Welcome back to the EFL Stockport County.

[Back in the DHSS]

Surely, 2-0 up against Halifax.

Happy to see you back and especially for those 3000 diehards who stuck with you during the last decade or so.

 

[Chief Rocka]

The return of DC, should be interesting!

 

[kieran_vale]

Quite the journey they’ve been on even dropping into the regionals at one point. Fair play to them but I hope we don’t end up seeing them ourselves.

 

[F!RTHY]

Quite the journey they’ve been on even dropping into the regionals at one point. Fair play to them but I hope we don’t end up seeing them ourselves.

Aye, they were playing against City-neighbours Park Avenue only in March 2018.

Plenty of financial backing, which has helped their cause - but credit where credit is due.

Haven’t been to EP since 2011. The heavens opened and we all got pissed on.

 

[AdamStag]

They went down from the conference the season we won it, and that was 7 years ago!

 

[YEO YEO YEO]

Pleased they're back, got relegated with us out of the league in 2011!

 

[GFC4EVA]

Welcome back Stockport, pleased for them as they have suffered enough over the years, hopefully get to Edgley Park next season

 

[The Terminator]

Welcome back Stockport.

I watched them lose 1-0 at FCUM in an FA Cup qualifying replay back in 2017 and it looked a long road back for them then, but they've finally done it.

They will be well back next season financially. If Wrexham come up too, I'd say the two coming up from the National League are stronger than the 4 who've just come down from League One.

 

[chipmunx]

Welcome back Stockport.

I watched them lose 1-0 at FCUM in an FA Cup qualifying replay back in 2017 and it looked a long road back for them then, but they've finally done it.

They will be well back next season financially. If Wrexham come up too, I'd say the two coming up from the National League are stronger than the 4 who've just come down from League One.

and some - they'll both be trying to buy players from Championship sides.....

 

[Soup Ladle]

The return of DC, should be interesting!

Best turn off the socials in the week up to and the week after that match

 

[Soup Ladle]

Welcome back Stockport.

I watched them lose 1-0 at FCUM in an FA Cup qualifying replay back in 2017 and it looked a long road back for them then, but they've finally done it.

They will be well back next season financially. If Wrexham come up too, I'd say the two coming up from the National League are stronger than the 4 who've just come down from League One.

They definitely are, the L1 bottom 4 usually contains 2 or 3 very weak sides and its not unheard of back to back relegations to the NL.

Stockport will go straight up I'd imagine. Would surprise me if they're not in the mix.

 

[northstandexile]

They went down from the conference the season we won it, and that was 7 years ago!

You mean nine years ago

 

[BRFC_Gas]

Welco.........oh wait

 

[kieran_vale]

Aye, they were playing against City-neighbours Park Avenue only in March 2018.

Plenty of financial backing, which has helped their cause - but credit where credit is due.

Haven’t been to EP since 2011. The heavens opened and we all got pissed on.

We used to have a decent little mini rivalry among a few clubs in the early 90’s in what is now L1. There was us, Stoke, Stockport, Bolton and WBA all competing with each other, made for some great games.

I think that now they’ve got back their league status they probably won’t throw stupid money at it. It’s more the getting to the EFL a lot of clubs throw everything at. Once there it doesn’t need a huge amount to compete.

 

[Kauto Star]

Welcome back Stockport.

We've had some fierce battles with them over the years, on and off the pitch, especially in the 70's and 80's. However, it's good to see a good well supported traditional former league club back.

 

[PuB]

Welcome back County. I enjoyed my trip to Edgeley Park all that time ago when we last played each other.

Prepare for opposition fans moaning about the lack of a roof on the away end though…

 

[Valeite]

Already looking forward to queueing to get in that crap end once more.

 

[Crewelad87]

Welcome back Stockport. Seems a very long time ago you got relegated into non league at Crewe. Should make for some lively games next season, hopfully Vale stay down and Wrexham join you in coming up, to complete a good set of fixtures next year.

 

[Bartonyellow]

Good to see them back. Well supported club. Could see them bouncing straight through to league 1 - they have that winning mentality which we have seen before. Momentum can take you places, plus a feel good factor. Madden is proven at this level.

 

[BRFC_Gas]

Welcome back Stockport. Seems a very long time ago you got relegated into non league at Crewe. Should make for some lively games next season, hopfully Vale stay down and Wrexham join you in coming up, to complete a good set of fixtures next year.

What happened with Anthony Evans at Crewe? One of the best midfielders in L2 this season

 

[Crewelad87]

Already looking forward to queueing to get in that crap end once more.

Forgot about that took about 20 minutes to get in last time I went. 1500 fans queuing to get through 2 turnstiles.

 

[Crewelad87]

What happened with Anthony Evans at Crewe? One of the best midfielders in L2 this season

Could tell he had some talent, especially from set pieces, but we had a very talented team that year, alot of them now play in the championship so he was abit over shadowed and found it hard to nail down a starting place.

Oddly probably his best performances that year was at Bristol Rovers, maybe a reason you signed him.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

It will be interesting to see how they do, unlike some of the previous splash the cash clubs they do have a decent fan base to push club forward but the money doesn’t buy success once you hit L2, it took FGR a while and Salford have been burning cash for fun to achieve nothing.

Plus I am unsure how much cash this Stockport owner has to continue p*ssing if it doesn’t rise quickly, a check around the net suggests he’s worth quite a few million, but it’s all in assets and businesses than money in the bank and it’s how much bank will keep allowing loans before it dries up.

The short summer may help them, keeping that momentum going.

 

[Boz]

Congratulations to Stockport. They've done their time outside the FL and well deserved the promotion this season, though always a bit wary about more moneybags teams in L2. On a personal level the last time I saw Rovers win away was at Edgeley Park.

 

[valefan16]

Decent sized club and to be fair they’ve been to hell and back going down to the NLN, if we stay down it should be a good away day, it’s a ground we’ve had a few decent results at in recent meetings.

Still remember a 2-2 there with Sam Collins equalising late on against 10 men and a little old fella calling me scum because he felt Billy Paynter had got their lad sent off… not sure what I personally had to do with it!

Should be a strong side in this level and arguably stronger than any of the four coming down so be interesting to see how they do, as mentioned money doesn’t guarantee anything as Salford have found out. Pleased for Ryan Johnson as well, seemed a good lad and a shame it didn’t work out at Vale.

 

[AdamStag]

All the fans in the conference seemingly fucked off to a different forum when this was last down, so be interesting to see if they’ve any still about, i recall a woody and who needs mourinho i believe.

 

[PuB]

All the fans in the conference seemingly fucked off to a different forum when this was last down, so be interesting to see if they’ve any still about, i recall a woody and who needs mourinho i believe.

The site they ran away to has no league 2 posters. So they can rattle around there or find somewhere else I guess.

 

[Who Needs Mourinho]

It’s good to be back!

Had a proper look at the potential teams we’d be up against in comparison to the NL and it doesn’t seem like a big step up in size of club in comparison with the top half of the NL at least.

As you all know we are now bankrolled but as you’d have also seen the majority of our squad is made up of League Two rejects or players who’ve spent their careers in non league and they have been supplemented by big money signings.

Since our takeover just over two years ago there have been six permanent signings that I’d say were marquee and the wedge persuaded them to drop down when they could have been playing in the EFL:

Liam Hogan - At the time he was our first big signing and was Salford’s captain and eventually became our captain too. He’s out of contract and was left out of the 16 today so it’s very likely he’ll be on his way.

John Rooney - Signed for around 100k and produced some moments of magic but didn’t fit into our style under DC and was sold back to Barrow.

Connor Jennings - Had been playing in League One for Tranmere before we picked him up. No doubt our money persuaded him to drop down but he he’s been a huge flop. Lovely guy and thankfully he recovered from cancer but he’s now out of contract and won’t be kept on.

Paddy Madden - Our biggest WTF signing as he was a regular at Fleetwood in League One at the time. 250k fee reportedly and god knows how much in wages but without him we don’t get promoted so he’s been worth it.

Scott Quigley - 75k from Barrow to drop down a division. He claimed it was location not money that saw him drop but I don’t think anyone believes that. He’s fallen out of favour recently with DC and rumours that he might head back to Barrow.

Antoni Sarcevic - Right place, right time with this one as had a big falling out with Evatt shortly after the transfer window had shut. Actually didn’t need to pay a fee but the offer of a big wedge and our location persuaded him to join us rather than wait it out until January. He, just like Madden has been crucial in our promotion.

I should imagine we might make a big signing or two this summer and push for a top seven spot. We lack pace at the back and up top so would hope we address that.

If Wrexham come through the playoffs I see them being in the auto race. They are a couple of notches up the bankrolled ladder having spent more than us in half the time and can see them making a lot more big money signings this summer.

 

[RLC]

It is a shame it has not worked out for Connor Jennings at Edgeley Park. He is still a semi-legendary figure with our fans because of the role he played in dragging us out of non-league football.

He was out of his depth in League One, but should be more than good enough in League Two or the Conference. I suppose his illness may have taken a lot out of him.

Wrexham coming up is my idea of Hell, for the reasons outlined above.

 

[Who Needs Mourinho]

It is a shame it has not worked out for Connor Jennings at Edgeley Park. He is still a semi-legendary figure with our fans because of the role he played in dragging us out of non-league football.

He was out of his depth in League One, but should be more than good enough in League Two or the Conference. I suppose his illness may have taken a lot out of him.

Wrexham coming up is my idea of Hell, for the reasons outlined above.

I’d say he was just as bad before the illness though so that’s the worry. There wasn’t one game during the two years that I’d have given him a 7/10 or higher.

He had a spell with us earlier in his career and was really well liked (and still is now on a personal level) but he’s had Alexis Sanchez at Man Utd vibes on the pitch this time round I’m afraid.

Alty have just gone FT so a spell there wouldn’t surprise me and I do hope he can get his mojo back.