WREXHAM 1, STOCKPORT COUNTY 0
Stockport County undertook their only scheduled foray of the regular season into Wales where they suffered a single-goal reverse at Wrexham who climbed to second in Sky Bet League One.
In front of a near-sell-out attendance across the border, the two sides produced a closely fought contest with the Red Dragons striking shortly ahead of the 30-minute mark to inflict upon County a first defeat in five League One games and a fourth successive loss in all competitions at the STōK Cae Ras.
To add to their woes, the Hatters, who are fifth in the table, were also reduced to 10 men late on when Brad Hills was dismissed for a second bookable offence.
Following lunchtime starts for their games on the two previous Saturdays, the Hatters returned to the more familiar routine of a 3pm kick-off as they took to the field on a cloudy afternoon with glimpses of sunshine showing three changes from the starting line-up at Bolton a week earlier.
Callum Connolly, Ibby Touray and Kyle Wootton made up the recalled trio replacing Benoný Andrésson, who was on international duty with Iceland’s U21s, Ollie Norwood and the injured Ryan Rydel.
The County bench included Fraser Horsfall who was making his first squad appearance of the calendar year after suffering an injury at Rotherham in the Hatters’ final game of 2024.
The Red Dragons earned the inaugural corner of the contest after Kyle Knoyle turned around County’s far post Ryan Longman’s dangerous delivery from the right.
After 12 minutes had been played, Knoyle turned provider at the other end skipping past home captain James McClean on the right before crossing to Tanto Olaofe who fired just shy of the near upright.
Wootton was next to try his luck, courtesy of a low shot that the hosts’ goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo crouched to smother. But the Hatters’ promising start was interrupted in the 19th minute when they lost the services of Callum Camps who had proved unable to shake off the effects of a George Dobson foul five minutes earlier.
Three minutes before the half-hour, and moments following their unsuccessful appeal for Ethan Pye’s challenge on Sam Smith, the hosts were awarded a spot-kick by referee Simon Mather, after consultation with an assistant, and in lieu of the signalled corner when Touray was adjudged to have handled under pressure from McClean on the right by-line.
Corey Addai kept out the penalty with his legs only for taker, Jay Rodríguez, to follow up on the rebound and slot home past the County ‘keeper from six yards.
Eight minutes into the second half, County went close through Connolly whose header, from an in-swinging Lewis Bate corner on the right, was tipped on to the crossbar and over by Okonkwo.
Five minutes later, Wootton put the ball in the home net albeit following an aerial foul on Wrexham’s keeper that ruled the effort out.
A couple of minutes after the hour, Lewis Brunt’s pinpoint-ball put Smith through on goal, but the eventual shot by the recent arrival from Reading was kept out by Addai.
Midway through the half, the Hatters looked to freshen up their threat from the flanks by introducing Jack Diamond and Jayden Fevrier. And the pair quickly combined to good effect, with the former squaring for the latter to unleash a low drive narrowly beyond the left post.
Eleven minutes from time, County’s cause suffered a further blow when Hills, already on a booking from the first half, received a second yellow card, and consequently his marching orders, following a foul on Ollie Rathbone.
The hosts looked to capitalise on their numerical advantage with Smith heading past the near post after connecting with McClean’s cross from the left,
There was a flurry of yellow cards in the closing stages that took the game’s total to 10 at the final whistle. This went up to 11 in the immediate aftermath of proceedings, when Bate was cautioned for post-match dissent.
Goal: Rodriguez (28) for Wrexham.
Stockport (3-5-2): Addai; Hills, Connolly (Diamond 67), Pye; Knoyle, Collar (Bailey 78), Bate, Camps (Moxon 19), Touray (Fevrier 67); Wootton, Olaofe. Subs (unused): Metcalfe, Horsfall, Norwood.
Attendance: 13,317 (1,259 visitors).
Report: Gareth Evans.