STOCKPORT COUNTY 2, HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 1
Stockport County made mathematically certain of at least a finish in the Sky Bet League One play-off positions following an Easter Monday victory by the odd goal in three at a sold-out Edgeley Park against Huddersfield Town.
They had a pair of former Terriers to thank for their second-half goals that secured the win after going behind around the hour.
Huddersfield-born acting skipper Fraser Horsfall, who had been a professional at his hometown club in 2016/17, having started off there as a seven-year-old and graduated through the academy, headed home the first. And Ollie Norwood, who had plied his trade in West Yorkshire between 2012 and 2014, scored the second from the penalty spot three minutes from time.
The triumph was County’s first over the visitors in more than two decades, following home victories in the FA Cup and the league in 2004 and 2003 respectively.
And it represented a rather considerable improvement on the outcome of the most recent competitive meeting between the clubs in SK3, also in League One and three days short of 15 years ago, which had seen Huddersfield score six without reply against the already-relegated Hatters.
The afternoon was made even more miserable for the Terriers, for whom defeat ended any chance of making the play-offs, and who finished the game with 10 men after substitute Callum Marshall was sent off for violent conduct in the final minute.
The erstwhile Easter weekend sunshine had given way to bank holiday Monday drizzle as the Hatters took to the field showing two changes from their initial line-up at Peterborough three days previously.
Jayden Fevrier and Jay Mingi, who had turned in impressive 45-minute performances as second-half substitutes on Good Friday, were this time handed starts, replacing Odin Bailey, who dropped to the bench, and the injured Ethan Pye.
The visitors, lying at kick-off in ninth position and five points shy of the play-off places, earned the contest’s inaugural corner after six minutes when David Kasumu’s shot took a looping deflection behind off Ibby Touray. Corey Addai held the resulting corner at the second attempt and Huddersfield won another five minutes later, following a break that saw a Josh Koroma effort deflected past the left upright by Mingi.
The Hatters launched their first attack of note just after the quarter-hour when Tanto Olaofe’s low shot from the right skimmed across the six-yard box and beyond the far post. And nine minutes later, Olaofe was denied by visiting goalkeeper Lee Nicholls at close range, following good work by Will Collar on the right.
Nicholls came to Huddersfield’s rescue again moments later diving at full stretch to palm around the left post Jack Diamond’s low drive from the edge of the area. The keeper then also smothered a similar attempt by Wootton, and even when he was powerless to do anything with a Collar delivery from the left that deflected over him, Nicholls was helped out by Northern Irish international defender Brodie Spencer who acrobatically cleared off the line.
With glimpses of sunshine appearing after the rain around the half-hour, County continued to create chances prior to the break. Fevrier twisted and turned on the left, before crossing for Olaofe to head wide of the near post and Norwood went close against his old club with a curling shot that was deflected just beyond the opposite upright.
The Hatters began the second half in the same attacking mode that had characterised much of the first going close five minutes after the resumption when Diamond cut in from the left to sting the hands of Nicholls before Collar fired into the near side-netting on the rebound.
The Terriers subsequently looked likely to break the deadlock on two occasions in quick succession but were twice kept out by Addai who used his legs and hands respectively to block point-blank shots by Koroma and Kasumu.
Koroma’s next effort, however, did give his side the lead just after the hour as he unleashed a low shot on the turn from the edge of the box into the bottom-left corner of the net.
The Hatters initially strove to get back on level terms courtesy of Olaofe who met a cross from the right by Bailey to head over. And, with 17 minutes remaining, they succeeded in doing so, thanks to their Huddersfield old boys’ combination as Horsfall connected with Norwood’s out-swinging corner on the right to plant his header through a crowded area and into the net’s far corner.
Five minutes later, substitute Benoný Andrésson was played through on goal by Wootton only for Nicholls, standing tall, to block the Icelandic striker’s shot.
Fellow substitute Callum Connolly then fired over before Matty Pearson, with four minutes left, brought down Andrésson in the box, and referee Alex Chilowicz pointed to the spot leaving Norwood to step up and fire home the penalty.
Late end-to-end drama followed with Addai saving from substitute Joe Taylor and Andrésson heading a Bailey cross from the right against the inside of the far post before having to watch the ball roll agonisingly along the goalline and to safety. And, in added time, Marshall received his marching orders with a straight red card for elbowing Horsfall.
Goals: Horsfall (79), Norwood (87pen) for Stockport. Koroma (61) for Huddersfield.
Stockport (4-4-2): Addai; Mingi (Bailey 46), Horsfall, Hills, Touray; Fevrier (Moxon 59), Norwood, Collar (Andrésson 59), Diamond; Wootton, Olaofe (Connolly 69). Subs (unused): Wogan, Cosgrove, Hamilton.
Attendance: 10,336 (1,071 visitors).
Report: Gareth Evans.