Dave Challinor hailed match-winner Louie Barry after his superb strike earned Stockport a 1-0 victory at home to top-six rivals Wrexham.
The two sides have been locked together through the climb from non-League football to League One. But it took a brilliant curling effort midway through the first half to settle matters at Edgeley Park.
And manager Challinor was quick to praise his leading scorer, who made it 11 goals in the league this season.
“That’s a Louie Barry goal, he does that with very pleasing regularity from my perspective,” he said.
“I go back to my first day at the football club when he came in and flipped one to his right foot and smashed it in that far side. And that’s his goal, his finish. He can go both ways and it causes defenders real problems. You might know he’s going to do it but stopping him is another matter.
“Yeah, if you’re ever going to pick a Louie Barry goal, it would look like that.
“We were a little bit deep early on and a bit pointless in our possession rather than purposeful for 10 or 15 minutes. Once Louie scored the goal, that 20 or 40 minutes was as good as we’ve been and we made a very good team struggle to deal with us. We played some really good stuff in the second half.
“That’s what I want us to look like all the time, I thought we did really well to limit a good side – that asks you to defend for the whole 90 minutes – to very few opportunities, which were few and far between, so that’s a massive pat on the back for our defence.”
Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson felt his side were too passive as their five-game unbeaten run ended in an electric atmosphere.
“In the first half I thought we were too far off them in the midfield and we let their central midfield players dictate the game, which is disappointing,” Parkinson said.
“We’d spoken about that and we just couldn’t get up to them quick enough. And we lacked composure in that first half, in a real derby atmosphere.
“We’d spoken about competing and being physical and playing our way to get a foot in the game but we need to have more composure in terms of our clearances, and just in our quality and our decision-making as a whole.
“There just wasn’t enough quality and composure from us in that first half. In the second half we were a lot better.
“There was one unbelievable moment that separated the two teams, that was a top-class finish. I don’t think there was too much to separate the teams apart from that. I thought in the second half we had a period where we were going to get back in it.
“It’s been a good run and it’s frustrating that it’s ended because this game means a lot to both teams, the way we have competed over the years. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be today, so we move on.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. PORTUGAL WIN THE UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE ON PENALTIES Nuno Mendes 😎 Anti Right Winger Morata : Me again? Congratulations Portugal & Ronaldo Kepa in Arsenal be like I am sorry. Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: BleacherReportFootball, Justtoonit, originaltrollfootball)...
PSG get talks underway with Bournemouth for ZabarnyiFabrizio Romano reports that PSG are determined to sign Ilya Zabarnyi this summer. While talks are underway with Bournemouth, the two clubs have not yet reached an agreement. The player remains keen to join Les Parisiens.Everton join Newcastle in race to sign GrealishEverton are interesting in acquiring the services of Manchester City outcast Jac...
WHAT HAPPENED?Napoli striker Osimhen has reportedly made up his mind on his future, and it seems like it won't include a sensational move to the Middle East. This comes from a scoop from journalist Buchi Laba, who reports that Osimhen has rejected a fifth offer from Saudi side Al-Hilal and would rather continue his career in Europe.THE BIGGER PICTURELaba claims that Osimhen is not interested in a ...
France captain Kylian Mbappe says he is satisfied with his side bouncing back from their Nations League loss to Spain in the third-placed play-off.Les Bleus finished the campaign with a win over Germany, thanks to goals from the Real Madrid star and Michael Olise.And while there was a lot to like about the French performance in Stuttgart, Mbappe took a balanced approach to things in his post-match...
WHAT HAPPENED?The German club have asked to be kept up to date on Sancho's situation, with the Man Utd outcast being touted as a possible replacement for Chelsea target Jamie Gittens, as per Sky Sports. Sancho has already re-joined the club from Manchester United once - a six-month loan spell at the end of last season - and could yet return for a third spell with the German giants. Chelsea paid a ...
Jobe Bellingham of Sunderland celebrates getting promoted back to the Premier LeagueEngland U21 midfielder Jobe Bellingham has agreed terms to leave Sunderland for Borussia Dortmund in a deal reported at around 331 million including add-ons.The Bedlington-born starlet joins the German club on a five-year contract following Sunderland's promotion to the Premier League.Dortmund has reportedly agreed...
Brian Priske has chosen to return to Sparta PragueBrian Priske has returned to Sparta Prague to take up the position as head coach, say the Czech club on their website."We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new head coach. We welcome Brian, who knows the environment in the club. We strongly believe that he will build on the successful work he has delivered in the past and help Sparta w...
Borussia Dortmund keen on signing Jadon SanchoBorussia Dortmund are weighing up a fresh move for Jadon Sancho amid uncertainty over his future at Manchester United.The Bundesliga side have requested to be kept informed about the Englishman’s status at Old Trafford, with the out-of-favour winger seen as a potential replacement for Chelsea-linked Jamie Gittens, according to Sky Sports.Sancho i...
Gravenberch names his 2025 Ballon d'Or favouriteRyan Gravenberch shared his 2025 Ballon d'Or choice, backing his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah to win the prestigious award.The Egypt international was the frontrunner for the 2025 Ballon d'Or during the first half of the season, topping both the goals and assists charts in the Premier League.0"That's a tough one, but I'll go for my teammate: Moha...
Uriah RennieUriah Rennie, the first black man to referee in the Premier League, has died at the age of 65.WHAT HAPPENED?In August 1997, Rennie was named as the referee for a Premier League game between Derby County and AFC Wimbledon and made history as the division's first ever black referee. He went on to officiate over 300 top-flight games across 11 years, as well as refereeing domestic cup fina...
- 1 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 2 Marcus Rashford 'grows close' to stunning semi-pro padel player
- 3 Why Premier League transfer may be off the cards for Victor Osimhen as Man Utd make 'timid' attempts to convince striker
- 4 Chukwueze reveals cause of AC Milan’s ‘disastrous’ season
- 5 FIFA confirms 34 team base camp training sites in the United States for 2025 Club World Cup, including nine in Florida and five in Calitornia
- 6 Man Utd continue to be linked with Emi Martinez
- 7 Daily Laugh - Morata : Me again?
- 8 Daily Laugh - Mbeumo and his amazing talent
- 9 Transfer news: Jadon Sancho announces move as Liverpool confirm deal
- 10 England player ratings vs Andorra: Cole Palmer disappoints as Kane bails out Tuchel