Stockport County 3-0 Maidenhead United

The Hatters chalked up their eighth successive win in all competitions, and became National League table-toppers, after a two-goal defeat of in-form Maidenhead at Edgeley Park.

In the archetypal game of two halves – during the first of which County failed to register a shot in anger – Antoni Sarcevic and Ryan Croasdale scored within nine second-half minutes of each other, before substitute John Rooney added a third late on, to secure the triumph.

The Hatters started on a cold, slightly misty, night with a line-up and bench unchanged in entirety from the victorious squad at Dagenham & Redbridge three evenings earlier. But their visitors – fresh from beating the top two clubs, Chesterfield and Halifax, in the past week – had the evening’s first punt on goal with five minutes played, as Shaun Donnellan, spotting Ben Hinchliffe off his line, lofted the ball narrowly wide of the right post from just inside County’s half.

Emile Aquah was next to try his luck with a snap-shot, after connecting with Reece Smith’s delivery from the left – but the effort lacked pace and Hinchliffe gathered without undue fuss.

Continued Maidenhead pressure led to four corners in quick succession following the first half’s mid-point – and from the fourth of those, delivered by Reece Smith on the left, visiting captain Alan Massey headed against the crossbar. And when County earned a corner after the half-hour mark, it led to a break by the ‘Magpies’ – with Josh Kelly firing into the right side-netting.

HALF-TIME: County 0, Maidenhead 0.

Having not fashioned a chance of note before the interval, County, now attacking the Cheadle End, managed to do so within 20 seconds of the re-start, as Paddy Madden fired over from just inside the box.

At the other end, Hinchliffe advanced beyond his area to clear, by propelling the ball up into Pop Side orbit after Kelly had been played through. And skipper Liam Hogan was at his best to dispossess Aquah, who was lining himself up to shoot from only 12 yards out.

The Hatters’ first attempt on target had yet to arrive, but when it did, with eight second-half minutes played, it put them ahead. A Macauley Southam-Hales cross from the right found Sarcevic, who headed into the bottom-right corner of the net.

County promptly went close to doubling the lead – firstly through Connor Jennings, who headed over from Ryan Rydel’s cross on the left, and then Madden, whose half-volley from the edge of the area was smothered by visiting goalkeeper Dan Gyollai.

But the Hatters did not have to wait much longer – for two minutes after the hour, they had a second. The newly-introduced Ollie Crankshaw cut in from the right before delivering the ball across the six-yard box to Sarcevic. The ball was then worked back to Croasdale, who drilled home through a crowded area.

As the visitors looked to reduce the areas, Southam-Hales executed a flawless last-ditch tackle to deny Shawn McCoulsky on his debut for the Magies – and Hinchliffe cleanly gathered a low drive from the edge of the box by Will De Havilland.

Two minutes into added time, Rooney put the seal on a scintillating half by drilling home from 12 yards after further good work on the right by fellow substitute Crankshaw.

FULL-TIME: County 3 (Sarcevic, 53; Croasdale, 62; Rooney, 90 + 2), Maidenhead 0.

Team (3-4-1-2): Hinchliffe; Hogan (Capt.), Palmer, Kitching; Southam-Hales, Collar, Croasdale, Rydel (Johnson, 74); Sarcevic (Rooney, 79); Madden, Jennings (Crankshaw, 59).

Unused Subs: Minihan, Newby.

Booked: Hogan, Croasdale.

Man of the Match: Palmer.

Attendance: 5,352 (22 away).

Reporter: Gareth Evans.

Photographer: Mike Petch.

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