Late Connolly Strike Denies Reds as Yoganathan Goal Goes to Waste

Stockport County 1-1 Barnsley
League One - Saturday 29th November

The trip to Stockport ended with us snatching a point when defeat looked certain, though anyone watching those final ten minutes might argue we deserved nothing. Connolly's late leveller for the hosts cancelled out Yoganathan's first-half opener, leaving us with that familiar taste of what might have been. Same drama, different venue.

Early Promise, Familiar Pattern

We started brightly enough, keeping possession without looking particularly threatening. The midfield trio of Connell, Phillips and Cleary were tidy without being spectacular, knocking the ball about like they had all day. Stockport pressed high but struggled to create anything meaningful, their front line working harder than a one-legged cat in a sandbox but finding precious little space behind our defensive line.

Cooper looked assured in goal, dealing with crosses and long balls with the confidence you'd expect. The stats would later show we managed more shots on target, though anyone who watched those opening twenty minutes might wonder where they came from. We were neat, organised, and about as threatening as a strongly-worded letter from the council.

Yoganathan Strikes Gold

Then, on 27 minutes, something clicked. Cleary picked up possession wide left and delivered the sort of cross that makes you remember why you fell in love with this game. Yoganathan timed his run perfectly, arriving at the back post with the sort of composure that suggested he'd been doing this for years rather than months. His finish was clinical, low and hard past Hinchliffe who barely had time to react.

The celebration was worth the admission fee alone. Our travelling support erupted, and for a moment you could almost believe we'd turned a corner. Yoganathan wheeled away with arms raised, Cleary sprinting over to join the pile-on, and suddenly this trip to Greater Manchester felt like it might end in smiles.

Losing Our Way

Football has a cruel sense of timing (naturally). Just as we looked settled, Connell picked up a booking for a late challenge that summed up our afternoon - well-intentioned but poorly executed. The yellow card seemed to knock the wind out of our sails, and Stockport began to sense weakness like sharks smelling blood.

The possession stats tell their own story. We enjoyed 57% of the ball but did precious little with it, passing sideways and backwards when forward thinking was needed. Roberts and Shepherd dealt with most of what Stockport threw at them, but you could sense the tension creeping in. We were sitting on our lead rather than building on it, and anyone who's watched us this season knows how that particular story usually ends.

Late Drama, Inevitable Disappointment

The second half felt like watching a slow-motion car crash. We huffed and puffed without seriously troubling Hinchliffe, while Stockport grew in confidence with every passing minute. Their equaliser, when it came with just a minute of normal time remaining, felt as inevitable as rain in Yorkshire.

Connolly was the villain from our perspective, arriving unmarked to convert Hunt's cross with the sort of finish that highlighted everything wrong with our defending. We'd switched off at the crucial moment, ball-watching when we should have been tracking runners. Cooper had no chance, and suddenly our afternoon had turned sour.

The final whistle brought mixed emotions. A point away from home isn't to be sniffed at, but the manner of conceding left a bitter taste. We'd done the hard work, taken our chance when it came, then allowed Stockport back into the game through a combination of negative tactics and slack defending.

Here's the thing though - Yoganathan's goal showed what we're capable of when everything clicks. If we can find that killer instinct more regularly and shore up the defensive lapses, results like this might start turning into victories. Big if, admittedly, but stranger things have happened at this football club.

Team Line-ups:

Stockport County (3 - 4 - 2 - 1):
B. Hinchliffe, E. Pye, C. Connolly, J. Olowu, O. Dodgson, O. Moxon, O. Bailey, J. Fevrier, B. Andrésson, N. Lowe, K. Wootton
Subs: C. Addai, J. Diamond, C. Edwards, C. Gardner, J. Hunt, M. Mothersille, B. Osborn
Goals: C. Connolly (89')

Barnsley (4 - 2 - 3 - 1):
M. Cooper, M. de Gevigney, J. Shepherd, M. Roberts, T. Watson, L. Connell, A. Phillips, R. Cleary, V. Yoganathan, P. Kelly, D. Keillor-Dunn
Subs: N. Farrugia, K. Flavell, D. McGoldrick, N. Ogbeta, J. Rooney, J. Russell, C. Vickers
Goals: V. Yoganathan (27')
Yellow Cards: L. Connell (30')

Match Stats:

Statistic	Stockport County	Barnsley
Possession	57%	43%
Shots	10	13
Shots on target	2	5
Goalkeeper saves	4	1
Aerial duels won	28	25
Fouls committed	11	8
Corners	4	6

Final Whistle

The final whistle brought mixed emotions from the travelling contingent, and rightly so. One point from a losing position should feel like a victory, but when you've gifted the opposition an equaliser in the dying minutes, it's hard to muster much enthusiasm. We'd controlled large periods without ever looking like putting the game to bed, and in League One that's often a recipe for dropped points. The stats flatter us slightly - 57% possession means nothing if you're not doing anything meaningful with the ball.

Credit where it's due though, Yoganathan continues to look the business in front of goal. His opener was the sort of clinical finish that wins matches, and with Cleary providing the ammunition from wide areas, we've got the makings of something here. The problem remains our inability to kill games off when we're ahead. Whether that's down to tactics, mentality, or simply lacking that ruthless streak, it's costing us precious points.

Still, there are worse places to drop points than Edgeley Park, and anyone who witnessed our recent struggles will take encouragement from the performance if not the result. If Hourihane can find a way to marry our possession play with more cutting edge in the final third, we might yet surprise a few people this season. The pieces are there - it's just a matter of putting them together when it matters most.