County 1-0 Walsall – Fantastic

Another clean sheet, tied in with a fantastic performance led County to their eighth straight win without conceding a goal on Tuesday night.

Tes Bramble was brought into the team to replace David Poole, with Anthony Pilkington going out onto the right hand side, in the only change from the team that beat Accrington Stanley 1-0 on Saturday.

County were piling up the pressure from the start, but there were no real chances to show for the early play.

Some good play from Blizzard in midfield who was battling the ugly role well, and his partner Taylor was passing the ball about the park like Steven Gerrard.

Anthony Pilkington put a perfect ball across the face of goal from the right hand side, but nobody was there to capitalise on the ball. A succession of corners followed and County continued to build the pressure.

The referee should have awarded County a penalty when Anthony Elding was brought down in the box, somehow though he failed to spot the foul and waved play on.

Elding then had a chance to put County ahead when he got on the end of Tes Bramble’s flick on, but Elding put the ball marginally wide and the scores stayed level.

Bramble himself then nearly scored, as a Michael Rose cross came across the box, and Bramble met the ball at the near post and it flew just wide of the far post.

At half time the scores were level, and County knew that in the second half, attacking the Cheadle End, they would be able to score at least once.

And Jason Taylor nearly got that goal, when he continued to charge down a pass back and managed to put Clayton Ince off, who kicked the ball at Taylor’s feet. However, Taylor wasn’t expecting the ball to come to him, and Ince managed to get the ball clear again.

But County soon went ahead, when Dom Blizzard played a ball down the right hand side for Tes to chase. Tes got the ball, and swung a powerful fizzing cross towards Anthony Elding, who then volleyed home to send Edgeley Park mental. It was pandemonium, and the noise coming out of Edgeley Park was phenomenal.

County nearly scored exactly the same goal again ten minutes later, when Bramble again crossed the ball, but this time Adam Griffin went at it with his left foot and hit it just wide.

Bramble, playing out of his skin, should have had a penalty when he brought the ball down from a Rose cross and then twisted before being fouled by the Walsall defence. However the referee waved play on once again.

And it was Bramble again who had the next chance, when a throw in from the right hand side was flicked on by Elding, and Bramble tried a spectacular overhead kick, and made a good connection with it, but the defender just blocked it before it could reach the goal.

When Bramble was replaced he looked knackered, and was given a standing ovation off the park. Liam Dickinson took Bramble’s place for the last ten minutes.

The introduction of Dickinson nearly got County a second, when he played a neat one-two with Elding to lay Elding through, but Elding’s shot was way off target.

So, County closed out just the two minutes of added time successfully, and added another win to the collection.

It was another clean sheet for Wayne Hennessey, but in truth he had nothing much to do such is the confidence he inspires in the defence.

It’s been eight straight wins now, and when will it finish. It’s got to be soon hasn’t it?