Stockport 1-3 Leicester

It is always good to get back home, and walking into Edgeley Park I was surprised by the sight that I saw.

It looked unusually clean and tidy, the Sale fans have been inside painting and when the seats are empty it does look a nice ground. The normally dull grey wall at the back of the Railway End, which was the home for around 150 Leicester fans, was painted blue and it really looked the part.

County started with trialists Matty Burke and Jamie McGuire in midfield along with Tony Dinning, whilst Damien Allen came into the team as right back and Jamie Spencer returned in nets.

Leicester started their new signings Gareth McAauley from Lincoln, who was once a County trialists and deemed not good enough, Josh Low from Northampton and Andy Johnson from West Brom.

Leicester, who had been staying at the lovely Mottram Hall, were playing in yellow and were shooting towards the Cheadle End in the first half, County would be shooting towards the Railway End.

Danny Tiatto had the first good chance of the game, but he couldn`t get any direction behind the header and it was easily saved by James Spencer.

The same thing then happened to Michael Malcolm at the other end, a deep cross from Michael Rose couldn`t be directed goalwards.

But Malcolm was able to direct his next chance goalwards when a long ball from Spencer caused confusion in the Leicester defence, and Malcolm latched on to a soft back pass and lobbed Australian Leicester keeper Henderson.

Leicester had to try and get a goal from somewhere to get back into the game, and Hughes had a good chance to do that and his shot was heading goalwards but it took a deflection of Michael Raynes head.

McAauley then had a great chance from a corner, when he ghosted in at the back post and hit a powerful header goalwards but it was well blocked on the line by Damien Allen.

Malcolm, who was playing well upfront, was brought down on the edge of the box to win a free kick for County. For some reason Tony Dinning seems reluctant to take free kicks, and it was left to Michael Rose who hit has effort way over the bar.

Leicester then levelled through Elvis Hammond. The ball was loose in the penalty area, and Hammond just got a touch on it and it trickled over the line despite the efforts of Damien Allen to stop it.

Hammond had another effort on goal just minutes later, however his header powered against the bar and flew off over.

At half time the game was evenly balanced, and for some reason Leicester decided to stay out on the pitch whilst the referee and County went back into the changing rooms. Leicester manager Rob Kelly conducted his team talk on the pitch with the players sat round.

County had a great chance at the start of the second half, Michael Malcolm hit a powerful shot from the left hand side of the penalty area but it was well saved by Henderson.

Then Briggs nearly gave County the lead with what is now a trademark header. He ghosted in unmarked at the back post and hit a powerful header but it was blocked on the line by the Leicester defence.

Levi Porter nearly gave Leicester the lead, when he cut inside on the right wing and hit a low powerful shot at the near post but Spencer was up to it.

Damien Allen then broke free down the right hand side, and laid the ball into Dickinson`s path who just couldn`t reach it and he had to slide in for it against Henderson. The ball trickled out and Dickinson got back up and tried to get a shot away but was brought down by Kisnorbo to what Dickinson thought was a penalty but it wasn`t given. Play carried on, but Kisnorbo and Dickinson proceeded to scuffle despite the referee`s attempts to carry on play. Play was then stopped and Jim Gannon must have been told to substitute Dickinson, because when the scuffle was broke up Dickinson came off even though he had only been on the pitch for five minutes.

Mark Robinson then nearly gave County the lead with a low free kick from the right hand side. He hit it hard and low curling in at the near post, but it was a good save from Henderson and he then gathered the ball up at the second attempt.

But it was Leicester who were going to take the lead, when a fantastic free-kick by Gareth Williams from 25 yards curled and dipped over the County wall and went into the bottom corner.

Matty Fryatt then made it 3-1 and game over, when a defensive error handed Fryatt the ball on the plate and he easily put away the one-on-one as he slid the ball past James Spencer.