Stockport 2-2 Stanley

Stockport scored two late goals in the space of six minutes at Edgeley Park to deny Stanley their first away win of the season.

Andy Procter gave Stanley the lead they deserved in the first half and Terry Gornell doubled the Reds lead with 15 minutes of the game remaining. John Coleman’s side were then denied the win as Stockport’s Tom Fisher and George Donnelly scored twice late on to create a nervy finale.


Despite Stanley dominating early possession it remained a quiet affair, with the single opportunity falling to Andy Parkinson on seven minutes. The ball hung in the air on the edge of the box for Parkinson to hit his volley five yards wide of the Stockport right hand post.

It took a slip in Stanley’s defence to give the home side their first chance of the half. Paul Turnbull found himself in a position 35 yards from goal and with no pressure around him decided to pull the trigger resulting in the ball whistling just past Ian Dunbavin’s goal.

This seemed to wake up a sleepy Stockport. They took a quick throw deep in the Stanley half which caught Sean Hessey unaware, allowing George Donnelly to stride into the penalty area and with support to his left decided to try and finish the move himself, however his low shot crept past the wrong side of the woodwork.

With the game having taken half an hour to warm up, Stanley responded instantly to Stockport’s newly found energy. Jimmy Ryan rattled Matt Glennon’s crossbar from a fantastic long range effort and five minutes later had another chance from outside the penalty area, this time tipped around the post by the out stretching Hatter’s goalkeeper.

The home side’s best chance of the half fell to Jamie Proctor, who found himself unmarked at the back post. An Adam Griffin cross was whipped in from the touchline, only for Proctor’s effort to miss the gaping goal and ripple the side netting.

John Coleman’s side had a flurry of chances in the last 15 minutes of the first half in what proved a fascinating spectacle. The pressure finally paid off when Stanley finally got the away goal they desperately needed in the 39th minute.

The goal came from a superb effort from Andy Procter on his 350th appearance for the club. The ball was pulled across by Dean Winnard, who found the Stanley captain on the edge of the area. Procter proceeded to place the ball brilliantly into the top right hand corner of the Hatter’s net.

The second half began as a carbon copy of the first, with Stanley holding the majority of the possession. Half chances fell to Jimmy Ryan, Andy Procter and Terry Gornell, however nothing prevailed.

The Red’s away lead was then doubled in the 75th minute. After retaining possession for some time, Sean McConville took control of the ball in the middle of the opposition’s territory, McConville had options left and right, choosing to slip the ball through the their defence to Andy Parkinson and in turn put the ball on a plate for Gornell who inevitably side footed the ball into the back of the net and took the score to 0-2.

Stanley looked comfortable with a rare two goal away lead, however this was for all of three minutes as Tom Fisher started a fight back that would hurt Stanley. Stockport’s Mark Lynch took hold of the ball near the Stanley corner flag and when he played the ball in, substitute Fisher managed to flick the ball past Dunbavin in the Red’s goal.

Six minutes later, George Donnelly broke through the Stanley defence, past a couple of half challenges and then proceeded to smash the ball from 12 yards past Dunbavin’s right hand and into the corner of the net to complete a rapid comeback.

The final few minutes were nail biting and the referee’s whistle signalled another draw and yet another away day where Stanley have failed to take the full three points.

Stanley: Dunbavin, Bateson, Winnard, Hessey, Procter, Ryan, Barnett, McConville (Turner 86), Edwards, Parkinson (Richardson 87), Gornell (Lindfield 89)
Subs not used: Cisak, Joyce, Murphy, Boulding