STOCKPORT TOWN 0, ABBEY HEY 1
Super-sub Rhys Clooney fired Abbey Hey to victory at Stockport Town in a clash of two teams newly promoted to North West Counties League, Premier.
Clooney had only been on the pitch four minutes when he produced the piece of magic the derby was crying out for.
He produced a sublime touch to break clear before crashing home an unstoppable shot in off the underside of the crossbar.
It earned lavish praise from manager Simon Heaton who had put ever-present Clooney on the bench as he thought he needed a rest.
He said: “The game needed something special and luckily we produced it. I put Rhys on, and it paid off.
“He does that in training all the time. It was a great first touch and the finish was outstanding.”
Clooney enjoys playing against Town after scoring against them in last season’s play-off final, though both teams subsequently were promoted from First Division South.
Heaton praised the resilience of his team which returned to winning ways after two defeats.
“We put in a really good shift and worked hard. We have played better and lost but the boys are absolutely buzzing after that,” he said.
The win lifts Abbey Hey into the top 10 while Town, who have suffered back-to-back losses in little over 48 hours, have slipped to ninth.
It was not a classic but both sides had chances.
Town’s George Omokua had two in the opening 10 minutes, one well saved by Connor Beard and the other struck the upright after a defensive mix-up.
Abbey Hey’s Jake Forshaw also had a couple before Clooney broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute.
Town had a chance to equalise in the third of five added minutes.
Daniel Lewis was through on goal when he was brought down by keeper Beard outside the penalty area, for which he was booked.
Beard atoned for his error with a smart save from the subsequent free kick to ensure his side held on to three points.