Truro trounced
IRRESISTIBLE County swept aside National League South side Truro City with a 5-0 thrashing in the FA Trophy at Edgeley Park on Saturday, thanks to a fourgoal haul from star man Matty Warburton.
In what was The Hatters’ sixth win on the bounce without conceding a goal, Jim Gannon’s in-form side raced into a four goal lead before the half-hour mark in the second round of the Trophy - before the “scintillating” Warburton sealed the win in the second half.
The visitors headed into the tie with a depleted squad, having suffered an extraordinary amount of injuries and suspensions - leaving the Cornwall side to name just three substitutes on the day, including the 47 year-old assistant manager Michael Meaker.
Remarkably, Meaker had turned out against The Hatters at Edgeley Park an incredibly 25 years earlier, playing for then-Premier League side QPR in a 2-1 FA Cup victory for County.
But there would be no such upset in Stockport this time around, as Gannon’s men emphasised the gulf in class from the first minute.
Despite talk that the Irishman may have rested a number of firstteam players for the Trophy clash, Gannon opted for an unchanged side from that which had breezed past promotionchasers Bradford PA a week earlier - with leading goal-scorer Warburton continuing in attack behind striker Frank Mulhern.
And Warburton got the ball rolling just three minutes in, collecting a Darren Stephenson through ball to hammer low past loanee goalkeeper Will Buse in the visitors’ goal.
Truro boss Leigh Robinson remarked afterwards that the hosts were the best side he had seen all season, adding that County’s intensity was “something to behold”.
And, if County’s confidence wasn’t already skyhigh, things got better when Warburton tapped into an empty net after more good work down the left by the improving Stephenson.
And the former Curzon Ashton forward completed a 27 minute hat-trick – his second treble of the campaign for County – with a carbon copy of his first strike, picking up a clever flick by Mulhern to shift the ball onto his weaker left foot and drill past the hapless Buse.
And, with the visitors floundering, County steamed forward straight from the restart for Adam Thomas to tee up Stephenson, who made no mistake in firing low to Buse’s right.
The shellshocked away side couldn’t get to grips with Gannon’s superb Hatters, with Warburton spurning the easiest chance of the afternoon minutes later when he blazed Thomas’ cutback well over the crossbar from close range.
Robinson’s well-travelled side did make it into the interval with just the four goal deficit, but Gannon and the hosts showed no signs of relenting by returning out for the second half without any changes having been made.
And, whether it was the hosts easing off or Truro playing for pride, the away side did see more of the ball in the second half although County did waste a number of giltedged chances.
Mulhern and Stephenson