U’s-ful Point And Clean Sheet, But No Goals, As Hatters Held
A new era began for the Hatters with more than 5,000 in attendance at Edgeley Park for their first match since the club’s takeover by Mark Stott – and, on the pitch, with a goal-less draw against the ‘U’s’ of Sutton United that replicated the result between the two sides in the reverse fixture during early October.
It was County’s first such stalemate in SK3 since September 2017, when the Hatters and Bradford Park Avenue failed to produce a goal between them in a National League North encounter.
County took to the field on a bright winter afternoon, showing five changes from the starting line-up at EP against Dorking Wanderers in the FA trophy four days earlier. All three newly-arrived Hatters – Liam McAlinden and loanees Eddie Clarke and Jordan Archer – were handed their debuts, while Festus Arthur and Elliot Osborne earned recalls. Nyal Bell, Ben Jackson and Sam Minihan (all named among the substitutes), as well as Tyler Garratt and Sam Walker, were the quintet to make way.
The South London visitors made a good deal of the initial running – with a cross from the right by David Ajiboye coming close to giving them an early lead, as it looped over Ben Hinchliffe. But Ash Palmer was well placed near the far post to hook the ball off the line.
Omar Bugiel headed over from another Ajiboye delivery, with six minutes played. And Ajiboye was again the provider, after dispossessing Clarke four minutes later – only for the recipient of his cross, Tommy Wright, to turn and blast well over.
Osborne executed County’s first chance – in the form of a well-struck, right-footed pile-driver from outside the box that flew just shy of the left upright – before Ajiboye tried his luck from a similar distance, but fired beyond the right post by a rather further width.
With 20 minutes on the clock, and with the Hatters beginning to establish a foothold in the contest, McAlinden was on target with a free-kick from the right edge of Sutton’s area – forcing goalkeeper Nik Tzanev to tip past the near upright. And a subsequent, lofted dead-ball delivery from Osborne took a bounce on the six-yard line before fizzing beyond the opposite post, as County, who had also earned eight corners within 30 minutes prior to the break, finished what had been a ‘half of two halves’ on top.
HALF-TIME: County 0, Sutton 0.
The visitors began the second half much as they had done the first, in lively fashion. Bugiel saw one shot deflected over the crossbar, before again clearing the bar courtesy of a flick on from Kyle Reid’s delivery.
Reid then tested Hinchliffe more directly with a low drive that County’s Number One did well to parry, Sutton skipper Harry Beautyman fired another beyond the right post, and Hinchliffe dived to smother a third from Wright.
The Hatters brought on Jackson, who unleashed their first shot since half-time, with a quarter of an hour remaining – but the substitute’s effort cleared the Cheadle End bar by some distance.
Bell and Frank Mulhern were both introduced to pep up the attack – although it was a back four stalwart, Arthur, who came close to breaking the deadlock a minute from time when he turned and fired narrowly over from just inside the box.
FULL-TIME: County 0, Sutton 0.
Team (4-2-3-1): Hinchliffe; Cowan, Palmer, Arthur, Clarke; Turnbull (Capt.), Keane; Thomas (Bell, 82), Osborne (Jackson, 68), McAlinden; Archer (Mulhern, 76).
Unused Subs: Minihan, Ormson.
Man of the Match: Turnbull.
Attendance: 5,079 (95 away).
Reporter: Gareth Evans.
Photographer: Mike Petch.
