Champions put
SKY BET LEAGUE TWO
LEYTON ORIENT ............. 0 COUNTY ............................ 3
COUNTY emphatically swept aside champions Leyton Orient in a 0-3 thrashing at Brisbane Road on Saturday, to take the automatic promotion race down to a nervy final day in League Two.
Three points in London, coupled with a late Bradford City winner at Northampton, leaves The Hatters just two points behind The Cobblers with one game left - with County holding an insurmountable goal difference over Jon Brady’s side.
That means that Northampton have to win at Challinor’s former club Tranmere Rovers and hope that County fail to beat already-relegated Hartlepool United at Edgeley Park next Monday.
Any dropped points for the Cobblers, coupled with a County win, would see Challinor’s men remarkably snatch the third automatic promotion spot.
At Brisbane Road, an afternoon which threatened to prove a tough ask for County ultimately became a walk in the park, with Challinor’s side two goals up inside the opening ten minutes.
Akil Wright and Callum Camps had done the early damage, with substitute Connor Evans glancing home a late third to seal a memorable afternoon in the sun for the travelling County fans.
Richie Wellens’ side lifted the League Two title in front of a sold-out home crowd during the postmatch festivities - but
County were the big winners of the day with a crushing three points to provide a glimmer of final day hope.
County showed four changes from the starting line-up at Edgeley Park against Rochdale a week earlier.
Camps came back into the side to replace Jacob Davenport, while Will Collar’s injury picked up in the 1-0 win over relegated Rochdale kept him out of this trip.
Akil Wright replaced Collar, whilst Joe Lewis and Jack Stretton replaced Neill Byrne and skipper Paddy Madden.
Lewis, maligned by a section of the County support after a difficult first campaign following a summer move from Torquay United, was excellent up against the ever-lively Paul Smyth.
The Hatters defender was relentless in his pressing, hustling and harrying of the Orient number seven, helping Challinor’s side to set the tone of the day and eventually cruise to victory.
A guard of honour from County to the champions was the limit of The Hatters’ generosity on the day, with Akil Wright powering a header home from Chris Hussey’s pinpoint delivery just four minutes in.
And then, five minutes later, the advantage was extended, as Camps found himself in space on the edge of the box, before letting rip with a shot that flew into the left corner of the net.
Orient were then left to dominate possession without really laying a glove on County. The visitors were content for the hosts to enjoy possession - all 72% of it on the day in front of the Hatters backline, whilst Orient seemed ready for the postmatch festivities as soon as possible.
Stevenage eased to a victory over Grimsby Town which confirmed Steve Evans’ side’s promotion as runners-up, leav
-ing Northampton as the only catchable side for Challinor’s men.
That meant that the attentions of the travelling County fans, and likely the County dugout, became focussed largely on events at Sixfields, where Bradford had taken an early lead.
A Northampton victory would have ended any hopes of automatic promotion - but a Cobblers leveller was as close as Brady’s side came on the day, with a 95th minute Bradford winner opening the door somewhat for County.
Madden was introduced upon the resumption at Brisbane Road, replacing Tanto Olaofe, who had picked up a late first-half injury after a superb display of pressing and leading from the front.
The second half was really a non-event with both sides happy for the final whistle to be blown at the earliest possible opportunity; Orient heading onto bigger and better things, and County looking to follow.
But nine minutes from time, County did add to the scoreline, as Evans, fresh from the bench, glanced home Hussey’s lofted free-kick from the right to cap a fine afternoon.
All eyes now on next Monday, then, with both County and Northampton to be screened live on Sky Sports as a third automatic promotion spot is decided.
Bradford themselves can indeed snatch it, but would need to win their last two games - including the final day visit of Orient – and hope that both County and the Cobblers to drop points on the final day. COUNTY LINE-UP (3-5-2): Hinchliffe; Wright, Horsfall, Lewis; Knoyle, Camps (Mee, 90 + 2), Croasdale (C), Hippolyte (Davenport, 90 + 2), Hussey; Olaofe (Madden, 46), Stretton (Evans, 69).
ATTENDANCE: 8,615 (1,214 County