Football Season Guide

Stockport endured a nightmare season last year and only late on managed to stave off the threat of second consecutive relegation. The return of Jim Gannon took a while to make an impact but by the end of the season the experienced manager managed to build a team of hungry youngsters who actually cared for the club and did well to get some good results. Now the task is to build on this encouraging platform and get some stability a few really awful years at Edgley Park. Gannon has once again focused on signing on young players from lower leagues and will hope that his side give it a good shot during the season. James Tunnicliffe, back at Stockport after a few years with Brighton and Wycombe, is the highlight of the close-season arrivals and is likely to form a solid duo at the back with Daniel O'Donnell. Daniel Rowe is another good capture as he joined on loan from Fleetwood until January having enjoyed a great three-month loan spell with the Hatters last season, playing a pivotal role in their survival. The one major departure is that of Tom Elliott but Danny Hattersley showed a lot of promise up front at the end of last season and Tom Collins is a capable player too and could make an impact for his new club. All in all, the Hatters have a more stable outlook than a year when Didi Hamann signed ten players in the last week before the start of the season. This is a cause for optimism among the fans but anything more than a mid-table security is likely to be out of reach for the Lancashire outfit.