Stockport County 1 Tranmere Rovers 0

Last updated : 14 August 2007 By Footymad Previewer
A goal five minutes from time from Stockport new boy Matty McNeil proved enough to see off unlucky Tranmere.

The visitors created the better of the chances, but McNeil pounced on a loose ball to shoot home from 20 yards while the rest of his team-mates were appealing for a penalty after Liam Dickinson was felled in the box.

Both managers names unchanged starting line-ups as the sun emerged through the clouds just prior to kick-off at Edgeley Park.

It was the visitors who settled into their stride the quickest and with 12 minutes gone the dangerous Calvin Zola saw an acrobatic effort deflected over for a corner.

From the resultant kick, Zola then saw a thumping header superbly saved by County goalkeeper Conrad Logan.

Logan was soon into the action again as he saved Chris Greenacre's snapshot at the second attempt.

Still Rovers were bossing proceedings and on 25 minutes it was Zola again as his scissor-kick was this time saved by the legs of Logan.

Stockport just couldn't get into the game and Rovers had the final chance of the first half a minute before the break when Steve Davies whipped in a cross to the far post, but Zola just couldn't stretch enough to get a decent shot away.

Barely a minute of the second half had gone when Rovers were denied by the woodwork as Davies's piledriver from 25 yards bounced back off the base of a post.

Stockport then hit back, however, with their first decent effort as David Poole teed up Anthony Elding and his shot was deflected just wide for a corner.

Matty McNeil then went close for County when he screwed a shot inches wide following a tempting cross from sub Dickinson.

With both sides going for the decisive goal the game could have gone either way in the closing stages, until McNeil's late winner which proved enough to book County a place in the second round.