Ben Osborn’s 94th-minute winner saw Stockport County scrape past Stevenage in the first leg of their League One Play-Off Semi-Final tie.
Osborn netted a 94th-minute close-range winner after he pounced upon a defensive mix-up between Filip Marschall and Carl Piergianni to settle a tightly-fought first leg.
Stockport now host Stevenage at Edgeley Park in the second leg on Wednesday 13 May at 8pm BST with a slender aggregate lead.
With two points having separated Stevenage and Stockport at the conclusion of the regular season, it wasn’t surprising that the opening half hour proved cagey with no shots on target.
Stevenage went close to breaking the deadlock with a 35th-minute header by Jordan Roberts from Jasper Pattenden’s cross which Corey Addai saved, before Addai tipped Roberts’ left-footed volley over eight minutes later.
The subsequent corner flew deep over the box but was collected by Roberts who swung a cross back into the box, yet Piergianni nodded wide of his near-right corner as Stockport clung on until half time.
Stockport eventually cranked up their gears on the hour mark as Adama Sidibeh fired wide from Piergianni’s deflection of a cross.
Stevenage however mounted a counter-attack six minutes later but Dan Kemp slipped inside the box under pressure from Tayo Edun, whose sloppiness in possession had initially allowed the hosts to attack, but referee – Charlie Breakspear refused to award Kemp a penalty.
Odin Bailey then forced a 69th-minute save from Stevenage’s Marschall to keep his free-kick out of his near top-right corner, before Marschall saved the subsequent corner.
Stockport’s pressure continued to build as Sidibeh nodded Ben Osborn’s cross wide in the 73rd minute, whilst Piergianni nodded a Stevenage free-kick from Phoenix Patterson over the bar four minutes later as the game began to become end-to-end in the closing stages.
Dave Challinor’s Hatters eventually snatched victory through Osborn’s tap-in from a defensive mix-up between Piergianni and Marschall, after Benony Breki Andresson had intercepted Piergianni but slipped as he approached the box, which left the ball loose for Osborn to finish off.
Stockport now head into their home leg on Wednesday with a Play-Off Final spot in their own hands.
Teams
Stevenage: Filip Marschall, Jasper Pattenden, Charlie Goode, Carl Piergianni, Saxon Earley (Butler 89′), Dan Kemp, Louis Thompson (D. Phillips 72′), Harvey White (Houghton 72′), Jordan Roberts, Matt Phillips (Patterson 72′), Jamie Reid
Substitutes: Taye Ashby-Hammond, Dan Butler, Jordan Houghton, Luther James-Wildin, Phoenix Patterson, Daniel Phillips, Dan Sweeney
Stockport: Corey Addai, Josh Dacres-Cogley, Kyle Wootton, Ethan Pye, Tayo Edun, Odin Bailey, Oliver Norwood, Josh Stokes (Andresson 91′), Ben Osborn, Adama Sidibeh (Olaofe 76′), Louie Barry (Diamond 76′)
Substitutes: Benony Breki Andresson, Jack Diamond, Roman Dixon, Lewis Fiorini, Ben Hinchcliffe, Malik Mothersille, Isaac Olaofe
Referee – Charles Breakspear
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