made Hatters stopper Ben Hinchliffe work, as winger Sam Patterson curled a weak effort straight into the arms of the County number one early on.
From there, the hosts were rampant, with centre-half and captain Michael Clarke striking the post from close range as he redirected Kaine Felix’s wayward strike back towards goal.
Gannon had opted for a 4-1-3-2 formation in the local derby, with Lewis Montrose playing as the anchorman in front of the defence; and the former Wycombe man didn’t put a foot wrong all afternoon as Altrincham quickly grew frustrated.
Ex-County forward Craig Hobson was perhaps lucky to stay on the pitch as he lunged in late and recklessly on Sam Minihan in what was Hobson’s only real contribution to the affair.
But the home side soon opened the scoring with the inimitable Lloyd’s fourteenth of the season. Ball proved to be the architect, finding himself in oceans of room to thread a lovely-weighted through ball into the path of the Hatters number 11.
Though Lloyd was in just as much space to collect the pass, the former Fylde man was at a tight angle inside the penalty area - but nobody in Edgeley Park would have expected the red-hot winger to go for the pass, and Lloyd duly delivered by drilling low past ex County ‘keeper Tim Deasy.
Kayode Odejayi was giving experienced defenders Alan Goodall and Tom Hannigan a torrid time in attack as the 34 year-old repeatedly battled for long balls, and the striker - who has appeared rejuvenated in recent weeks having earned a run of games in the starting eleven - curled one just over the crossbar minutes later after effortlessly shrugging off Goodall.
In fact, Goodall was replaced at the interval as big centre-half Clayton McDonald entered the fray to act as an out-andout stopper against County’s powerful number nine - but the Altrincham defender enjoyed no more luck than his teammates as County continued to press in the second half.
Odejayi impeccably chested down a goal kick into the path of Lloyd, who curled a low effort at goal for Deasy to palm away just after the break.
Robins captain Shaun Densmore was making his first league start in 14 months after a cruciate injury, and the right-back was enduring a miserable return up against arguably one of the best left wingers in non-league in Lloyd – who finished the afternoon having taken his total for the season to a remarkable fourteen goals and fifteen assists in all competitions.
It was substitute Mark Ross who the Hatters