Oswell fires up
RESILIENT County earned a gritty 3-2 win over high-flying Spennymoor Town at Edgeley Park on Saturday to move right back into play-off contention in the National League North.
In an entertaining affair in the heavy snow in Stockport, The Hatters came from behind to edge a five goal thriller thanks to leading goalscorer Jason Oswell’s hattrick.
Boss Jim Gannon rang three changes from the line-up which had suffered a 3-2 reverse at promotion-chasing Brackley a week prior, with the returning Michael Clarke back in the heart of defence alongside Chris Smalley, whilst Darren Stephenson came in with big boots to fill in place of the injured Matty Warburton.
Club captain Harry Winter replaced the more attack-minded Bohan Dixon, as County looked to get on the front foot early on in a 4-3-3 formation.
But, going against the pattern of many of County’s recent home affairs, it was Jason Ainsley’s visitors who started the strongest, twice going close early on through a deflected Glen Taylor strike before the nippy David Foley rolled a crossshot across the face of goal and wide.
And the hosts had failed to test visiting goalkeeper Shane Bland twenty minutes in by the time the high-flying newly promoted North East side took a controversial lead.
Leading Moors marksman Taylor latched onto a Rob Ramshaw through ball and, whilst going away from goal, went down under a challenge by left-back Stephen O’Halloran – who had appeared to take a huge chunk of the ball right in front of the referee’s assistant on the near side.
But, despite no flag from his assistant, the official pointed to the spot and Taylor duly hammered high past Hinchliffe for an early lead.
The opening goal still failed to really perk the home side up, with the eventual leveller coming by way of even further controversy by an official who both managers concurred afterwards “looked as though he wanted to even things up” after the earlier spot-kick blunder.
Stephenson raced onto a Dan Cowan through ball which lofted over the lagging home defence, and with the strugglingfor-form Hatters winger delaying on his shot inside the area, defender Alan Curtis got in front of the former Chorley man and timed the challenge well to put the ball out for an apparent County corner.
But, with no appeals from the home players or supporters, the referee again pointed to the spot – and up stepped the division’s top goalscorer Oswell to roll confidently past Bland.
The Hatters went on to earn a deserved win after enjoying the better of the second half, but Moors chief Ainsley may rue the fact that County’s comeback – and increase in energy and purpose – only came about through a contentious penalty award.
But County did make good on their lifeline in proceedings, coming out firing after the interval led by the inimitable Gary Stopforth, who Gannon enthused after the game had “ran himself into the ground”.
But, for all of Oswell’s poaching ability, it was a moment of magic from the 25-year-old which edged County into a slender lead fifteen minutes into the second half.
Jimmy Ball did superbly well to deftly flick into Oswell’s path after Stopforth had leapt well to