County Held To A Point

Well, the positive is that main sponsors GT Law won’t be having to pay out £35k in refunds.

County were held to a draw by part-timers Ebbsfleet at Edgeley Park today, rendering County’s ‘No Win, No Fee’ promotion as dead in the water with SCFC having to lose for GT Law to pay out.

It was a difficult task for the home side to break down the visitors, who County may have expected to play for the draw, willing The Hatters to break them down – but it was a different story in the first half, and The Fleet looked dangerous going forward, and had a few chances to take the lead. ‘Keeper Matty Glennon kept the hosts level with a fine save from striker Callum Willock just before half-time after a brilliant cross by Ram Marwa resulted in an almighty scramble.

Ebbsfleet’s 60 or so visiting fans were making themselves heard and keeping their team going, and games like this may help manage expectations as far as SCFC go…every time we play a part-time or lowly club, we should not expect to hammer them.

Danny Rowe, in for the dropped Jon Miles, seemed most likely to unlock The Fleet defence with surging runs down the left in the first-half…but ironically, it was only after the man-of-the-match went off in place of Leicester City striker Elliott Chamberlain that County took the lead.

The loanee produced good work down the left and played in full-back Euan Holden who whipped in a cross for skipper Nick Chadwick to head home and relieve the growing stress in the Cheadle End.

It looked as if the floodgates would finally open, but the goal forced the away side into being more adventurous looking for the leveller, and they got it with just under 15 minutes to go when Michael West skilfully volleyed in Craig Stone’s ball from just outside the area to send the small army of travellers mental.

It was to be a frustrating day for County from then on, with the visitors having the best of the chances to take the lead in front of their supporters. Sub Ricky Shakes was denied by a brilliant palmed save by Glennon, and it was County in the end who were left unable to win two games back-to-back with that unwanted record dating back to February 2009.

But on the up-side, a point takes us into 8th place, still unbeaten, and on to Kidderminster Harriers on Tuesday.

For ‘The Fleet’, their plucky fans socialised with the home fans in pubs around Edgeley after the match, and they picked up their first point of the season in a year in which they are tipped for relegation. Going off today’s performances, they may have enough in their tank to survive. They will do if their fans have anything to say about it.