Stockport County 1 v 1 Manchester United U21

Manchester United U21 won 5-3 on penalties

Tuesday 29th August 2023, Kick-off 19.45
EFL League One
Edgeley Park, Stockport

Admission: £10.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 5,000 (1,331 away)

Another work trip visiting customers this week presented me with another opportunity to take in a new ground up north. In all honesty, Stockport wasn't a logical overnight stopping place, having ended today’s customer visits in Leicester and my first point of call in the morning being in central Birmingham, but diverting to Stockport would ensure that I would be able to tick off my 86th ground of the 92.

Edgeley Park is located to the south west of Stockport town centre, and about a 20 minute walk from my Alma Lodge hotel. There is a lot to like about Edgeley Park, seeing the floodlights and biggest stand rising hight above the surrounding residential streets on approach, and on the outside of the main stand, Stockport County is spelt out in qn old fashioned style. After much deliberation, I chose a seat in the front row of the upper tier in the Cheadle End, which is by the far the most modern and tallest of the stands, which was opened in the mid nineties, and which would offer an excellent view of the more old fashioned stands on either side of the ground, and of the countryside in the background behind the other end, the Railway End, which  is a small uncovered area of seating, and was where most away fans were located this evening. The Main Stand, which was opened in 1936, only covers about the middle third of the length, and was the only other area open to home fans this evening, while the Popular Stand, dating from 1956, covers virtually the whole length of the other side, about a third allocated to away fans with the remainder not in use this evening. Edgeley Park is a really pleasant ground, sensibly sized, and a pleasing mix of modern and more traditional facilities. Pleasingly, a programme was produced for this fixture, a reduced size compared with the editions for league fixtures, but it remained well presented with good information to preview the game.

Following an eleven season stay in non league, Stockport made a strong return to the EFL last season, finishing in fourth place, and only missing out on a second successive promotion by losing on penalties to Carlisle in the play-off final in May. They have made a fairly slow start to this season, losing their opening two league games, plus a League Cup fixture at Sheffield Wednesday, but have most recently gained four poinrts from their last two games, both at home. Manchester United U21 reached the last 16 of this competition last season.

A match report from the official Stockport County website can be read by clicking here, also copied and pasted below.

Extended highlights of this match can be viewed by clicking here

EFL Trophy Match Report: County 1-1 Manchester United Under-21s

The Hatters’ opening group-stage match in the English Football League Trophy saw them draw in SK3 against an Under-21 side from Premier League Manchester United’s Academy, but miss out on a bonus point from the ensuing penalty shoot-out. 

It was also a tale of two penalties during regular play, as United, a few minutes after the hour, had  opened the scoring on the rebound from one that had been saved by Jordan Smith, before substitute Tanto Olaofe blasted in a late, late spot-kick in the 10th minute of time added on.

The tie also saw the Hatters’ skipper for the night, Ryan Croasdale, sent off for two bookable offences on his 150th County appearance, and five other home players, as well as United Academy Manager Travis Binnion, receive yellow cards.

The Hatters took to the field on a bright evening, and showed nine changes following their previous match, with only the two Ryans – Croasdale and Rydel – being retained from the League Two line-up that had started at Edgeley Park against Barrow three days earlier (although five more weekend starters were included among the substitutes). 

A trio of County’s summer arrivals – namely, goalkeeper Smith, wing-back Josh Popoola and striker Billy Chadwick, signed during the close season from Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Hull, respectively – were all handed their competitive debuts as Hatters. 

County made a promising start – with Chadwick’s pressure forcing an early corner, and Croasdale’s chip finding Neill Byrne who headed beyond the right post, before two minutes were up. And, several minutes later, Ethan Pye emulated his central defensive partner by connecting with a Rydel delivery, which he glanced just wide.

Just ahead of the 10-minute mark, Popoola went closer still by bursting through on goal and rounding goalkeeper Elyh Harrison – only then to find himself at too tight an angle, and firing into the left side-netting.

The young visitors – wearing squad numbers at the outset in the range between 50 and 76 – fashioned their inaugural chance of note shortly before the quarter-hour through Colombian U-20 international, Mateo Mejía, whose low shot was smothered by Smith. 

Subsequent first-half exchanges led to rather less action in either final third – although Byrne had to act quickly and decisively during added time in clearing a dangerous delivery from the right by Mejía, before Shola Shoretire blasted over a free-kick by way of the final touch prior to the break.

HALF-TIME: County 0, Manchester United U-21s 0. 

Within half a dozen minutes of the resumption, United created the new half’s first opportunity, as Mejía crossed from the right to Joe Hugill, whose header cleared the crossbar. And, shortly afterwards, Maxi Oyedele fired into orbit at the Railway End, which housed the most concentrated and vocal cluster of visiting supporters.

Around the hour-mark, Rydel, fed by Connor Evans, drilled a low shot from outside the box that Harrison dived to gather up. But within moments, events at the other end would see the visitors take the lead, as Akil Wright – playing as a Hatter for the 50th time – brought down substitute Ethan Williams to concede a penalty.

Smith dived to his right to parry Hugill’s spot kick, but, alas, only as far as the penalty-taker who followed up to convert on the rebound and put the United youngsters ahead.

Ten minutes later, the lively Williams struck County’s bar from the edge of the area – before Croasdale, who had previously been booked on the stroke of half-time, was shown a second yellow, for a further challenge that left him requiring treatment, and dismissed.

In the course of 11 minutes added on at the end, United substitute Charlie McNeill fired narrowly shy of the right post – but, in the dying seconds, Ibou Touray, on as a late replacement for sponsors’ man of the match, Byrne, went to ground in the box under a challenge from Harrison, and Olaofe stepped up to fire home from 12 yards to level matters.

FULL-TIME: County 1 (Olaofe (penalty), 90 + 10), Manchester United U-21s 1 (Hugill, 64). 

The shoot-out that follows drawn ties at the group stage took place at the Railway End, where Rydel saw his spot-kick saved, and Ethan Wheatley converted the decider that gave the visitors a bonus point.

The Hatters will visit Salford and entertain Bolton during the autumn in their remaining group games of the competition.

PENALTIES: County 3 (Evans, Barry, Olaofe), Manchester United  U-21s 5 (McNeill, Shoretire, Nolan, Williams, Wheatley).

Team (3-4-3): Smith; Wright, Byrne (Touray, 89), Pye; Popoola (Collar, 79), Johnson (Barry, 79), Croasdale (Capt.), Rydel; Evans, Chadwick (Mee, 65), Crankshaw (Olaofe, 79).

[Debuts for the following players, each with a unique SCAN [Stockport County Appearance Number]: Billy Chadwick (1453); Josh Popoola (1454); and Jordan Smith (1455).]

Unused Subs: Jones, Horsfall.

Booked: Johnson, Wright, Rydel, Mee, Byrne.

Sent Off: Croasdale.

Man of the Match: Byrne.

Attendance: 5,000 (1,331 away).

Reporter: Gareth Evans.

Photographer: Mike Petch.