The Hatters returned to League One action with a trip to the seaside, and came away with a second successive maximum points-haul following a three-goal win at Blackpool that took them to the top of the table on goal difference.
Backed magnificently and vociferously by just shy of 4,000 travelling fans on the coast of the Fylde Peninsula, County bounced straight back from the midweek League Cup exit against Blackburn to win at a ground where the hosts had not lost in league action for nine months.
In what was a first visit to Bloomfield Road in 20 years and three days – when County had last triumphed over the ‘Seasiders’ – second-half goals from Louie Barry as well as substitutes Jayden Fevrier and Tanto Olaofe saw the Hatters ride to victory on the crest of an Irish Sea wave.
County took to the field on a bright and breezy afternoon, and with a starting line-up unchanged from that for the opening-day L1 meeting with Cambridge at Edgeley Park a week earlier. On the bench, there was a welcome reappearance for Olaofe, the previous season’s top-scoring Hatter who had undergone minor surgery during the summer.
The hosting Seasiders, who had last suffered a home defeat in the third tier towards the end of the previous November, included among their substitutes goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell, who had turned out between the sticks for County, whilst on loan from Chesterfield, in 2013.
With a little over five minutes played, a break by Jack Diamond down the right from the County half to the home area led to a delivery that Barry flicked on towards Kyle Wootton – only for goalkeeper Dan Grimshaw to claim ahead of the big striker. And, shortly afterwards, an inaugural attack of note for the hosts saw Kyle Joseph’s shot take a deflection off Callum Camps, before spinning beyond the right post for the contest’s first corner.
A deflected effort by Barry from outside the box fizzed past the left upright, in between spells of treatment for two Hatters – although, thankfully, both Corey Addai and Will Collar were subsequently fit to continue taking part in proceedings.
Just past the half-hour, Barry dispossessed Matt Pennington, before the defender recovered to block and deflect behind. And five minutes ahead of the break, the Aston Villa loanee struck the near post with an angled shot from the left, after being played in by Wootton.
During six minutes of added time, and with County finishing the half strongly, Collar crossed from the right to find Wootton – who headed over to leave the teams level at the interval.
HALF-TIME: Blackpool 0, County 0.
Lee Evans blasted over from distance for Blackpool shortly after the resumption, and two minutes later, courtesy of a low shot off the left post, Ash Fletcher had the ball in County’s net – only to have the goal ruled out for offside.
Camps cleared the crossbar at the other end, following a run from the halfway-line, and the end-to-end fare continued with Ryan Finnigan’s long-range drive that flew past the left post.
But cometh the hour – or, to be precise, seven minutes after it – cometh the man, as Barry, for the second Saturday running, netted in astonishingly fabulous style to put the Hatters ahead. Picking up the ball from Ibby Touray, he cut in to leave three players in his wake, before firing past the flailing Grimshaw and into the top-left corner.
Barry was then promptly given a well-earned rest – but his replacement was to follow in his footsteps with a goal, as, 15 minutes after his introduction, Fevrier latched on to Lewis Bate’s squared ball and blasted home with his left foot to double County’s advantage.
With seven minutes added on, Fevrier’s successful strike served as a welcome buffer for the Hatters – or, at least, would have done had they needed it. For, in the fourth of those minutes, Olaofe marked his return with a ferocious shot on the turn that made it three goals, and sealed the three points which, in the cold light of day, will show County leading League One.
FULL-TIME: Blackpool 0, County 3 (Barry, 67; Fevrier, 84; Olaofe, 90 + 4).
Team (3-4-3): Addai; Mingi (Olaofe, 87), Horsfall, Pye; Diamond (Onyango, 81), Camps, Bate (Capt.), Touray; Collar (Bailey, 87), Wootton, Barry (Fevrier, 69).
Unused Subs: Hinchliffe, Metcalfe, Gardner.
Booked: Collar.
Attendance: 12,567 (3,911 away).
Reporter: Gareth Evans.
Photographer: Mike Petch.
