Mason Burstow’s powerful header 15 minutes from time made it four straight pre-season wins under Sergej Jakirovic with a 1-0 success at League One Stockport County. A much-improved second-half display from the visitors at Edgeley Park saw Ryan Giles provide the cross for Burstow’s bullet header to get him off the mark ahead of the new campaign.
Plenty of questions remain about City’s squad two weeks out from the opening weekend of the Championship season, especially in midfield and up front, but another victory should give them heart. In the opening exchanges, City were struggling with the movement in Stockport’s midfield, orchestrated by the experienced Ollie Norwood, and it was the hosts who fashioned the early chances.
Jack Diamond twice shot wide from good positions, while Callum Camps forced a smart stop at his near post from Ivor Pandur, and there was an air shot 12 yards out from Ashton Mee. The lack of chemistry and cohesion between Regan Slater, Matt Crooks, and Kasey Palmer was a real concern for the Tigers, with the trio struggling to string any meaningful moves together.
City’s first opening came from a neat flick from Pharrell Brown which released Ryan Giles to gallop down the left to send over an inch-perfect cross for Abu Kamara at the back post unmarked, but his casual finish was into the ground and over the bar it went. It was such a good opening from the visitors, and one they really should have taken.
The lively former Lincoln City man, Tayo Edun, was forced off with an injury after a collision with Cody Drameh, and skipper Lewis Bate was also stricken before the break.
Jakirovic’s side had their moments without testing the goalkeeper, but it was a different case entirely at the other end, with Pandur working just before the break, tipping a rasping Camps volley onto the bar and behind for a corner.
The sole City change at the break came in goal with Dillon Phillips replacing Pandur, and he immediately gave a chance to Camps after a sloppy ball out to Hughes. His sigh of relief was palpable when Camps skied the shot from 12 yards out, Slater saw a near-post effort turned behind by the goalkeeper as City tried to fashion a way through
Just after the hour, on came Tyrell Sellars-Fleming, Mason Burstow, Cathal McCarthy, Semi Ajayi, and Nathan Tinsdale, replacing Joseph, Palmer, Slater, Hughes, and Brown. Hughes’ departure saw Egan take the captain’s armband.
Crooks almost found the opener when his strike was well-blocked on the line from Tinsdale’s corner, but that was only a momentary reprieve for the League One outfit.
The lead came for City with 15 minutes to go and gave the noisy band of City fans something to cheer. McCarthy prodded to Tinsdale, who fed Giles on the overlap, and his fine cross was met by the head of Mason Burstow.
That was Giles’ last action as he came off, along with Crooks and Drameh, with Noah Wadsworth, Harry Vaughan, and Stan Ashbee coming on in their place. McCarthy was booked for a foul on Norwood, and shortly after, Norwood was booked for a foul on McCarthy as the referee gave his cards a pre-season workout.
Zane Myers was the final change of the afternoon for City, coming on for Kamara, leaving Egan as the only Tigers man to play the full 90 minutes.
Pre-season is rarely convincing, and there remain numerous questions about City going into the new campaign, but four wins on the bounce and another clean sheet is positive progress for the new manager ahead of Sunderland’s visit to the MKM Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Stockport County: Addai, O’Keefe, Bate (c), Diamond, Camps, Mothersille, Edun, Pye, Connolly, Norwood, Mee. Metcalfe, Wogan, Watson, Allen, Kouam, Gardner, Lawless.
Hull City: Pandur, Giles, Egan, Hughes (c), Drameh, Slater, Crooks, Palmer, Kamara, Brown, Joseph. Subs: Phillips, Ajayi, Vaughan, Sellars-Fleming, Ashbee, Myers, Tinsdale, Burstow, McCarthy, Wadsworth,
Referee: Tom Kirk
Attendance: 3,829 (921 from Hull City)
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