Stockport County registered a comfortable home victory over National League North’s bottom-placed club North Ferriby to continue an unbeaten record at Edgeley Park that now stretches back over ten months in all competitions.
County’s first-ever three-point haul at Ferriby’s expense came courtesy of two goals in each half, and either side of a sole successful strike by the visitors shortly after the interval.
County forced the early pace by earning four corners in the opening stages – with the third of those won following a well-struck shot from Bohan Dixon that visiting goalkeeper Ross Durrant tipped around the left upright.
Durrant proceeded to block Jason Oswell and smother a low shot from outside the box by Adam Thomas, before his opposite number, Ben Hinchliffe, kept out Curtis Bateson at point-blank range and parried behind a shot from Ferriby’s new signing from Rotherham United, Kuda Muskwe.
With the contest just past the half-hour mark, County went ahead. Acting captain Stephen O’Halloran took a short throw on the left to Sam Walker, who drilled the ball across for Oswell (after earning the original throw) to bundle in for his tenth goal of the campaign.
Following the award to County of a free-kick, 25 yards out, Durrant parried out the delivery by Thomas – only for Scott Duxbury to send the ball over from the left for Sam Minihan, by the far post, to head home.
The second half began with a double-substitution by the Villagers, and within two minutes they had halved the arrears.
Chris Smalley was dispossessed, before North Ferriby broke forward and Darnelle Bailey-King rifled past Hinchliffe from the edge of County’s box.
North Ferriby’s hope was short-lived, however, as the Hatters proceeded to restore their two-goal advantage in the very next minute.
Duxbury carried the ball the length of the visitors’ half, before crossing from the left for Oswell to turn in.
And eight minutes later, Duxbury crowned a fine individual performance with a goal of his own, when he beat Durrant to a high ball in the Ferriby box, headed past the visiting ‘keeper and slotted into an empty net.
Next up for County is the home FA Cup tie against FC United.
FULL-TIME: Stockport County 4 (Oswell 30, 48; Minihan 39; Duxbury 56), North Ferriby 1 (Bailey-King 47)
Stockport County: Hinchliffe, Minihan, Duxbury, Cowan, Smalley, O’Halloran (Capt.), Thomas (McKenna, 78), S Walker, Oswell, Stopforth (Ball, 61), Dixon (Warburton, 61).Unused Subs: Hampson, Smith.
Man of the Match: Duxbury
Attendance: 3,071 (7 away)
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