County set sights On top three
SKY BET LEAGUE TWO
COUNTY ............................ 2 STEVENAGE ..................... 0
COUNTY continued to put the pressure on League Two’s promotion-chasers with a fourth win in succession on Saturday, easing to a 2-0 win over high-flying Stevenage at Edgeley Park.
Box-to-box midfielder Will Collar’s stock continued to rise with a tenth goal of the season to put the hosts in front in a dominant first-half, before Collar himself would set up late substitute Ryan Rydel to seal the win in front of a jubilant bumper Edgeley Park crowd.
Dave Challinor’s men moved up to sixth in the league table with this fully merited three points, cutting the gap to the final automatic promotion spot to just four points ahead of Tuesday evening’s trip to Rochdale as the Express went to print.
After a fightback to defeat relegation-battling Crawley Town 2-1 last Tuesday evening, Challinor stuck with the same eleven which started in that one for the visit of Steve Evans’ secondplaced Stevenage side.
Ryan Croasdale again captained the hosts, whilst Kyle Wootton and Tanto Olaofe continued up top with skipper Paddy Madden due back imminently from injury.
The return of Irishman Madden will provide a welcome boost for Challinor’s men – as will the sight of talismanic centrehalf Fraser Horsfall completing a pre-match warm-up at Edgeley Park on Saturday afternoon.
After suffering a foot injury in a 0-2 win at Walsall over Christmas, Horsfall has been sidelined ever since – but is set to return to the squad in the near future, having returned to full training at Carrington.
Deputising centre-back
Neill Byrne, signed in the January transfer window from Tranmere Rovers, has been stellar in Horsfall’s absence – and was as dependable as ever for the visit of a direct Stevenage side.
County started with a spring in their step in front of almost ten thousand at Edgeley Park, and registered the first attempt on target after a quarter of an hour. Midfielder Callum Camps, continuing to come into his own in a midfield three, fired from distance straight at debutant ‘keeper Toby Savin.
Moments later, Boro had their own attempt on target – and, in truth, their only real half-chance of the first half. The tricky Jordan Roberts cut inside Chris Hussey from the edge of the area and drilled low straight at an untroubled Ben Hinchliffe.
County were threatening to step things up a notch as the half rolled on, though, and that’s exactly what Challinor’s promotion chasers did ten minutes before the break.
Myles Hippolyte shaped to shoot from a cleared cross on the edge of the penalty area, dummying full-back Kane Smith and breezing past the former Boreham Wood defender with ease.
Now with a clear sight of goal, Hippolyte laid on a plate for that man Collar to poke home from close range and provide a deserved opening goal.
Collar, who penned a three-year deal to remain at Edgeley Park last summer, is increasingly catching the eye of onlookers and outsiders due to his excellent debut season in the Football League, with Blackburn boss Jon Dahl Tomasson recently spotted scouting the former Brighton prospect.
Stevenage boss Steve Evans could have had no complaints that his side found themselves behind at the break, and reacted accordingly to Boro’s tepid first-half display with a triple change for the restart of proceedings.
But, aside from a tenminute spell which produced only one halfchance on goal when Jordan Roberts was again denied by Ben Hinchliffe
from the tightest of angles, the away side barely improved and were soon consigned to a defeat which sent runaway leaders Leyton Orient thirteen points clear of Evans’ men.
Substitute Jake Taylor looked lively in patches in midfield, firing straight at Hinchliffe from distance, whilst Collar and Man of the Match Akil Wright both fired over from setpiece deliveries at the other end.
After a first-half full of attacking verve and chances for the hosts, the second had become very clearly more about remaining solid in the face of the visitors’ direct approach.
It already looked very much like job done when, into the third of nine additional minutes, substitute Ryan Rydel scampered towards goalkeeper Savin, forcing the error from the Stevenage stopper, who could only clear to Collar on halfway.
With the rest of the away side caught on their heels, Collar raced clear down the right and squared for Rydel to sweep home and spark ecstatic celebrations from the home side.
This three points marked four wins from four, mainained a 100 per cent record so far in February – and narrowed the gap to the automatic promotion places to just four points with a game in hand still to be played.
COUNTY LINE-UP (3-5-2):