After back-to-back wins away from home in the last few weeks, County faced another big test of their credentials last weekend as they travelled to unbeaten league leaders Barnsley in the FAWNL Nation League Division One North. Find out how they got on in our latest weekly update.
Steve O’Hara reflects on trip to Barnsley:
The odds weren’t in our favour ahead of our third away game on the trot, but manager Steve O’Hara was confident that the team could continue it’s winning form against table toppers Barnsley:
“The last of our three, hard, away trips was arguably the toughest. Barnsley had started the season unbeaten in all competitions and sat top of the league. We knew their confidence would be high and add to that the unfamiliar, uneven pitch, it was going to make it very difficult to play our style of football. But coming off the back of two wins ourselves and the fact we had beaten Barnsley away last season meant we were quietly confident of getting something out of the game.
“I asked the players to work themselves into the game as we thought Barnsley would come out fast, but the opposite happened and we started like a train, pushing them back into their own half!
“The breakthrough came on 13 minutes. Shaunna Jein played the ball over their high back line and Ella Ritchie ran clear, beating the offside trap. She finished with a lob over the ‘keeper from the edge of the area, her first County goal since joining in the summer. We continued to push in the first half, looking for a second goal, but just couldn’t find a way through.
“At half-time, we spoke about how they would be stronger in second half. We had dominated the first, but it was a real backs-to-the-wall performance for the rest of the game. Barnsley, to their credit, really put us under constant pressure and we also had a strong head wind to battle against, making getting forward hard work.
“Although we were under pressure, I only remember Faye Bowness making one important save. Faced with a one-on-one she came out quickly and made a great stop to keep us ahead. We huffed and puffed through the half, and threatened on the counter at times, but the chances just wouldn’t fall for us.
“We eventually got a reward when Jess Battle won us a penalty, but we didn’t score from it. That would have killed the game off and settled us down for the final five minutes.
“All in all, it was a very solid defensive display, showing some real grit and excellent game management. This allowed us to see the game out, record our third consecutive win and also keep our third consecutive clean sheet. The atmosphere and energy within the team is incredible at the moment, and hopefully we can carry that forward as we face two home games in four days next week.
“The first is another tough test against Middlesbrough on Sunday, followed by a visit from Chorley on Wednesday evening. It would be great to see as many fans as possible down to support the girls.”
Elsewhere…
It was a good weekend for other senior teams too. The Reserves, also away at Barnsley, showed great character to come back from three goals down at half-time to draw 3-3, whilst the Under 18s secured a convincing win over local rivals Stockport Cosmos.
As Steve O’Hara has mentioned, two home games coming up after our recent run of away fixtures:
Sunday 9th October v Middlesbrough – Stockport Sports Village – 2:00pm KO
Wednesday 12th October v Chorley – Stockport Sports Village – 7:45pm KO
All Stockport County season ticket holders get free entry to County Ladies games played at SSV.
