The Hatters returned to National League action for their first home match of March, and were dominant in chalking up a three-goal victory against fellow promotion chasers Notts County.
A brace from captain and leading scorer Paddy Madden, sandwiching a strike by Ollie Crankshaw earned the Hatters a first win in this particular ‘battle of the Countys’ since 2008, and sent them seven points clear at the top of the table.
County took to the field to take on the visiting ‘Magpies’, in front of another bumper midweek crowd under the Edgeley Park lights – and with one change from the last league starting line-up at Aldershot 10 days earlier, as Mark Kitching replaced Connor Jennings.
The Hatters created the contest’s first chance after five minutes, as a quickly-taken free-kick on the left from Antoni Sarcevic, followed by a quick exchange with Madden, saw Sarcevic’s byline-cross bundled just wide of the near upright by Will Collar.
The visitors’ goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros was then called upon twice in quick succession – deflecting beyond the right post a low shot by Ryan Croasdale, before blocking a Crankshaw effort with his legs after the corner that followed. And Jaros came to the rescue again around the quarter-hour mark, as he parried away Collar’s header from a looping Kitching cross on the left.
Despite the opening one-way traffic, Notts, whose sequence without a league win in three games since the beginning of the month had seen them drop from the play-off places, were gifted a golden opportunity when an under-hit pass by Ash Palmer sent Jayden Richardson through on goal. But after rounding Ben Hinchliffe, Richardson inexplicably fired over into the Cheadle End.
A few minutes later, Richardson again looked set to score – but, after being forced left of the goal by Kitching, he saw his shot deflected beyond the near post.
The two let-offs for the Hatters spurred them back into action, with Myles Hippolyte and Crankshaw having their respective, well-struck shots tipped behind by Jaros and blocked by central defender Connell Rawlinson.
Then, two minutes ahead of the half-hour, they went ahead – and in tremendous style, too, as a pin-point perfect cross from the right by Macauley Southam-Hales found Madden, who rose to head into the far corner of the net.
With half a dozen minutes of the half remaining, Hippolyte was presented with a tremendous chance to double the advantage, courtesy of a long ball upfield from Hinchliffe – but the winger volleyed well beyond the right post.
HALF-TIME: County 1 (Madden, 28), Notts 0.
Each side earned an early corner following the resumption, but, following those preliminaries, the first action-proper of the new half saw the Hatters extend their lead, as a Hinchliffe clearance found Madden, whose deft lay-off for Crankshaw was duly collected and powered past Jaros.
Hippolyte fired a free-kick over – before Collar’s side-footed shot from close range, following another excellent Southam-Hales delivery on the right, was kept out by the left foot of Jaros.
But the Hatters were truly out of sight following their next attack, as Hippolyte’s cross from the left evaded Collar, before being seized upon by Madden who slotted home from 12 yards out.
With maximum points looking to be secure, Hippolyte twice stung the hands of Jaros, with one shot from distance and an angled attempt on the left, before substitute Scott Quigley was denied by an intervention from Alex Lacey who deflected the striker’s effort past the right post.
FULL-TIME: County 3 (Madden, 28 and 71; Crankshaw, 48), Notts 0.
Team (4-3-3): Hinchliffe; Southam-Hales (Minihan, 84), Palmer, Johnson, Kitching; Collar (Newby, 78), Croasdale, Sarcevic; Crankshaw (Quigley, 61), Madden (Capt.), Hippolyte.
Unused Subs: Ashby-Hammond, Hogan.
Booked: Sarcevic, Madden.
Man of the Match: Madden.
Attendance: 7,951 (492 away).
Reporter: Gareth Evans.
Photographer: Mike Petch.
