Promotion push
COUNTY’S play-off chase came to a heart-breaking end with a 1-0 reverse to Matt Jansen’s Chorley side at Edgeley Park last Wednesday evening.
A Jason Walker header midway through the second half proved the difference in a contest of relatively few chances, played out before County’s second successive crowd of over 6,000 spectators.
The Hatters took to the field in the evening Edgeley sunshine, showing six changes from the line-up that had started their final regular National League North fixture in SK3 against Darlington four days earlier.
After being completely or partially rested on that occasion, Ben Hinchliffe, Chris Smalley, Adam Thomas, Paul Turnbull, Jimmy Ball and Jason Oswell all returned as part of a 3-1-4-2 formation – with one of the replaced players, Scott Duxbury, having to watch from the sidelines on his birthday due to an injury sustained in the Darlington game.
County looked the brighter team at the outset, earning five corners in little more than the first 10 minutes – albeit without threatening the visitors’ goal. Sam Minihan’s crosses gave Chorley cause to use their heads, as one from the left deflected off Scott Leather’s and into the arms of goalkeeper Matt Urwin, before another on the right was nodded behind by captain Andy Teague.
Matty Warburton’s low shot wide of the right post after 14 minutes signalled the end of a relatively lively opening, as proceedings became rather more cagey. And while the Magpies began to make forays forward – with Alex Newby seeing an effort smothered by Hinchliffe, and Jake Cottrell firing over – they, like County, were yet to find a cutting edge in the final third.
In fact, the first occasion on which a ‘keeper was tested came courtesy of his own player – as Urwin, six minutes before half-time, tipped over a goal-bound Teague header from Warburton’s cross on the right – and, in truth, saw County’s best chance of the evening come and go.
Chorley went close to taking the lead in equally unconventional fashion, when Hinchliffe dropped the ball after collecting a Lee Molyneux cross, with the loose ball then ricocheting off the advancing Marcus Carver and agonisingly beyond the left upright.
Chorley made it into the interval having successfully contained the hosts, who had been turned around to attack the Cheadle End in the first half – and the Magpies duly sprung their gameplan into action in the second half.
With County lacking in any real cutting edge or flair in the final third, the visitors began wave after wave of counter-attacks, led by the pace of wingers Alex Newby and Jake Cottrell.
The opening goal had been edging ever closer for Jansen’s side – who would go on to taste defeat in the semi-final at Harrogate Town on Sunday afternoon – before Walker provided the lead, with The Hatters looking in desperate need of a change of tact or personnel.
After Paul Turnbull had headed away another Molyneux cross, Cottrell looped a header to the back post where the instinctive Walker was on hand to nod past a helpless Hinchliffe at the far post.
Changes were then duly implemented, with the attacking introductions of wingers Rhys Turner and Darren Stephenson – but The Hatters would still go on to fail in testing stopper Urwin, with Stephenson’s