Stockport County 2-1 Harrogate Town: Miserable season ends in 15th for Town

Town started on the front foot and won a series of free kicks as the home defence struggled to cope with Town’s slick interpassing.

It came as no surprise, when on six minutes, Paul Clayton broke through the defence and shot past Ian Ormson.

Ormson saved well from Jordan Thewlis and Lewis Turner as Town pressed,and County had to scramble away a Ryan Fallowfield effort after he had been played in by James Cadman, who was having an excellent game.

Louis Swain limped off to be replaced by Matt Bloomer,but Town’s onslaught continued unabated.

An heading duel in the home area, ended with Dave McGurk hitting the side netting,while at the other end Peter Crook easily dealt with Nathan Woolfe’s header from Chris Sharp’s cross.

County,although spurred on by the large crowd, were strangely out of sorts, but on the stroke of half time,everything changed.

There appeared to be little danger when Chris Churchman picked up a loose ball in midfield, but his 35-yard snap shot bobbled over Crook’s dive and gave County an unexpected equaliser.

A revitalised County made the second half a much more even affair.

Town were first into the attack when Turner headed Fallowfield’s centre goalwards but Ormson managed to beat the ball away,while the impressive Bloomer had to make a vital tackle to deny Kristin Dennis.

Crook was forced into a full length save to keep out another Dennis strike, while Town were threatening on the counter through Fallowfield and Jack Emmett, and Scott Duxbury did well to block a Fallowfield drive after a good break by Cadman.

For Town, Jamie Milligan replaced the off colour Luke Swain to play against his former club and showed his class with several incisive passes and dangerous corners.

As the game reached its climax,it was County who were looking the more dangerous as the young Town team tired.

Crook made an fabulous save to tip over a Russell shot while minutes later the same player turned on a sixpence and rattled Town’s crossbar.

As the game entered its final minute,disaster struck for Town when sub Danny Glover rose highest to nod in a Robert Lofthouse free kick into the far corner of the Town net.

Town made one last effort to salvage the situation when Clayton broke down the right and fired in a powerful drive which Ormson parried for a corner.

This meant the Harrogate finished a mixed bag of a season in fourteenth place.

Town,