STOCKPORT COUNTY 2, BURTON ALBION 1
Stockport County’s final March fixture, and third of the month with an early Saturday kick-off, saw them triumph by the odd goal in three at Edgeley Park over relegation-threatened Burton Albion.
Kyle Wootton headed the Hatters in front early on, although they then had to proceed in the face of a spirited performance from the Brewers before Wooton’s strike-partner Tanto Olaofe doubled the lead with just over a quarter of an hour remaining.
It proved just as well that he did, too, as the visitors halved the arrears, before County were reduced to 10 men when Ethan Pye was sent off for a second bookable offence, in the closing stages.
The result took the fifth-placed Hatters to within six points of the automatic promotion positions as well as giving them a fifth double of the season. It was also their first home triumph over the Brewers, who had visited SK3 just once before 14 years earlier, when the two clubs had shared the spoils after a goalless draw.
The morning’s partial solar eclipse had ended shortly before the Hatters took to the field in chilly, early-spring conditions for a lunchtime start to accommodate live television coverage, showing two changes from their initial line-up at Wrexham’s STōK Cae Ras a week previously.
Jayden Fevrier and Ollie Norwood were the players brought in, replacing the injured Callum Camps and Brad Hills who was serving a one-match suspension on account of his dismissal in the Wrexham game.
The bench included Nick Powell, returning to the fold after being sidelined through injury for five months, and 19-year-old goalkeeper Andrew Wogan, consequent upon County’s recall of the U21 Republic of Ireland international from his loan at Marine. Wogan, who was making his inaugural senior squad appearance as a Hatter, had earlier in the week swapped places with Max Metcalfe. the latter having headed to Merseyside for a second spell between the sticks with the National League North outfit until the end of the season.
The visitors, lying in League One’s first relegation place, half a dozen points adrift of safety included among their substitutes former Hatter Jack Stretton who had made the move from Cheshire to Staffordshire at the end of February.
The match was just over seven minutes old when the first chance of note arose, and it also gave County an early breakthrough after Will Collar’s low drive through a crowded Burton box was parried by visiting goalkeeper Max Crocombe and Wootton pounced on the rebound to head home his 10th goal of the campaign in all competitions.
Four minutes later, Crocombe prevented a doubling of the advantage as he blocked a shot by Olaofe who had raced through on goal. And at the other end, shortly following the quarter-hour, Corey Addai dived smartly to keep out a well-struck effort from Owen Dodgson.
The Brewers then proceeded to earn five corners over a dozen minutes or so with the fifth of those being awarded after Pye had superbly blocked and deflected behind a goal-bound attempt by Charlie Webster from point-blank range.
A sixth Burton corner, in added time, was swung in dangerously from the right by Dodgson but Addai was well placed to tip it away and preserve the Hatters’ lead at the break.
Sunshine broke through, as the teams emerged for the second half with County introducing Fraser Horsfall for his first game of the calendar year following his recovery from an injury suffered during the Hatters’ final match of 2024 at Rotherham.
Nine minutes after the resumption, the award of a free kick on the edge of the home box presented the Brewers with a chance of getting themselves back on terms, but Anthony Forde’s set-piece was beaten away by Addai at full stretch.
Powell was brought on as the half approached its mid-point and promptly earned his corn by blocking a shot from the edge of the area by JJ McKiernan. And, 14 minutes from time, fellow substitute Jack Diamond made his presence well and truly count following a County break that saw him square from the left for Olaofe to slot past Crocombe for the Hatters’ second of the afternoon.
Olaofe blasted a shot into Railway End orbit shortly afterwards but, with a minute of normal time remaining, two visiting substitutes combined to give Burton hope, with Stretton flicking on to Julian Larsson whose shot thundered in off the County crossbar to set up a finish that was made all the more nervy by the announcement of seven minutes of time added on.
County’s nerves were further strained halfway through added time when Pye, who had been booked shortly after the interval, received a second yellow card and his marching orders for bringing down Kyran Lofthouse just outside the box. But the defensive wall kept out the resulting free kick by Dodgson and the Hatters ultimately held on to further ensconce themselves in the play-offs zone.
Goals: Wootton (7), Olaofe (76) for Stockport. Larsson (89) for Burton.
Stockport (3-5-2): Addai; Knoyle, Connolly, Pye; Fevrier (Diamond 64), Collar (Powell 64), Norwood, Bate (Moxon, 77), Touray; Wootton (Horsfall 46), Olaofe (Andrésson 83). Subs (unused): Wogan, Hamilton.
Attendance: 9,554 (525 visitors).
Report: Gareth Evans.