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Stockport County Football Club are an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, currently playing in League Two, after dramatically avoiding relegation to the Conference in the 2005-06 season.
Their most successful season in modern times was 1996-97, when they reached the League Cup semi finals and were promoted to Division One under the management of Dave Jones.
Other significant former managers of Stockport include Danny Bergara, Gary Megson, Andy Kilner, Carlton Palmer and Chris Turner.
George Best, the legendary former Manchester United and Northern Ireland forward, had a brief spell with Stockport during the 1970s.
Overview
Stockport County were formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers by members of the Wycliffe Congressional Church, and played their first recorded game in October the next year. Shortly after they merged with a similarly named club, Heaton Norris, and on the 24th May 1890 changed their name to Stockport County to reflect Stockport becoming a County Borough.
The club adopted 'The Hatters' as their nickname, since hat-making was the source of much employment in Stockport. The name is shared with Luton Town. Stockport supporters generally refer to their team simply as 'County'.
The club first played in the Lancashire league until 1900 when Stockport gained admission to the Football League Second Division. However, the club finished in the bottom three for their first four seasons until they failed to gain re-election at the end of the 1903/04 season, going back to the Combination for one season. Stockport County won the league & were re-admitted to the Football League for the 1905/06 season and have managed to stay in the League for the next hundred years, although they had to be re-elected on four occasions.
After spending much of their history in the lower reaches of the Football League, in the 1996/97 season Stockport County gained promotion to then Division One, the second tier of English football, by finishing second in Division Two. Other highlights of that season included reaching the semi-final of the League Cup, losing 2-1 on aggregate to Middlesbrough. The stay in Division One lasted five years, eventually ending in the 2001/02 season with the club now playing in the Football League Two, the fourth tier of English Football.
In 2003 then chairman Brendan Elwood sold the club to Cheshire Sport, who bought the club’s ground, Edgeley Park, and cleared the club’s debts. The takeover by Cheshire Sport also saw Rugby Union side Sale Sharks move to Edgeley Park.
In June 2005 moves were made by the Stockport County Supporters Trust to buy the club and attempt to rescue the club from revenue loss by working on turning the club into a community based football club and breaking even. On the July 8 at 10:30 the deal went through, and the club was then owned by the supporters trust.
Support
With both Manchester United and Manchester City around 7 miles from Edgeley Park, Stockport County have always faced fierce competition for local support. Even during the 1998-99 season crowds averaged around 20,000 less than local rivals City, who were a division below County at the time.
Although the club has had great misfortunes on the pitch from 2000-01 onwards, crowds have continued to be rather healthy. In fact, during the 2005-06 season home attendances (that is, given attendances minus away support) increased slightly on the season before, no doubt helped by a 10,006 crowd against Carlisle - only the second 5-figure crowd in the whole decade so far. The club's away support actually increased by a third that season, including over 2,200 supporters at Macclesfield, 1,500 at Rochdale, 1,600 at Chester, 1,800 at Bury and 1,400 who travelled all the way to Barnet.
(Figures taken from 2005-06 Stockport County match programmes)
Other examples of notable support during the 2005-06 season; supporters organised two Tifo-like card displays - a simple white cross on a blue background using 1,300 cards away to Bury and a large '12' at home to Carlisle, which was chosen to signify the supporters acting as the '12th player'. Also during that season, Stockport's supporters were featured on various documentaries shown both domestically and in Denmark & South Korea.
Stockport supporters also have one of the largest amounts of unique songs & chants in the country, being ranked 7th on http://www.footballchants.org.
Manager
Jim Gannon was appointed manager on January 17 2006. Gannon had been appointed caretaker manager following Chris Turner's resignation in the wake of County's six-nil defeat by Macclesfield Town.Gannon led county slowly away from relegation albeit with not very attractive football.He tended to rely on hopeful punts upfield for the strikers to chase.
Gannon, a former playing hero with Stockport who was a mainstay in the history making 1996/97 side, took over Stockport at arguably their lowest ever ebb. County were rock bottom of the table, five points from safety and looking odds on to drop out of the football league for the first time in their history.
Gannon achieved what many thought was impossible in second half of the season, steering them out of the relegation zone and after a dramatic last day of the season, to safety, guaranteeing football league status for at least another season.
Recent Managers
Current squad
As of 30 June, 2006:
Note: A 'Y' indicates that the player originally came through the Stockport County youth system.
2006 Summer transfers
In:- Tony Dinning signed from Port Vale F.C.
- Michael Rose signed from Yeovil Town F.C.
- Gareth Owen on a one year loan from Oldham Athletic F.C.
Out:
- Matt Hamshaw - released
- Ezekiel Tomlinson - released
- Danny Boshell - released
- Harpal Singh - released
- Mickael Wolski - released
Grounds
Originally Stockport County played home matches at the Heaton Norris Recreation Ground, then played at various locations in Stockport until settling at a park by the Nursery Inn on Green Lane, Heaton Norris.
In 1902 County required a larger ground and moved to Edgeley Park, then home of Stockport Rugby League Club, who folded a few years later. Stockport County have stayed at Edgeley Park ever since, celebrating the centenary in 2002 by playing Spanish side Athletic Bilbao.
In late 2000 the club considered moving to Maine Road, the former home of rivals Manchester City. The potential move was unpopular with supporters, and protests were staged after it was suggested that the club would change its name to Man-Stock County after the move. Ultimately the protests were not necessary as Manchester City Council decreed that Sale Sharks would make better tenants, only for the rugby union side to fail to come up with the required cash.
Maine Road has since been demolished to make way for a housing estate and, ironically, Edgeley Park is now shared with Sale. Stockport’s reserve fixtures were initially held at Woodley Sports' Lambeth Grove stadium, however upon relegation County reduced the size of their playing squad considerably and as a consequence no longer field a reserve team.
Recent League History
| Season | Division | Place | Overall | Points | G/D | Av. Crowd |
| 2005-06 | (4) League Two | 22nd | 90th | 52 | -21 | 4,768 |
| 2004-05 | (3) League One | 24th (R) | 68th | 26 | -49 | 5,000 |
| 2003-04 | (3) Division Two | 19th | 63rd | 52 | -8 | 5,315 |
| 2002-03 | (3) Division Two | 14th | 58th | 55 | -5 | 5,489 |
| 2001-02 | (2) Division One | 24th (R) | 44th | 26 | -60 | 6,245 |
| 2000-01 | (2) Division One | 19th | 39th | 51 | -7 | 7,031 |
| 1999-2000 | (2) Division One | 17th | 37th | 54 | -12 | 7,273 |
| 1998-99 | (2) Division One | 16th | 36th | 53 | -11 | 7,898 |
| 1997-98 | (2) Division One | 8th | 28th | 65 | +2 | 8,323 |
| 1996-97 | (3) Division Two | 2nd (P) | 46th | 82 | +18 | 6,424 |
Honours
| Football League | Other Competitions |
Club Records
| Team Records | Player Records |
Trivia
- County often used to play games on a Friday evening in order to try to attract fans of nearby Manchester City & United to visit Edgeley Park.
- Stockport hold The Football League record for the largest winning margin when they defeated Halifax Town 13-0 on January 6th, 1934.
- The lowest ever recorded crowd at an English League match was 13, at Stockport County vs. Leicester City. County’s own ground was under suspension at the time due to crowd trouble during a game against Sheffield Wednesday, and the match against Leicester was held at Old Trafford, home of Manchester United. Man Utd had played Derby County earlier that day and around 2,000 fans decided to take in two matches for the price of one. The figure of 13 is those who paid to enter the ground for the second match. Stockport County's lowest actual attendance is 1,039 vs. Southend Utd, February 15th 1984.
- The longest ever football match took place at Edgeley Park in 1946, when Stockport County played Doncaster Rovers F.C. in the Division Three (North) Cup. The game ended 2-2 after 90 minutes, and after 30 minutes of extra time there was still no winner, and it was decided that the match should carry on until there was a winner. Some stories tell of supporters leaving the match, going home for tea, and returning to find the game still being played. After 203 minutes of football, the referee blew his whistle to signify the end of the game at around 7pm. A toss of a coin decided that a replay of the game would be held at Doncaster's ground, Belle Vue, which Rovers won 4-0.
- Jack Connor & Alf Lythgoe have both scored three consecutive hat-tricks (a 'hat-trick of hat-tricks') - two of only six players ever to have done so.
- Manchester United legend George Best moved to Stockport on loan in 1975, scoring two goals in three appearances before joining North American Soccer League side Los Angeles Aztecs.
- David & Alec Herd were the first father & son to play in a Football League match together, when Stockport County beat Hartlepool 2-0 at Edgeley Park in 1952.
- Former England goalkeeper David Seaman made his first ever appearance against Stockport back in 1982 whilst playing for Peterborough United. Posh lost 3-1.
External links
- Official Site
- Hatters Independent Supporters Club Online
- Stockport County Unofficial Supporters Message Board
- Hatters Matters
- Stockport County Supporters Trust
- Stockport County MAD Unofficial Site
- County4Life
Sport in Greater Manchester | English football clubs | Stockport
"Stockport County F.C."