THE CONGLETON COLLEGE FOOTBALL ACADEMY 4-4 STOCKPORT COLLEGE

The Congleton College 4-4 Stockport College

 

 The Congleton College produced a thrilling comeback to earn a hard-fought point after a 4-4 home draw with Stockport College.
 

The newly formed college have only been offering the BTEC Level Three diploma in Performance and Exercise course since September and they showed great character recovering from two goals behind on two occasions to gain their second point of the campaign.
 

Stockport took the lead after just five minutes when Kyle Clarke lifted the ball over Congleton goalkeeper Hallam Carslake from close-range.
 

Congleton came close to equalising in the 11^th minute after Liam Evans jumped the highest from Daniel Needham’s corner, but his header struck the foot of the post. The Bears continued to get into good positions but struggled to apply the cutting edge required.
 

The visitors doubled their lead halfway through the first half after Jack Fitzpatrick received a pass from a free kick and the Stockport midfielder half-volleyed the ball beyond Carslake at the near post.
 

Reece Carbutt showed great composure to pull a goal back for Congleton in the 27^th minute, sliding the ball across the goalkeeper and into the bottom right corner.
 

The Bears continued to press as they looked to go into half-time level and Stockport’s goalkeeper had to be on top form to maintain the Hatter’s advantage at the break. Ellis Connor-Davies was at full stretch to deny Daniel Needham, before the goalkeeper tipped Carbutt’s rising shot over the crossbar. Connor-Davies denied Congleton an equaliser again after he palmed the ball around the post with the last action of the first-half.

 

It was a slow start to the second-half and it took until the hour-mark before either goalkeeper was tested. Daniel Needham fired straight into the arms of Connor-Davies from close-range.

 

Congleton drew back level in the 67^th minute after Needham squared the ball to Reece Carbutt inside the area. Carbutt’s powerful shot produced a world class save from the Stockport goalkeeper, but Liam Evans bundled in the rebound to equalise.
 

Stockport scored two goals in the space of four minutes, leaving Congleton with a mountain to climb with only five minutes left of the match.
 

It looked like there would be no way back for Congleton, however, Liam Evans gave the Bears hope with four minutes to play. His curling free-kick found the bottom right corner after beating both the wall and goalkeeper.
 

A minute after the restart Congleton drew level, when George Archer scored from an acute angle to earn the college a hard-fought but deserved point.
 

Manager, Mr Donnelly said: “We have seen an improvement in each game this season. We were by far the better team; we dominated possession and played some great football in the process. The players were not satisfied with the draw, we wanted to win, which is a great attitude from the players, but I still think we need that win which the players deserve.”
 

Congleton College: Carslake, Laird, O’Gara, Guillon, Knapper, Archer, Reed, Evans, Hooper, Carbutt, Needham.
 

Written by Adam Bailey