County 1 Witton Albion 0

County put a turgid run of bad results behind them , to some extent, with a workmanlike 1-0 victory over Witton Albion at Edgeley Park tonight in the Cheshire Senior Cup.

It was nothing to write home about ,to be fair but any win is welcome just now with the state of things off the park, and it earns the blues a game against Stalybridge Celtic in the First Round proper!

A fairly strong side took the field for County, but strength did not guarantee anything when it was undermined by error and twice in the first 20 minutes County were fortunate to escape unscathed after slack work had undone them at the back.

Thankfully however better things were happening further forward with Jevons looking good but unlucky to see Platt waste a chance set up by the ex Ewen Fields favourite.

Dickinson was another who looked the part early on and his shot on the turn, on 15 minutes, would have opened the scoring had not keeper Mat Cooper twisted in mid air to tip the shot over the bar!

With Dicko going close again shortly after we seemed set for a goal or two, and indeed , on 21 minutes, one duly came and Dicko was involved again taking Platt`s pass before squaring the ball to Dennis who slotted it neatly home.

Some good football flowed from the blues after this but it was continually undermined by lax play in possession which offered the visitors the oxygen of time on the ball.

Thankfully their finishing was not great and when it was Ormson was on hand to do the biz and keep it out.

County survived reasonably comfortably , but against a better side…………..

No matter, they were leading and very nearly went further ahead when Dicko fired in a shot from a monstrously oblique angle that had goal written all over it, until one of a group of flailing legs on the line hacked it clear.

It was nip and tuck in the second half…Jevons going close twice with decent efforts ,and Moke doing his best to impress in the 30 odd minutes he was on the park, but for long periods of time County were forced back and more than once happy to see Ormson in good nick at the back, as Witton tried hard to equalise.

County defended well enough though and in the end were worth their win!

County line up;

Ormson, Fagbola, Charnock, O`Halloran, Duxbury , Moses, Platt, Lofthouse ( Howard 45),Jevons ( Craney 71), Dennis, Dickinson ( Moke 58).


Ian Brown