Football Season Guide

National League
England
National League
2011/2012
Stockport County
Clean filter

Stockport County

In


Martin Gritton (r)(att), Yeovil), Sean McConville (r)(mid), Accrington Stanley), John Nolan (sp)(mid), Ryan Fraughton (r)(mid), Tranmere), John Miles (r)(mid), Fleetwood), Nick Chadwick (r)(att), Barow), Ryan McCann (sp)(def), Airdrie), Euan Holden (sp)(mid), Sam Sheridan (sp)(mid), Bolton)

Out


Ian McLoughlin (r)(gk)), Alan Goodall (r)(def), Danny Swailes (r)(def), Jordan Rose (r)(def), Mansour Assoumani (sp)(def), Aaron Brown (sp)(def), James Vincent (sp)(mid), Kidderminster), Tom Fisher (sp)(mid), Macclesfield), Adam Griffin (r)(mid), David Poole (sp)(mid), Jake Simpson (sp)(mid), Wes Fletcher (sp)(att), end of loan), Ishmael Dementognac (sp)(mid), end of loan), Anthony Elding (r)(att), end of loan), Greg Tansey (r)(mid), Inverness CT), Paul Turnbull (r)(mid), Northampton)

Stockport County begin life in the Conference with a new untried manager and new owners hoping that the worst is behind them and the team from the Greater Manchester area will return to the successful days. Stockport have been in a downward spiral for a few years now, dropping out of League One and League Two in consecutive years while being in administration. For a few weeks in June it actually looked that the Hatters might not even be allowed to play in the Conference because of financial problems and uncertainty over ownership but a local consortium lead by businessman Tony Evans saved the club and provided the funds for a tilt at promotion in the upcoming campaign. He went for a marquee managerial appointment too in former Liverpool and Manchester City player Dietmar Hamann whose experience in the dugout amounts to a sean at MK Dons as a coach. The German will now start from the bottom and aim to have success with the beleaguered Hatters who are by no means guaranteed an automatic return to the Football League at the first attempt. He had to build a squad from scratch and most of the signings have been local players who do not have a great pedigree. Sean McConville is definitely the biggest coup of the summer, dropping from the upper division where he reached the play-offs last season with Accrington Stanley while Nick Chadwick and Martin Gritton can form a potent attacking partnership if they manage to stay fit. The defence seems the weakest part of the team with no real reinforcements coming in so far but the hope is that more business will be concluded at Edgeley Park by the end of August. One thing is for sure, the outlook for the fans is decidedly brighter than it was just a couple of months ago and even if they do not succeed at regaining their place in the Football League at the first attempt, which is the most likely outcome, they are at least back on sound financial footing for the time being and can start looking up and not behind their backs.

Target


The aim of the new owners is a quick return but in fact a place in the top half of the table is the more likely result given the fragile nature of the squad.