The Hatters chalked up their eighth straight National League win – and their fifth in succession without conceding – after a single-goal defeat of basement side Dover at Edgeley Park.
Paddy Madden’s 11th league strike of the campaign ultimately proved the difference – albeit not until the 84th minute, and after the struggling visitors had played with ten men for more than half of a game that County had dominated.
County took to the field on a wet and wintry afternoon, showing one change from the starting line-up at Barnet seven days previously – with Ollie Crankshaw replacing the injured Antoni Sarcevic. Winger Myles Hippolyte, who had arrived at EP from Scunthorpe at the beginning of the week, was named among the substitutes.
Within three minutes, the Hatters were on the attack and setting up their first scoring chance – but Scott Quigley failed to connect and convert from close range, following a cross by Macauley Southam-Hales from the right.
The visiting ‘Whites’, for their part, would also have been disappointed over their inaugural opportunity that saw Koby Arthur played through towards goal, only to scuff his shot off target.
Another Southam-Hales cross from the right, around the quarter-hour mark, did gain some traction – as Crankshaw met it with a header that he glanced wide of the far post. And just before the half-hour, Ryan Rydel’s free-kick cleared the crossbar after Will Collar had been felled outside the box by Dover skipper Ryan Hanson.
A minute or two later, visiting goalkeeper Adam Parkes’ kick was picked up by Collar whose through-ball to Paddy Madden led to a shot from the latter that Parkes deflected into the path of Quigley – but Jake Goodman arrived just in time to turn the ball around the right post for a corner.
While the visitors’ support was bolstered a little by some Carlisle fans whose match at Rochdale had been called off, their number on the pitch went down by one with seven minutes of the half remaining when Myles Judd received a straight red card for a late challenge on Southam-Hales.
HALF-TIME: County 0, Dover 0.
County introduced Elliot Newby upon the resumption, and the substitute immediately played his part in the build-up to a potential first chance of the new half – by feeding Rydel on the left, whose cross was met with a volley by Crankshaw that spun beyond the far upright.
The Hatters, with the numerical advantage, proceeded to lay siege to the Cheadle End – with Parkes keeping out a Madden header before a flag was raised for offside, Southam-Hales drilling wide of the left post, and Collar meeting a Rydel corner from the right with a header that the Dover ‘keeper smothered on the line.
Newby was next to try his luck with a low shot from just inside the area, before Ash Palmer (twice) and Southam-Hales fired efforts over, and another Rydel free-kick was parried behind by Parkes.
For all the Hatters’ dominance, time was running out – but with half a dozen minutes left, their fifth corner of the half, delivered by Crankshaw on the left, was headed towards Collar for Madden to apply the finishing touch from close range that secured for County the precious three points and continued leadership of the table.
FULL-TIME: County 1 (Madden, 84), Dover 0.
Team (3-4-1-2): Hinchliffe; Hogan (Capt.) (Newby, 46), Palmer, Johnson; Southam-Hales, Collar, Croasdale (Hippolyte, 79), Rydel; Crankshaw; Quigley (Jennings, 70), Madden.
[Debut for Myles Hippolyte, with a unique SCAN (Stockport County Appearance Number) of 1427.]
Unused Subs: Minihan, Kitching.
Booked: Newby, Hippolyte.
Man of the Match: Palmer.
Attendance: 7,269 (59 away).
Reporter: Gareth Evans.
Photographer: Mike Petch.
