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Stockport County 3 Rochdale 2

Simon Smedley
28/ 5/2008

IT’S THERE! After a long, hard season heroic County made it into League One on Monday thanks to a breath-taking Wembley victory against Rochdale.

Emotions inside the stadium ran high after the final whistle as Jim Gannon’s brilliant Hatters secured their dream promotion thanks to a richly deserved success against Keith Hill’s battlers.

Could it all be true? You bet it could as the Hatters faithful celebrated wildly in their sumptuous surroundings after Mr Attwell’s final whistle finally blew.

The atmosphere was cranking up nicely as the County players appeared for their pre-match warm-up at 2.20pm, and the teamsheets revealed just one starting XI change made by boss Gannon.

Anthony Pilkington came in for Leon McSweeney, while for Dale, Offerton-based ex-Hatter Adam Le Fondre came in for a start after being benched for their two play-off semi-finals.

Spine-tingling was the best way to describe the atmosphere as both sets of players filed out onto the pitch and, after the fireworks, the flames, and the emotional national anthem, it was down to business.

There were early touches for both ‘keepers, although nothing to test Conrad Logan and Tommy Lee, until the 18th minute when Liam Dickinson sneaked past Rory McArdle before seeing a deflected shot comfortably saved.

Dickinson then found a yard of space, but shot low and wide from 20 yards.

Disaster struck for County on 23 minutes, however.

Chris Dagnall’s shot was deflected inches wide for a corner off Jim McNulty, and from the subsequent in-swinging kick from Kallum Higginbotham, McArdle powered home a header past Logan at the near post.

It was bounce back time for the Hatters now.

And they almost did that on 29 minutes when Pilkington’s curling free-kick missed the far post by just a whisker.

The brave Hatters did get their goal on 33 minutes.

A short corner routine saw Tommy Rowe send in an in-swinging cross from the right, McNulty dived in, but it was Dale defender Nathan Stanton who just seemed to get the final glancing touch as the ball fizzed past Lee.

The County faithful went wild, and they kept the atmosphere levels right up going into the interval as both sides went in locked at 1-1.

Both sides were now kicking towards their own fans, and that must have inspired County as they quickly went into the lead.

After three minutes Michael Rose crossed from the left and there was Pilkington, who stooped to head the ball high into the Rochdale net off the underside of the crossbar.

After the delirium eventually died down, County appeared to grow in confidence, although Dale skipper Gary Jones went close on 59 minutes when he fizzed a shot inches wide from 25 yards.

Pilkington went on a mazy run before McArdle blocked his shot, before promotion was all but wrapped up on 67 minutes.

Pilkington stretched to cross in from the right this time, and that man Dickinson simply smashed in a screamer of a shot low past Lee at the near post.

County in dreamland - you bet they were!

Rose curled a free-kick just wide and Rowe blasted into the side-netting, but amazingly the game was back at 3-2 with 13 minutes to go.

County sub Leon McSweeney failed to get distance on his clearing header, and Adam Rundle thumped home a crisp volley from 15 yards.

McSweeney almost atoned when he forced a diving save out of Lee, then McNulty dived in for a header which hit the side-netting.

The tension was almost unbearable as the clock ticked down, but County, super County, held on their lead and it’s now into LEAGUE ONE!

CLICK HERE to see all the pictures from a memorable day ...