BOLTON WANDERERS 0, STOCKPORT COUNTY 1
Stockport County’s succession of tests against fellow play-off contenders continued with a hard-earned, single-goal victory at near-ish neighbours Bolton Wanderers.
The shortest League One away-trip of County’s campaign, with a second consecutive early Saturday kick-off to accommodate live television coverage, saw Tanto Olaofe secure the win with a 71st-minute strike that will have delighted Hatters viewing on the small screen as well it did 2,600 who packed themselves into the end at which he fired home.
The result took the Hatters back up to fourth place and within three points of the automatic promotion places, gave them a fourth double of the season and maintained their unbeaten record in all competitions at Bolton’s current, Horwich-based stadium.
The morning sun had given way to rather more lunchtime cloud as the Hatters took to the field on a chilly mid-March day showing two changes from against Charlton a week previously.
Kyle Knoyle replaced the injured Macauley Southam-Hales on the right side of defence while up front Benoný Andrésson was handed his first County start as Kyle Wootton dropped to the bench.
County’s substitutes also included one former Bolton player, Callum Connolly, who had spent the second half of the 2018/19 season with the Trotters whilst on loan from Everton.
The hosts made five changes to the starting line-up for their midweek assignment at Bristol Rovers where defeat by the odd goal in five brought to an end a six-game unbeaten run that had seen them advance up to sixth position, a couple of points behind County.
The contest was 13 minutes old when the inaugural and, as it turned out, the best first-half chance of note was created with Olaofe squaring from the left to Andrésson only for the Icelandic striker to be denied at 10 yards by home goalkeeper Nathan Baxter who blocked the point-blank shot.
Half a dozen minutes later, Joel Randall beat the County offside trap but dragged his shot well wide of the left post. And nine minutes ahead of the break, Aaron Collins’ low drive fizzed beyond the opposite upright.
As half-time approached, clear-cut opportunities remained at something of a premium with both sides restricted to efforts from distance as Ollie Norwood stung the hands of Baxter, and home skipper George Thomason’s strike was blocked by Ethan Pye.
County made a triple substitution upon the resumption bringing on Connolly, Ibby Touray and Wootton but the hosts created the new half’s first chance after a couple of minutes as Jordi Osei-Tutu’s delivery from the left found Collins who skied over.
A delightful Olaofe through-ball to Wootton gave the big forward an opportunity to strike five minutes following his arrival, but his shot was kept out by Baxter. Wootton’s fellow substitutes combined shortly afterwards with Connolly heading over Touray’s corner from the left.
Bolton’s leading league scorer, John McAtee, volleyed on the turn and on the hour into Corey Addai’s arms before newly introduced substitute Jayden Fevrier, within three minutes of entering the fray, unleashed a shot from the edge of the area that Baxter did well to tip around the left post.
Nineteen minutes from time, and with the sun briefly back out, Olaofe truly lit up the occasion courtesy of a run that saw him collect the ball from Touray midway inside the home half, cut in at pace from the left and fire a low shot into the far-bottom corner of the net for his 10th goal of the campaign in all competitions.
The Trotters sought to restore parity through Josh Sheehan and Collins whose respective shots were palmed over and blocked by the legs of Addai while substitute Carlos Mendes Gomes’s header cleared the County crossbar.
But the Hatters stood firm in the face of late pressure to add another victory to their erstwhile sequence of two wins and two draws in BL6.
Goal: Olaofe (71) for Stockport.
Stockport (4-2-2-2): Addai; Knoyle (Connolly 46), Hills, Pye, Rydel (Touray 46); Norwood (Moxon 66), Bate; Collar, Camps (Fevrier 66); Olaofe, Andrésson (Wootton 46). Subs (unused): Metcalfe, Cosgrove.
Attendance: 24,571 (2,645 visitors).
Report: Gareth Evans.