Stockport County v Notts County

Official Matchday Programme

vs Notts County Tuesday 23rd February Kick-off 7:45pm

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Stockport County FC Edgeley Park, Hardcastle Road, Stockport, SK3 9DD

Chairman: Mark Stott Chief Executive Officer: Jonathan Vaughan Directors: Mark Stott (Majority Shareholder), Jonathan Vaughan, Ken Knott, Mark Dawson Club President: Steve Bellis Brand and Communications Director: David Ancell Director of Operations: Richard Simkin Life Presidents: Angela White, Robert Smith Bewley, Arthur Collister, Steve Cree, Richard Hill, Mike Flynn, George Hudson, John Rutter Director of Football: Simon Wilson Club Ambassadors: John Fitzpatrick, Freddie Goodwin, Alan Ogley Head of Football Administration: Alex Cowdy First-Team Manager: Simon Rusk Assistant Manager: Dave Conlon Assistant Manager: Mark McGhee Goalkeeping Coach: Karl Lenaghan Physio: Luke Smith Strength & Conditioning: Nick Donnelly Kit Manager: Richard Landon First Team Scouting Consultant: Alan Lord Head of Performance Analysis: Sean O’Callaghan Club Doctor: Amjad Choudry Head of Commercial and Ticketing: Olivia Hanvey Conference and Events Manager: Melissa Ellison Retail & Photography: Mike Petch Online Shop: www.stockportcounty.com/shop Marketing Manager: Alice Gregory Content Executive: Carl Gozem Media Executive: Liam Richardson Ticket Office (matchdays only, from 12:30pm): Sarah Dibben Stadium Safety Officer: Steve Walker Facilities Stadium Maintenance & COVID Manager: Rick Hinks Head Groundsman: Mike O’Brien Community Foundation: Dave Wardle Website: www.scfcfoundation.com Junior Supporters Club: Ian Butterworth, Brenda Williams Stockport County Lottery: Tom Quayle Historian & Statistician: Ian Watts & Marcus Heap Website: gogogocounty.org Stadium Announcer: Kenny Boxshall Turnstile Manager: Pete Kidd Half-Time Draw: Tony Malone Mascot Supervisor: Louise Mellor Customer Relationship Management Executive: Theo Bielby Videographer: Dan Powell

county

Editor: Keith Chapman Editorial Contributors: Andy Monks, David Ancell, Alice Gregory, Neil Simms, Gareth Evans, Steve Beswick, Mike Petch, Paul Dean, Olivia Hanvey, Ian Watts, Mark Heys, Luke Smith, Liam Richardson, Ian Butterworth, Brenda Williams, Greg Hall, Jon Keighren, Oshor Williams, Steven Davies, Dave Wardle, Stephen Kenneth, Steve Bellis, Sam Preston, Alex Cowdy, Sam Byrne, Ian Brown, Peter Attfield.

Design by: Daniel Parker, Duplexity Artwork.

Stockport County FC is the trading name of Stockport County 2010 Ltd (7254012), which is wholly owned by Stockport Community Leisure Company Ltd (7240006), a private company limited by shares. The registered office is: Edgeley Park, Hardcastle Road, Edgeley, Stockport SK3 9DD

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Club Honours

Football League Division Two Runners Up 1996-97 Football League Division Three (North) Champions 1921-22, 1936-37 Football League Division Three (North) Runners Up 1928-29, 1929-30 Football League Division Four Champions 1966-67 Football League Division Four Runners Up 1990-91 Football League Two Play-Off Winners 2007-08 Football League Division Two Play-Off Finalists 1993-94 Football League Division Three Play-Off Finalists 1991-92 Football League Trophy Finalists 1991-92, 1992-93 Football League Division Three (North) Cup Winners 1934-35 Football League Division Three (North) Cup Finalists 1933-34 Lancashire League Winners 1899-1900 Lancashire Combination Winners 1904-05 Cheshire League Runners-Up (Reserves) 1909-10, 1927-28, 1936-37 Manchester Senior Cup Winners 1897-98, 1898-99, 1914-15, 1922-23 Cheshire Senior Cup Winners 1905-06, 1914-15, 1965-66, 2015-16 Cheshire Medal Winners 1922-23, 1924-25, 1928-29, 1929-30, 1930-31 Cheshire Bowl Winners 1933-34, 1948-49, 1952-53, 1955-56, 1956-57, 1958-59, 1960-61, 1962-63 Cheshire Friendly Trophy Winners 1965-66, 1966-67 Cheshire Premier Cup Winners 1969-70, 1970-71, 2010-11 Vanarama National League North Winners 2018-2019

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Simon Rusk Hello, and welcome back to Edgeley Park for tonight’s National League clash with Notts County.

I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Neal Ardley and his players, and all the Notts County staff travelling to the game.

in the final third, but I’m confident that will come and saw signs of improvement in that area on Saturday, even with ten men.

I’m also pleased to be able to welcome Sam Dalby, Elliot Newby and Harry Cardwell to the Club. At such a hectic stage of the season, it’s crucial that we have good depth to our squad in all areas, and these players further add to our attacking options.

I’m pleased also to have Harvey Gilmour available for this game after our successful appeal against his red card on Saturday. As was the case with Liam Hogan’s red card against Sutton, these decisions have had major influences on those games, which has only added to our frustration.

After two long-distance away games in the last week, it’s good to be back at Edgeley Park again. As I’ve said previously, we want this to be a place teams fear coming to, and tonight is a great opportunity to lay down a marker in that respect against a strong side.

The results in the last few games have been frustrating, particularly having been on the wrong end of some disappointing refereeing decisions at crucial moments in recent weeks, but there continue to be aspects of our play that we can build on in the coming weeks.

Defensively we continue to be solid and difficult to break down, we just need to work on turning the screw more

It’s vital that we remain positive right now – the progression of the team weekby-week is there to see. We are only now at the halfway point of the season, and we still have everything to fight for with 22 games left to play.

Tonight’s game will be another difficult game against a side who, like us, have big aspirations for the rest of the season, and I’m sure that will result in an entertaining game out on the pitch. We’re looking forward to the game today, and we know we’ll need to be at our best to come away with the three points.

Enjoy the game.

Simon 05

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Club News Girls Academy to be launched

County sign Dalby on loan We are pleased to announce the signing of striker Sam Dalby, who has joined on an initial one-month loan deal from Watford.

From July 2021, we will be running a Stockport County Girls Academy – and we’re looking to recruit new members.

Members of the Girls Academy will receive the following benefits: • The opportunity to represent Stockport County Academy teams in fixtures!

• The chance to train and educate full-time at our topclass facilities • Expert coaching (UEFA A licence) and teaching from our Academy Coaches • Access to our full-time physio and injury prevention programme • Access to our Strength and Conditioning programme • Individual learning plans • A-Level 3 BTEC in Sport Coaching and Development (Equivalent to 3 A-Levels) • A pathway to our Stockport County Ladies first team • Further higher education opportunities • Opportunities for employment in sport If you are currently in year 11 or 12 and would like to find out more, then please contact damien.allen@ stockportcounty.com.

Welcome to Carrington…

Take a look behind the scenes at County’s training centre, view the full video on our YouTube page.

Sam, 21, started his career coming through the academy at Leyton Orient, making his debut for the side aged just 16 years, coming on as a substitute against Stevenage in the EFL Trophy.After signing a pro contract with the Club in December 2016, and scored on his first start for the Club that same month, netting in a 3-2 win over Crawley Town in League Two. In January 2018, Sam then made the move to Leeds United, where he continued to impress for their Under-23s side, making their first-team squad on several occasions, albeit without making a first-team appearance.

Having featured and scored in pre-season for the Leeds first team under Marcelo Bielsa, Dalby then had a loan spell at League 2 Morecambe in January 2019 before signing for Watford that summer, moving to Vicarage Road for an undisclosed fee.

Manager Simon Rusk said: “I’m pleased to be able to welcome Sam to the Club – his addition further complements our attacking options in the squad, at a time where the games are coming thick and fast.”

Man of the Match Our NK Electrical Man of the Match against Aldershot was chosen by our Match Sponsor Uber Eats, who chose Tom Walker on his third debut for the Club. Congratulations Tom, and we hope you enjoyed your bottle of Stockport Gin!

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Tom Walker Talented attacking midfielder Tom Walker couldn’t hide his delight at returning to Edgeley Park following the completion of his move from Harrogate Town until the end of the season.

Former Bolton midfielder Tom, 25, returns for his third spell at Edgeley Park, having first joined The Hatters in 2017, before enjoying a successful spell on loan from Salford City last season.

Tom, who was named Man of the Match on his first appearance against Aldershot earlier this month, says he is pleased to be back and is aiming to help lift the Club into the Football League.

“It’s great to be back,” said Tom, who is hoping to be fit for tonight’s game after missing out on Saturday’s loss at Eastleigh

due to a minor injury. “It’s nice to see many familiar faces along with the new lads. There’s been a big difference from the last time I was here, from training on Tuesday and Thursday evenings to going full-time. The improvements to the stadium are great and the training ground is fantastic, so everything is in place to push on and reach the Football League.”

Walker felt that County deserved more for their efforts than their points return from a difficult run of games against Aldershot, Maidenhead and Eastleigh on Saturday.

“The lads dug deep at Eastleigh and we only lost the game through a penalty. The pitch wasn’t great, and it was a difficult game especially with the sending-off.

We will look to put things right against Notts County. I was happy with my performance against Aldershot and to receive the Man of the Match award. However, we’ve struggled to finish teams off which was the same against Maidenhead where we were the better team. We haven’t quite had that cutting edge in the final third but we will be looking to improve on that in the games ahead.”

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Tom made his professional debut for Bolton against Leeds in January 2015 and went on to make 20 appearances for the Trotters, scoring one goal. After short spells at County and FC United of Manchester, he made the move to Salford City, scoring six goals in 16 appearances to help them to the National League North title in 2018, earning an England C call-up.

He then followed that up by playing a key role in Salford making it back-to-back promotions, notching up 40 appearances in the National League during the 2018-19 season as The Ammies secured a place in the EFL at Wembley in the play-offs.

Tom returned to Edgeley Park in October 2019 on a threemonth loan deal, making an instant impact as he scored and registered an assist on his debut in a 2-1 win against Hartlepool. Over the course of his second spell at the Club, the Salford-born midfielder made 17 appearances, scoring six goals and helping the side move from 17th up to 5th in the National League table.

Following the end of his loan spell in January 2020, Tom signed permanently for struggling AFC Fylde where he impressed again, scoring four goals in just nine appearances for The Coasters, but he was unable to save the side from relegation to the National League North.

Despite interest from County, Tom moved on to League Two Harrogate Town in the summer, making seven appearances for the Yorkshire side.

“There was interest from County in the summer,” said Tom, who also enjoyed a month-long loan spell at Notts County earlier in the season. “But it didn’t quite happen and I moved on to Harrogate, who were promoted to the Football League so it was a good opportunity for me.

However, I didn’t get enough game time and I moved on to Notts County. I was grateful for the opportunity to play there and to play games. I’m looking forward to playing as many games as I can for County and to do as well as I can here for the rest of the season.”

Tom says that it has been easy to settle back into the Club after his loan spell last season.

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“It’s been easy to settle,” he said. “The new lads have been great and of course there are still many familiar faces from when I was here last season – Liam Hogan, Lois Maynard, and Sam Minihan. The new manager has come in with new ideas and we are confident we can pick up more points in the weeks ahead.

“Tom’s addition will add quality and competition in forward areas, and will also improve the depth in what will be a demanding run-in to the end of the season.”

SIMON RUSK, MANAGER “It’s been a difficult season playing behind closed doors and it’s been something we have had to adapt to. Everyone is in the same position. We are missing the fans and there are times during games when we need them.”

Notts County visit SK3 this evening hoping to bounce back from last weekend’s disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Chesterfield. Having spent a short spell on loan with The Magpies, Tom is under no illusions how difficult a game this evening’s will be.

“Notts County are a massive club. They are a good team, organised, keep the ball well and are a good

Best game you’ve played in? For Salford at Kidderminister. We were 4-0 down and came back to draw 4-4!

Goal this season? To help the team to promotion this season.

Favourite TV programme at the moment? The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel on Netflix.

Favourite gadget? PS5.

Best stadium played in? White Hart Lane.

Best friend in football? I have a few – but I would go for Nick Haughton. I’ve known him since we were 8 years old. We were at Bolton, Fylde and Salford together.

Facebook or Twitter? Twitter.

Last item you purchased? A pair of trainers.

Do you have any advice for any young County fans who are looking to get involved in the game? Always give 100 per cent and always believe in yourself. possession team. They have experienced players and will be up there at the end of the season. I enjoyed my time there and it was good to get some game time. It will be nice to see the lads again but I’m a Stockport County player now and I’ll be doing everything I can so that we pick up the three points. If we bring our game to them then we are confident we can win the game.”

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Welcome...

Notts County Notts County visit Edgeley Park for the second time in less than six weeks, looking to complete a hat-trick of victories over The Hatters this season.

Notts were 1-0 winners in our previous league meeting in December and also emerged victorious from a tight Trophy game in January, with striker Kyle Wootton the 88th-minute match-winner.

Since then, The Magpies have five wins from seven games, with midfielder Jake Reeves securing their most recent points on the road last Tuesday - his beautiful dipping strike from distance the only goal in their game against King’s Lynn Town.

Neal Ardley’s men have also picked up maximum points against Solihull Moors (2-0), Weymouth (1-0) and Dagenham and Redbridge (3-1) in their recent purple patch, as well as defeating Havant & Waterlooville to progress to the quarter final of the FA Trophy.

Oxford City, of the National League South, await in the next round this coming Saturday with Notts firm favourites to progress to the final four.

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Nickname: The Magpies Founded: 1862 Stadium: Meadow Lane Capacity: 19.841 Address: Meadow Lane, Nottingham Postcode: NG2 3HJ Distance from Edgeley Park: 96.8 miles (1 hour 54 minutes) Current league position: 5th

Last Saturday, however, The Magpies slipped to a disappointing defeat at home, losing 1-0 to a resurgent Chesterfield side.

Ahead of tonight’s battle of the County’s, which pitches sixth against fifth in the current table, Notts will be focusing on the prospect of opening a three-point lead on ourselves in the promotion race, with the additional bonus of having two games in hand also.

Indeed, The Magpies have been having to play catch-up after a series of covid-related postponements forced a 19-day break in their season between late December and mid-January.

Only three teams have played fewer league games at present.

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The Gaffer: Neal Ardley Ardley joined The Magpies in November 2018 shortly after ending a six-year spell in the AFC Wimbledon dugout.

He arrived at Meadow Lane with experience of saving the Dons from relegation to the National League on the final day of the 2012-13 season before taking them into League One via the play-offs three years later.

And it was hoped he would be able to prevent the club from dropping into non-league for the first time in its history when he arrived as the third manager of the 2018-19 season following the departures of Kevin Nolan and Harry Kewell.

Despite a spirited battle, however, Notts County suffered relegation on the final day and, following the takeover of Chris and Alex Reedtz, Ardley was charged with the task of stabilising the playing side of the club and plotting the club’s return to the EFL. Ardley oversaw a huge turnover of players in his first summer at the helm and, after an understandably difficult start to the campaign, he led The Magpies into third place and the semi-finals of the Buildbase FA Trophy before March 2020’s coronavirus lockdown.

With the regular season brought to a premature end and the league table decided on a pointsper-game system, Ardley guided Notts past Barnet in the play-off semi-finals before being denied in the Wembley final by Harrogate Town.

YOU KNOW? Continued Notts County are the oldest progress in the FA professional foo tball club in th e wo rld Trophy will also , having been founded in 1862. They cause congestion pre-date the creation of the Football in the calendar, Association (FA ). with a SaturdayTuesday-SaturdayTuesday schedule ahead for Ardley’s men as the season intensifies.

Mind you, last season proved The Magpies can successfully compete on two fronts, having reached the play-off final and the semi-final of the FA Trophy.

Unfortunately for Ardley’s army, Harrogate Town were the opponents on both occasions and won both games.

Nine members of the team that started the National League play-off final remain at the club, with several summer signings supplementing a talented team.

The permanent signing of Wootton, who was previously on loan from Scunthorpe, has guaranteed goals, with 10 in 20 games so far. Reeves provides graft and guile in midfield and re-united with Ardley after working together at AFC Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, Notts’ defence is the tightest in the league, having conceded just 15 in 20 games.

The Magpies also have one of the stars of the National League in former Newcastle winger Callum Roberts, though the talented wide-man has been plagued with groin and hip issues this season. It was initially thought the problems might be symptoms of ‘long covid’, after the 23-year-old became ill with the virus in October, though specialists have since concluded that the Geordie needed surgery to strengthen his stomach lining.

Roberts’ return to fitness and form will further strengthen a talented team, though whether he features or not his Magpie mates will arrive here tonight confident of repeating their recent success at Edgeley Park.

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The Players JORDAN BARNETT (b:Oct 1999 s:Feb 2021) Signed after playing the first part of the season with Oldham Athletic. The left-back had played his youth football at Burnley and Barnsley and then had time at Pontefract Collieries.

ENZIO BOLDEWIJN (b:Nov 1992 s:Jul 2018) Right-wing player bought from Crawley Town, his first English side. His earlier football was played in his native Netherlands with spells on the books of Voorland, Utrecht, Den Bosch on loan, and Almere City.

RICHARD BRINDLEY (b:May 1993 s:Sep 2019) Joined after leaving Bromley. The right-back started with Norwich City but left them for Chelmsford City.

His next moves were to Chesterfield and Rotherham United who sent him on loan to Scunthorpe United and Oxford United. Another temporary spell with Colchester United led to a permanent move and then on to Barnet.

TIERNAN BROOKS (b:Jun 2003 s:Jul 2020) Goalkeeper who came to Notts as a scholar after being with Sheffield Wednesday. Last season he was loaned to Lincoln United before signing his first professional contract, and has also been out with Worksop Town.

ADAM CHICKSEN (b:Sep 1991 s:Sep 2020) Left-back who started with Milton Keynes Dons, going to Leyton Orient on loan, before moving to Brighton & Hove Albion. They were to loan him out to Gillingham, Fleetwood Town and back at Orient. He found his way to Notts via Charlton Athletic, Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers.

MICHAEL DOYLE (b:Jul 1981 s:Jan 2019) Started at Glasgow Celtic, who loaned the midfielder to Danish side Aarhus before he moved on to Coventry City, Leeds United on loan, Sheffield United, Portsmouth and then back to Coventry.

INIH EFFIONG (b:Mar 1991 s:Jan 2021) Forward who began with St Albans City and progressed through Northwood, Boreham Wood and Chesham United, as well as a few loan stints whilst with Boreham. An impressive half season with Biggleswade Town earned a move north to sign for Barrow. He joined Woking but in the same season was sold to Ross County. Joined Stevenage from Dover Athletic, and loaned to Barnet and today’s opponents.

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Adam Chicksen

BEN GARWOOD ( s:Sep 2020) Defender who can play in the centre or on the left-hand side. He joined from Chesterfield, his only previous side.

DION KELLY-EVANS (b:Sep 1996 s:Aug 2019) Right-back who was one of a clutch of trialists signed soon after the club’s transfer embargo was lifted.

JIMMY KNOWLES (b:Feb 2001 s:Sep 2020) Forward who spends his first spell away from Mansfield Town with a season-long loan at County. He figured for his parent club earlier this season before the National League got underway and was connected with Nottingham Forest before joining the Stags.

ALEX LACEY (b:May 1993 s:Nov 2019) Loaned by first club Luton Town to Cambridge City, Thurrock, Eastbourne Borough and Eastleigh. The defender made his way to today’s opponents via Yeovil Town and Gillingham.

DAMIEN McCRORY (b:Feb 1990 s:Aug 2019) Most recently on the books at Burton Albion, this leftback came through the ranks at Plymouth Argyle with loan spells at Port Vale and Grimsby Town. Next up came a move to Dagenham and Redbridge. Has also had a loan from Burton to Portsmouth.

CALVIN MILLER (b:Jan 1998 s:Jan 2021) Left-winger or full-back who made his debut against County in the Trophy after coming in on loan from Harrogate Town. Another Celtic product who moved to Harrogate having had experience on loan at Dundee and Ayr United.

JIM O’BRIEN (b:Sep 1987 s:Jul 2019) Midfielder who also came through the ranks at Celtic and had spells with Dunfermline Athletic and Dundee United both on loan, and Motherwell. Moving to England he joined Barnsley, then switched to Coventry, Scunthorpe on loan, and then Shrewsbury Town. Before his time with most recent previous side Bradford, he played for Ross.

TYREACE PALMER Academy forward who made his debut in Notts’ last FA Trophy tie.

LUKE PILLING (b:Jul 1997 s:Sep 2020) Goalkeeper who came through the ranks at Tranmere Rovers from where he made the move to Nottingham.

He has experience lower in the pyramid with loans from Prenton Park at Trafford twice, Glossop North End, Ashton United twice and Warrington Town.

CONNELL RAWLINSON (b:Sep 1991 s:Aug 2019) After starting with Chester City, this central defender headed over the border to figure for The New Saints and Newtown. Eight years on he returned to England to sign for Port Vale.

JAKE REEVES (b:May 1993 s:Aug 2020) Central midfielder signed after a season with Bradford.

He started with Tottenham Hotspur before moving to Brentford. A loan deal with AFC Wimbledon and a short stay with Swindon Town led to a permanent switch to the Dons for two seasons.

CALLUM ROBERTS (b:Sep 1998 s:Jan 2020) With Newcastle United from age eight, being loaned to Gateshead, Kilmarnock and Colchester. On his release the right-winger moved to Blyth Spartans, and his scoring record attracted Notts.

Jim O’Brien

RUBEN RODRIGUES (b:Aug 1996 s:Aug 2020) Attacking midfielder who joins from Den Bosch of the Netherlands. All his football has been played in that country appearing for Boskant and Den Bosch as a youth, Wilhelmina Boys, VV Gemert and whilst back with Den Bosch on loan with De Treffers.

ELISHA SAM (b:Mar 1997 s:Aug 2020) Well-travelled forward who started with Vlug Vooruit, Lierse SK and Standard Liege as a youth. He moved on to Israel’s Hapoel Acre and was loaned to Nazareth then switched to Dutch side FC Eindhoven and joined Notts after time with Bulgaria’s Arda Kardzhali.

SAM SLOCOMBE (b:Jun 1988 s:Aug 2019) Starting with Lincoln City before joining Bottesford Town this keeper returned to the EFL with Scunthorpe, and then added Oxford, Blackpool and Bristol Rovers to his CV, with a loan stint at his first club.

BEN TURNER (b:Aug 1988 s:Jul 2019) Central defender whose first club Coventry loaned him to Peterborough United and Oldham. Moved on to Cardiff City but was back with Coventry on loan, before finding his way to his present club via Burton and Mansfield.

MATTY WOLFE (b:Jun 2000 s:Oct 2020) Worked his way through the ranks at Barnsley after joining at a young age. The midfielder is on loan.

Callum Roberts

KYLE WOOTTON (b:Oct 1996 s:Aug 2019) Signed from first club Scunthorpe when his loan was made permanent in Jan 2020. The forward had previously been sent out to Lincoln City, North Ferriby United, Cheltenham Town, Stevenage and FC Halifax Town.

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ASH PALMER

Rebellious Jukebox Gareth Evans selects Notts - or, rather, ‘Nottz’ - on the County Rock-Ola, and presses play to discover a link with, and test the credentials of… SLEAFORD MODS. So, what’s the connection?

Well - Nottingham, obviously… even though both Jason Williamson (words) and Andrew Fearn (music) - the spoken-word punk duo, who, since 2012, have performed as Sleaford Mods - both hail from neighbouring Lincolnshire: Fearn from Saxilby, a village close to the border with Nottinghamshire; and Williamson from his home county’s fourthlargest settlement, Grantham. Their act, meanwhile, is named after another Lincolnshire town - with Sleaford, lying 11 miles north-east of Grantham,

But it was in Nottingham, the ‘Queen City of the Midlands’, where the pair met during 2009 chosen, according to Williamson, on the basis of its name’s more sleazy feel that was felt to match the Mods’ early songs. But it was in Nottingham, the ‘Queen City of the Midlands’, where the pair met during 2009, while Fearn was playing grimeinspired tracks as a DJ at the Chameleon club, and eventually teamed up - some five years after Williamson had begun performing and recording with help from his friend Simon Parfrement. Sleaford Mods in their current guise have since released half a dozen albums-proper, with the latest, ‘Spare Ribs’, having been released last month and gone top five. Mainstream faves now, then. But Rebellious, too? Let’s ‘Take Five’…

1. Mods or punks?

At first sight, save for Williamson’s cropped fringe, there are few obvious signs of mod around the duo that has taken the sub-culture’s name. The same applies at first hearing, with rants (often sweary ones) fuelling a brutal, incensed stream of rage against the political system, modern working life and unemployment, celebrities and pop culture, and society in general. Definitely more punk than

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mod in sound - although tricky to pigeonhole further as solely post-punk, electro-punk or rap-punk - and live performances (more of which anon) tend to prompt audiences to pogo like those at punk gigs once did. But scratch beneath the surface and the mod influences, which inspired a young Williamson in particular, become more apparent. The Mods’ music is fresh and contemporary, reminiscent of when the best mod bands from years gone by sang with passion (and sometimes anger) about the ‘here and now’.

2. Musical theatre When lockdown restrictions are finally eased, make it your business to catch Sleaford Mods at a venue near you. As the duo performs - in their words ‘electronic munt minimalist punk-hop rants for the working class’, those in attendance are treated to the contrasts between keeping track of Williamson as he works up his state of anger to rap scabrous lyrics in an East Midands dialect, and watching Fearn, who stands stock-still, other than when taking a sip of beer, nodding in time, or pressing play on his laptop to release his intricate and immersive grooves that drive the songs. Add to this mix the abandoned pogoing around the mosh pit, and it’s almost like being in a cartoon. Except that the music is very much about real life, its monotony and fury. ‘Tied Up in Nottz’, a track on the album ‘Divide and Exit’, takes this warts ’n’ all approach to the Mods’ adopted city.

3. Tributes…

Sleaford Mods have been branded ‘the world’s greatest rock band’, and Williamson the best frontman, by none other than Iggy Pop. And their stock also rose following Idris Elba’s remark that the music ‘reminded me of some Sid Vicious… super raw’. In the recording studio, they collaborated during 2015 on tracks to feature as part of albums put out by Leftfield and The Prodigy - and, for their own, most recent, long-player this

‘Tied Up in Nottz’, a track on the album ‘Divide and Exit’, takes this warts ’n’ all approach to the Mods’ adopted city

year, they themselves have engaged the services of feisty anti-star-in-the-making Billy Nomates, as well as Amy Taylor of Aussie punks Amyl & The Sniffers, for added-value guest vocals.

4. … and insults Williamson is amongst a very small minority, expressing political disaffection in contemporary pop - and has not been afraid to flash a swift middle finger at others from his business who do not. Hence, Blur’s Graham Coxon ‘looks like a leftwing Boris Johnson’ [on ‘Flipside’], Blur collectively are ‘spitting out fine cheesemade by (bassist Alex James)’ [‘Rupert Trousers’], and Ed Sheeran is ‘sellin’ fast… marketing farce’ [‘Blog Maggot’]. He also referred in an interview a few years ago to Kasbian as ‘dinosaurs before their 40th birthday’.

Jason Williamson turned 50 last November.

5. A hero - in the kitchen!

While Williamson often comes across as a lone musical voice for working class people, he has consistently been at pains not to be seen as their recognised mouthpiece. (“That was never the agenda,” as he once explained, “it’s something that’s been latched on to by the music press.”) But, somewhat unexpectedly, he does thrive on the adulation through his Instagram alter-ego, ‘Baking Daddy’, who uses the photo and video sharing social media channel to share his best recipes, his mastery of the kitchen arts more generally, and his collection of aprons. Marry Berry it ain’t - but, hey, rock ’n’ roll…

Rebellious Jukebox Rating:…

‘Stick in a Five’ - and double it!

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Luis Cavaco

Phoenix From The County Flames This season we talk to past County players about their favourite memories from their time at Edgeley Park. This evening, we grabbed a quick chat with former County star Luis Cavaco, who revealed that the Hatters will always hold a special place in his heart.

Popular Portuguese midfielder Luis Cavaco will always hold a special place in the hearts of County fans.

Luis joined the club from Estoril in August 1996, and was catapulted into the Hatters’ history books following his League Cup heroics during the memorable 1996-1997 season.

Not only did Luis achieve promotion with County, but he also made his mark in the unforgettable League Cup run, which took the Hatters to the brink of a Wembley final.

Cavaco scored in the 2-2 draw against quarter-final opponents Southampton and he also played a crucial role in the1-1 draw at Upton Park against West Ham United where he scored a brilliant equaliser. He stole the ball from Hammers’ defender Julian Dicks, went on a fantastic 30-yard run, and slotted the ball past Hammers goalkeeper Ludek Miklosko.

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And Luis almost bagged another goal in the cup run. In County’s semi-final loss to Middlesbrough he was unlucky not to score again, as he pounced on Gianluca Festa’s mistake only to see his effort was well saved by Mark Schwarzer in the Boro goal.

But despite that semi-final heartbreak, Luis only has kind words to say about his time in England and Edgeley Park.

“It was a time I will remember all of my life.

It was a great life experience and a chance to know different places and different people.

“To move from Portugal was not easy.

The weather is completely different from Portugal. The culture, the food. It took me three or four months to adapt, me and my wife. But, after that, I love England and Stockport.

“I have so many memories, from football and outside of football. Football was when County went up on that season, and outside of football, the places I´ve visited and the time we spent with the friends we left there.”

When Luis talks about his favourite games for County, he immediately says Brentford, where he scored his first Hatters’ goal, along with Blackburn, West Ham and Southampton from the League Cup run.

But what makes it even more special for Luis was that the move to County was the first time he had moved away from home, and he quickly adapted to a new culture and a new way of life in a new country. It was all new for him and it was a great experience. Luis had only watched the English games on television, and he was fascinated with the football in this country.

Luis, who has been back to Edgeley Park three times since he left and still keeps in touch with people from the Club, recalls: “I was without a club at the time.

County were in Portugal for a tour and they needed a winger. I went to watch a game and afterwards Dave Jones spoke to me to come to Stockport for a trial.

“In Portugal, the teams I’d played for before I came to Stockport, we had around 1,000 fans watching the game. When I arrived at Edgeley Park we had 10,000 fans supporting us, it was fabulous. All the time County fans were cheering and shouting your name - great memories!”

Moving to County was Cavaco’s chance to show what he could do and help his career. The Hatters gave him that chance and he grabbed it with both hands.

“At that time, at the clubs that I played for in Portugal, we only had about 1,000 maybe 2,000 supporters at the ground. When I joined County we had 10,000 or 12,000 supporters at the ground. County fans were the best I ever played for. At the level we were, to have so many fans was a surprise and a good feeling for me. The best memories I have are the friendships with everyone at Stockport County.”

However, disaster was soon to strike for Cavaco just as he was heading for Championship football. He broke his leg during the April 1997 league game against Watford,

FACTFILE Position: Winger Height: 5’ 8’’ Born: 1 March 1972, Almada, Portugal County Debut: Bristol Rovers (A), 31st August 1996, Division Two County Career: League = 19 apps +10 sub (5 goals) FA Cup = 3 apps League Cup = 7 apps + 1 sub (2 goals) Total = 45 apps + 13 sub (8 goals)

THE GAME: West Ham United 1 County 1 THE DATE: 27th November 1996 THE COMPETITION: League Cup Fourth Round THE MOMENT: All the goals I scored were important, but the goal that stays in the memory forever is the one I scored at West Ham.

“County fans were the best I ever played for.

At the level we were, to have so many fans was a surprise and a good feeling for me. The best memories I have are the friendships with everyone at Stockport County.” and played very few more games for the Hatters, before being released at the end of the 1998-99 season. Luis moved on to Boavista, one of the biggest clubs in Portugal.

“They are a big club in Portugal so it was a move you couldn’t turn down, wasn’t it?

“They needed a striker and I was available. Things at County, until I broke my leg, were great. But I had two operations on my leg, and I had a year without playing.

Luis’ life is a world away from his Stockport County days, living in his hometown Almada, just across from Lisbon and he wishes the club all the best for the future, whilst offering a message to the fans.

“Thank you for everything they’ve done for me,” said Luis. “They always supported me and helped me, on and off the pitch. I would say to them never give up, even when things go wrong. Keep supporting County!”

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Stockport CountyFC FC Stockport County Official Club Sponsors Official Club Sponsors

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Stockport County Colts & Junior Academy This week we will be looking at our Under-7s team who have displayed a lot of potential and development so far this season.

The Under-7s started the season as a brand-new team who had never played together before with some players having never taken part in competitive matches prior to this year.

The team has since managed to form a strong bond with each other, and every player has contributed to our performances this season.

It is clear to see that from the start of the season to when lockdown stopped us from being able to play that the side has developed a great amount since the first training session!

Using the principles of playing out from the back and staying

calm on the ball, the players have developed into a team that can retain possession with confidence as well as learning to make the correct decisions.

This is made possible by keeping a clear, composed awareness on the ball so that the players can make higher quality decisions in their own time rather than being rushed and forcing play in panic.

The team has really progressed through the season which has earned them promotion from the Championship to the Premiership after playing some brilliant football, ending with results such as 8-1 and 10-3 against fierce local rivals!

The team is coached by Damien Samuels and Spike Vidler who have put a great amount of effort into developing the players and making sure that they enjoy themselves as this process takes place.

Every player should be proud of how far they have progressed this season. Every player has showed a great desire to learn during training sessions and translate what they have learned into the matches on the weekend. This team has got a lot of potential for the future and I look forward to carrying on the journey with them in the years to come.

Spike Vidler Under-7s Coach 23

Official Partners of The National League

County Ladies Under-13s season so far...

Rhys and his Assistant Manager, Ben McGee, with the Under-13s team

As all our teams are currently unable to play matches or train, it’s a good time to catch up with some of our Junior coaches to find out how their season has gone so far.

This week Rhys DandekerBourne, who runs our Under-13s team in the South Manchester Girls’ League, tells us how they’ve been getting on: “The players deserve so much credit for the hard work and commitment they have put into their development in the last twelve months. It has been incredibly difficult to maintain any kind of form or consistency

during the pandemic, but this bunch have taken every challenge and obstacle in their stride.

“A few new players have joined this season which has introduced some competition and strengthened the squad.

As a result, we have won all our games so far.

and we’d gone 2-0 down.

As the game progressed the players developed character, strength, and brought more aggression into their play and we went on to win. This was something I hadn’t seen from them before. Never, in my coaching career, have I been more proud or happy after a game of football!

“The moment I was most proud of the team was when we played the opposition that gave us our first real competitive challenge. At first it was as if the players on the pitch didn’t realise what was happening

“I love every minute working with this team, even if, at the moment, we have to do that over a Zoom call! I’m itching to get back to see what this County Ladies team can achieve in the rest of the season.”

For anyone interested in joining the club to play or train with any of our teams contact details are on our website, stockportcountylfc.com or follow the link from the SCFC site.

Follow us on Twitter @SCLadiesFC, Instagram @stockportcountylfc and Facebook at Stockport County Ladies FC.

25

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The Mad Hatter’s Quiz with Paul Dean

TRIVIA

WHO AM I?

1. From which team did Notts County sign Craig Short for their record transfer fee of £2.5m in 1992?

2. From which team did Notts County sign football legend Tommy Lawton in 1947?

3. Jamie Carragher made his first team debut for Liverpool under which manager?

4. Which TV football presenter once said: “Football is a simple game. 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and, at the end, the Germans always win”?

5. Which club did Paul Gascoigne briefly manage in 2005?

6. Who is the only manager to have won the Premier League Manager of the Month award with four different clubs?

I was the only Hatters’ player that played in every League game during 1964/65.

7. Which former Hatter scored the winning goal in the 1985 League Cup Final?

8. Which player did the Hatters sign from Blackburn Rovers for £400,000 in 2002?

T R U C I H Z R X E K G O F B W T E Z N

S X S M E E M X C A T Q B U V A R V A F

Y X H A Y C S M E R J J I L H R B A I Z

C Z R T N N I Z Y D K K Q Y A M H E W X

P E G I G E E X B S N J I R N E S B Q B

R R S I C M S W H L H R D G A W N O C N

S E C F M E O R V E S C U F E X G E A L

U K I U P L G D F Y L A P H I P C F R I

Z E Z Q G C I S N M Y F T A G H N Y B C

R N U G E U M H O N O T X T L Y J F Q W

D I W Y G O U C A C A O V V J G X X Y B

O L F X H Z N E T M O M R S C I P G O O

Z K K E R Z D U O S X R E E I Y D A Q Z

C H A R L E S V J K E E I I W Q H L O L

L N S V H H J W N T H B C T R A P V E Q

J R L G I U W D K R B B E C K H A M O O

J N G C G L E I B R T E D G N H R M H S

A L Q C W I Z C T Z D W R U Z E X O M O

L N D Z Q M G I B G O L Y K I N C T L K

Answers:

A J R S I O S N A B Y T S B A X L W G I

Who Am I? Colin Parry

SHEARER BEARDSLEY MOORE BECKHAM DEAN LINEKER BEST GERRARD RUSH CHARLES MATTHEWS CLEMENCE GIGGS

Trivia 1: Derby County.

2: Chelsea.

3: Roy Evans.

4: Gary Lineker.

5: Kettering Town.

6: Harry Redknapp.

7: Asa Hartford.

8: Ben Burgess.

WORDSEARCH

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STOCKPORT COUNTY

0

ALDERSHOT TOWN

0

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Saturday 13th February | Vanarama National League | Edgeley Park

The Hatters’ third successive match at Edgeley Park ended in stalemate, as they shared the spoils during a freezing day at Edgeley Park with Aldershot Town.

In a game that County did enough to have won, John Rooney saw his penalty saved five minutes from time and the Hatters had to settle for a single point instead of three.

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Steve Bellis Poor Bishops, Dodgy Sat Navs and Archery Clubs!

We have had some excellent referees this season but the chap who officiated our match at Eastleigh last Saturday certainly wasn’t one of them.

The man in the middle was Tom Bishop but we might have been better with John Bishop such was the comedic standard of his performance.

I actually don’t like criticising referees as a rule.

It’s a tough job and at times a thankless task. Mr Bishop’s display was in sharp contrast to some other refereeing performances we have witnessed recently.

The officiating of Rebecca Welch and Simon Mather in two recent games was absolutely first-class.

Meanwhile, back at Eastleigh, Mr Bishop was far too quick to produce cards, usually of the wrong colour, while ignoring not one, not two, but three penalty claims for ourselves.

He did manage to award a penalty... to the home side, with some help from his assistant and there was no argument here but he missed a clear handball in the first half and on another day two other decisions for fouls against Will Collar and Ash Palmer could well have gone our way.

It was, however, the decisions to send off Harvey Gilmour while only issuing a yellow card to the Spitfires’ Danny Hollands that were difficult to take.

The clash between Jack Payne and Harvey in the first half at the Silverlake Stadium looked pretty much 50-50 with both players fully committed.

Yet Mr Bishop didn’t take any time to assess the situation, instead pulling out his red card faster than a Ferrero Rocher disappears at a Weight Watchers meeting.

Replays showed that it was Payne who was more deserving of the red card (probably why he rolled 30

This made me giggle

around as if he had just found an ant’s nest in his underpants) and that Harvey had actually tried to pull out.

Had the ref yellow-carded one or both then it would have been more forgivable but to instantly send off Harvey seemed hasty at best.

To make matters worse Macauley Southam-Hales was then cynically scythed down by Hollands leaving Macca in agony with just a few minutes to play. If any challenge deserved a straight red card it was this one, yet Mr Bishop only saw fit to pull out his yellow one.

Mr Bishop also didn’t seem to understand the rules relating to players having to leave the field having received on-field treatment.

Unless things have changed then I understood that, in the event that a player needs on-field treatment following a tackle by a player who received a red or yellow card for the foul, then the injured player could stay on the pitch following the treatment.

Yet in the cases of Payne and Macca, both players were made to leave the pitch despite the offenders both being given red and yellow cards respectively.

I don’t like continually banging Bishop but it just wasn’t a good day for him.

Almost as irritating as the decisions on the day was the decision by Eastleigh to pipe pretend crowd noise into the stand throughout the game.

I obviously understand what they were trying to achieve and anything that improves the atmosphere in an empty stadium should be welcomed but it just didn’t work.

It sounded like a cross between a faulty air conditioning unit and a wasp’s nest and stayed in your head like an annoying tune.

As it turned out we nearly didn’t get to the game at all thanks to the wonders of Satellite Navigation.

Unbelievably it took us to a site that housed an archery club, a bowling club, a rugby club but no sign of a football club We didn’t hang around after the game as we trusted the navigation system to get us somewhere near the North West.

Luckily, we had our trusty human navigator on board in Stuart (Cheggers) Guest. He quickly checked his phone and informed us that the A90 was closed in both directions.

I inputted the correct postcode and heard that annoying lie that sat navs tell ‘you have reached your destination’.

Not only had we not reached it, it was nowhere to be seen, we were in fact at the gates of a golf club.

We reversed out and re-inputted the same postcode and it headed us off in a different direction. Unbelievably it took us to a site that housed an archery club, a bowling club, a rugby club but no sign of a football club.

Anyway, back to tonight and we welcome our friends from Notts County to Edgeley Park for what promises to be a tough encounter under the lights.

We can take heart from the fact that we could have won every game since Simon took over the managerial reins.

Only some tardy finishing and poor refereeing decisions have deprived us of a bigger and more representative points haul.

Eventually we tracked it down and were relieved to hear one of the Eastleigh security staff say ‘I get lost too and I live here’.

This made me feel better, although I wasn’t sure whether he too had a dodgy sat nav or he was just a bit thick.

We thanked him and then collectively started to think where we would come across the A90 on the way home.

We asked Cheggers who had no idea so we checked our phones and discovered that the A90 runs from Edinburgh to Fraserburgh in Scotland.

Cheggers has since been relieved of his navigation duties.

Why doesn’t Superglue stick to the inside of the bottle?

One final thought that has troubled me for some time... why does Superglue not stick to the inside of the bottle?

31

Opposition View This weekend’s view from the visitors is Notts County’s Supporters’ Liaison Officer Ian Baggott.

How do you assess your season so far?

Stop and start! Obviously, we’ve had a lot of games postponed so it’s been difficult to build any momentum. Recently we’ve had a good run and looked to be tighter defensively.

What are your hopes for the rest of the season?

To at least finish in the play-offs.

Last season we finished third so I’m hoping we can at least equal that, if not improve on it.

What have been the highlights of your season so far?

The Dagenham and Redbridge game. Our goalkeeper was sent off after 15 minutes, so our captain went in goal (we had no sub keeper). He became known as Schmeichel Doyle. We won 3-1 and played very well.

Which Notts County players are the ‘ones to watch’ this evening?

Robert Rodrigues can show great skill, and Enzio Boldewijn is

Enzio Boldewijn

also a very skilful player who has hit a good run of form.

What do you know about County?

Used to be in League Two, maybe League One? Recently

Robert Rodrigues can show great skill, and Enzio Boldewijn is also a very skilful player who has hit a good run of form 32

sacked their manager that caused some controversy. Good physical side, will be challenging for promotion. Have ambitious owners.

What are your memories of games against County?

Always tough encounters.

Recently we won 2-1 in the FA Trophy.

What is your prediction for the game?

It will be close. I think it will be a tight 1-1 draw.

Terrace Talk After a frustrating defeat against Eastleigh over the weekend County have the opportunity to put things right this evening as the Hatters face fellow promotion hopefuls Notts County at Edgeley Park.

Saturday’s defeat in Hampshire was one of those afternoons where nothing seemed to go right, from losing Harvey Gilmour to a red card on his debut, to seeing two penalty appeals waved away yet one given at the other end and an opposing goalkeeper in Joe McDonnell who was in top form.

Today’s visitors Notts County also had a weekend where one goal proved to be the decider in their game with Chesterfield. The Magpies had been unbeaten in the last seven matches stretching back to their FA Trophy game with the Hatters in mid-January but a first-half free-kick from the Spireites’ experienced centreback Gavin Gunning brought their winning run to an end.

It is very tight at the top of the National League and even those outside the Play-Off positions such as Boreham Wood, Altrincham, Maidenhead United and Aldershot Town cannot be dismissed, nor can FC Halifax Town, Bromley or Solihull Moors for that matter.

The landscape of the table is forever changing and even Torquay United’s lead at the top isn’t as safe as it once was at the start of the winter. With that in mind it’s just as well that the National League is continuing as there is still plenty of excitement to come.

Last time out saw another County debutant get minutes from the bench with Sam Dalby replacing

Sam Dalby made his debut at the weekend

Richie Bennett for the last eighteen minutes at Eastleigh. Sam is a striker who joins us on a temporary basis from Championship side Watford, having previously been on the books at Leeds United and Leyton Orient. The 21-yearold, who has one senior Watford appearance to his name, has also spent time out on loan at Morecambe and will spend an initial month with County.

The Watford Under-23 manager Richard Thomas describes Sam as ‘a target man who will do very well in the National League and

score goals’ so hopefully it will be a successful few weeks for both the player and his loan club.

After tonight’s game, ironically, Chesterfield will make a similar journey this coming weekend and having already beaten them convincingly in the FA Cup earlier in the season it would be easy to expect the same again but as tonight’s opponents Notts County know, the form table can go out of the window so it’s important The Hatters make both today’s home advantage and the weekend advantage count.

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The County Years

1928

County Historian Ian Watts delves into the archives to bring you some of the Hatters’ more memorable moments from years gone by.

Opening game We set the tone for the year with a goal-scoring spree on Monday 2nd January 1928 County: Jack Turner, Billy Bocking, Billy Wilson, Billy Newton, Jack Jobson, Evan Hooker, Thompson Scurr, Harry Burgess, Joe Smith, Jimmy Scullion, Albert Pearson.

Things were close at half-time as visitors Rochdale trailed just 2-1 thanks to a goal from future Hatter Billy Tompkinson. But County exerted their control in the second half and by the time the final whistle blew had entertained home fans in the 10,571 crowd to a 5-1 victory with goals from Billy Newton, Jimmy Scullion, and a Joe Smith hat-trick.

First debutant The next game saw County score six when a similar crowd at EP had their first chance to see Charlie Ramsden. The outside-right had been signed after six months with Manchester United, and scored a goal in the 6-3 win over Southport, earning SCAN 339. He scored another eight goals in just over 20 games before re-joining his previous club in the summer.

Summer business We missed out on the only promotion spot

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despite having the best record since the turn of the year. Departures were Albert Broom (Mossley), George Burgess (Caernarfon Ath), Roly James (Manchester Central), Jack Duffus (Hyde U), George Kay (Luton T), Scurr (Peterborough & Fletton U), Turner (Wolverhampton W), Scullion (Crewe Alex), Billy Molloy (untraced) and Ramsden.

Future first-teamers to join were goalkeepers Walter Cook (Ashton National) and George Crowther (York C), plus forwards Jack Everest (York), Alf Townsend (Nottm Forest) and Tompkinson.

Last debutant A name that will bring back memories to many current Hatters fans was the last new man of the year. Leslie Raisbeck was signed after leaving Arsenal and got his chance against Halifax due to an injury to Benny Boardman. He moved on to Nelson in 1930 but was a schoolmaster in Stockport for many years, where those Hatters fans will have come across him. He was also involved with the Stockport Boys setup for at least three decades, and County brought him in to continue his work with those ESFA Trophy winners who became the backbone of our Intermediate League side.

Closing game Table-topping County headed to the Wirral for their last game of a year which saw them score more goals than any other in the club’s history.

County: Cook, Bocking, Wilson, Newton, Jobson, Ernest Helliwell, Tompkinson, Ben Boardman, Smith, Burgess, Horace Fielding.

After a Joe Smith goal was ruled out for handball by a player who was being fouled, The visitors managed to lead at half-time as Billy Tompkinson’s attempt hit Archie Jackson and diverted in for an own goal. Rovers struck twice soon after the hour with goals from Sammy Beswick, a former County reserve, and Bert Cartman to claim the points but County stayed top.

Most appearances in calendar year Harry Burgess 45 (ever-present), Jack Jobson 44, Billy Bocking and Billy Wilson 43 each.

Most goals in calendar year Joe Smith 40, Harold Birgess 24, Billy Tompkinson 10

Worst run 3 without a win (23rd April - 5th May) D1 L2 only time they lost two in a row Best run 10 unbeaten (3rd November - 26th December) W8 D2 - equalled run carried over from 1927 The man in charge Lincoln Hyde, a former player, was officially Secretary Manager during his time in charge. He was appointed in April 1926 and stayed for five years. He switched to Preston North End, going on to manage in Northern Ireland with Linfield and Bangor.

And finally...

This year saw things come to a head in the relationship between the Board of Directors and the Supporters’ Association who had been raising funds for a couple of years to cover the costs of ground improvements, specifically more cover on the Pop Side.

The Board had plans to provide cover on the other side of the ground, with an increased admission price being applied. The supporters’ officials said their members should be exempt if they handed over £200 to fund the scheme.

The impasse was broken with something of a coup at the Supporters’ Association level, but the Directors still disowned the Association later in the year.

Thanks to all the anonymous donors who have supplied images for this article.

35

EASTLEIGH

1

STOCKPORT COUNTY

0

Tomlinson (p) 53’

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Saturday 20th February | Vanarama National League | Silverlake Stadium

The Hatters fell to a slender 1-0 defeat at Eastleigh in the National League, as a second-half penalty was enough to secure all three points for the hosts against the ten men of County.

The Hatters were reduced to ten men on the half-hour mark when debutant Harvey Gilmour was adjudged to have gone in late on Jack Payne – but despite the ten men of County making it into the break all square, the hosts soon struck after the restart.

Ash Palmer was adjudged to have handled an Eastleigh corner into the box, and after the referee’s assistant flagged, the referee did point to the spot on this occasion – with Joe Tomlinson converting the resulting penalty for the home side.

36

37

Sam Byrne Things have undoubtedly taken a frustrating turn for Simon Rusk and his side over the past couple of weeks, with this week’s signings a potential shot in the arm for The Hatters.

Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Eastleigh perhaps has to go down as the most frustrating of the entire season so far – Rusk was keen to point out that he didn’t want to look for excuses in the aftermath of the controversial defeat, but when a side is reduced to ten men for an hour of the game, it certainly has a major impact.

Aside from Harvey Gilmour’s dismissal, which was rightly overturned after an appeal by the club this week, I thought County looked bright for spells, even after being reduced to ten men – and may consider themselves unfortunate to not have taken something from the game.

Of course, it can be a slippery slope to start talking about ‘bad luck’ in defeats or frustrating draws (as we saw at Maidenhead last Tuesday), but while you can look at a particular fixture such as Sutton and say that the visitors deserved their three points regardless of the Liam Hogan red card (which was also later overturned), I think an outing like Saturday does have to be mitigated by some really key decisions on the day.

Moving on, and County secured the double loan signing of Chorley pair Elliot Newby and Harry Cardwell until the end of the season this week.

38

Harvey Gilmour saw his red card rightly overturned

It will be an amazing sight to see County fans back in their seats

Right-winger Newby has always impressed against County, while Cardwell comes highly-rated by the play-off chasing Magpies (‘play-off chasing’ until the null and voiding of the National League North this week, that is!) and both should add some depth to the attacking options available to Rusk for the remainder of this busy campaign.

As soon as the resolution was reached to bring to the sixth tier (both National League North and South) last week, it seemed likely that National League clubs would look to dip into those markets and work with the parent club to take advantage of the situation.

As Chorley outlined in their confirmation of the signings, the Lancashire outfit were more than happy to see two of their leading performers secure first-team football until the end of the campaign, at which point I’d expect to see the duo return to Victory Park with match fitness and minutes under their belts ready for the start of the new season – and more importantly from a County point of view, with the duo having had a big impact at Edgeley Park in the meantime!

I imagine The Hatters would be keen to point out that the signings are more a sign of the times (in the sense of the unexpected availability of players at the level below) and a chance to add some depth to the ranks for the relentless Tuesday/ Saturday fixtures this season, rather than an indication of the profile of players the club are looking at in the long-term. And that’s not to detract in any way from the impact the duo can have – and I’m confident County fans will enjoy seeing a talent like Newby playing for us rather than doing so well against us!

Finally, the news came this week that we just might see County fans back inside Edgeley Park this season after all (if only for a potentially small number of games). It’s been a difficult season for everyone without having supporters in the ground, and I know that the players have felt that too and have been desperate to play in front of fans here.

After so long waiting, it’ll be an amazing sight to see County fans back in their seats to coincide with what’s shaping up to be a tense ending to the campaign.

39

Physio

Luke Smith Good evening everyone.

This week we have on the injury list Adam Thomas and Macauley Southam-Hales. Adam has an ankle issue which was picked up in the warm-up for the last game and should hopefully be back next week. Macauley also has an ankle injury which was picked up from the last game after a horrendous challenge which could have ended a lot worse. Both are focusing on gym-based rehab at the moment with the aim of getting full function back. Macauley will hopefully be out no longer than a few of weeks,

we have been using a fantastic piece of equipment to reduce the swelling and speeds up the healing process. We had Mark Kitching return to first-team training this week which is extremely positive, and he should be available very soon. We also see Tom Walker back in training after recovering from a glute injury.

Have a great evening and enjoy the game.

S P O N S O R E D B Y:

The Stockport County Sports Injury Clinic To arrange an appointment please call myself on 07557476154.

Treatment

Price

Injury Assessment and Treatment

£40

Sports Massage 1 Hour

£40

Sports Massage 1/2 Hour

£25

Sports Massage Home Visit

£30

Luke

41

GAME CHANGER footballfoundation.org.uk

County sign Chorley duo on loan The Hatters are pleased to announce the loan signings of Chorley duo Elliot Newby and Harry Cardwell, who have joined until the end of the season.

The opportunity to make these signings has come as a result of the unfortunate circumstances in the National League North and South, after the 2020/21 season was declared null and void last week.

National League North, the midfielder still has five goals to his name so far this campaign, scoring in his last two games of the season to help Chorley finish their now voided season in a play-off place.

Attacking midfielder Newby, 25, began his career as a youth player at Bolton Wanderers, before joining Barrow in 2016.

He is joined at County by Scottish striker Cardwell, 24. The former Grimsby forward joined Chorley permanently in the Summer, having had a loan spell at the Club in January 2020.

After successful spells at Altrincham and AFC Telford, Elliot made the move to Chorley in the summer of 2018, playing a key role in the Magpies’ promotion to the National League via the play-offs in his first season.

Harry, who has one cap for Scotland Under-21s, previously spent time at Reading and Brighton’s academy before a three-year spell with Grimsby in the Football League.

Whilst Chorley were unable to retain their place in the division last season Newby continued to impress, even scoring against County in a 3-0 win at Victory Park.

Both players impressed during Chorley’s recent run to the Fourth Round of the Emirates FA Cup, each of them finding the net in the Magpies’ 3-2 win away at League One Wigan Athletic in the First Round.

In a season disrupted by postponements in the

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Supporters’ Co-operative The Board of the Stockport County Supporters’ Co-operative met again via Zoom recently and the mood, despite the mindnumbing nature of what confronts us all each waking day just now, was acquisitive.

It is four years since last we sought opinions on specific subjects from members and non-members via an online survey. This was widely circulated, resulting in a good response, and we felt an urgent need to repeat the process with a different set of questions on subjects ranging from the Cooperative’s values, its relationship with the Club, and much more.

To facilitate a speedy turn-around with this one we agreed on a small sub-committee to examine the matter further with a view to circulating an updated survey as soon as possible.

means unanimous, as much in the Co-operative Board as within fans generally, but we agreed to add the issue to our proposed survey questions, with appropriate additional background information on the subject.

Other issues discussed included ‘Stockport Voices’. It was noted that responses were slow and needed a push, and a report on the Hatters’ Half-Marathon again confirmed that obtaining the permissions necessary to successfully run the event was proving difficult.

Further consideration was deferred until next month.

The early part of the meeting took in a talk by County supporter and journalist Jamie Summers on ‘Safe Standing’.

The issue is by no means a straightforward one, especially for County supporters as the Club is held to being ‘all seater’ since legislation decreed it so following the Bradford fire. Views as to the appropriateness of ‘Safe Standing’ are by no

The meeting ended on a happy note, as it was confirmed that Stockport NHS Foundation Trust were to feature the Co-operative in a ‘Shout Out’ of their supporters following the donation of £2,700 to the charity last year by us.

Ian Brown Stockport County Supporters’ Co-operative 45

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COUNTY JUNIORS

S P O N S O R E D B Y:

Hello again, and welcome to another game under the Edgeley Park lights. This time our visitors are Notts County, one of our rivals for promotion this season.

They make their second trip to Edgeley in just over a month having knocked us out of the FA Trophy with a late goal in midJanuary. Let’s hope for a better result this evening. The matches are now coming thick and fast where we will be playing twice each week. The league table is very close so teams just have to keep winning to stay in contention.

Mascot

A warm welcome back to Edgeley Park for Tom Walker, who is making his third return to County. Tom is here until the end of the season. Great to see you back, Tom. Our last game here at Edgeley Park was a week last Saturday for the visit of Aldershot, which was a disappointing game and result. Their defence was well marshalled and we just could not find that final touch in front of goal. The missed penalty just about sums up the afternoon.

We hope you enjoyed last week’s halfterm holiday. No doubt for some, it will have felt no different, especially if you are home schooling and, of course, not being to go anywhere.

That’s all for tonight.

Christian will be 5 tomorrow.

He goes to St Joseph’s in Reddish and loves dinosaurs, sharks, and playing on his PlayStation!

His favourite player is Liam Hogan and he was at the match when Liam scored on his debut.

Happy Birthday Christian from all at County Juniors!

Ian Butterworth 47

All Past Players Following on from the successful All Past Opponents feature that has run over the last few seasons, we begin our All Past Players series which profiles the men who have worn the County shirts of various colours over the years.

The basis of these articles will be the years of research done by those who were or have been official or unofficial historians of the club. Starting back in the 1960s with Simon Myers, through Peter Freeman and Richard Harnwell and on to Marcus Heap and Ian Watts. These researches eventually led to Peter’s books and then to the Stockport County Appearance Number (SCAN) scheme.

HERBERT SHARPLEY A local junior who broke into the first-team at inside-left after playing in virtually every nondefensive position for the reserves. It took a couple of seasons before he became a regular, but was obviously well-liked as on his return for the first time with Earlestown he was described thus - a gentleman on and off the field and one could not wish for a harder worker.

SMART ARRIDGE The man with a nickname for a Christian name was an experienced left-back signed as captain to try and turn around our fortunes after struggling following the step-up to Division 2. After starting in North Wales with Bangor, he appeared in the Football League for Bootle Everton and New Brighton Tower. He was part of the plan to build a physically stronger team as the previous seasons had been regarded as too lightweight. The first former Welsh 48

international to be employed by the club played two seasons before heading back to Bangor.

ARTHUR WHARTON Multi-event athlete with a AAA sprint record, rugby player, cricketer and the first black professional footballer. Arthur probably had no thoughts of what was ahead when he left Accra to study in Cannock.

He headed to the area after playing for Sheffield United and played locally for Stalybridge Rovers and Ashton North End, joining County from Staly and playing six times in the early months. He was still involved in the decision making when the players took control of date money in lieu of wages. We are often described as his last club, but Arthur played on for several years in the Midland League and in local victuallers’ football after taking on a pub.

FRANK BOOTH Holds the distinction of being the first former Hatter to play for England. The winger had been with Hyde and Glossop before joining County. His time would be short as after just six games and one goal he moved to neighbours

He was praised for his unselfishness, precision in passing and shooting power Manchester City, the £9 transfer fee being paid to his first club. The England debut came in February 1905, and he went on to play for Bury and Clyde, before a swansong season back at Hyde Road.

DICK WALLWORK One of a number of amateurs used by the club in their early League seasons.

He came on trial from Buxton and was registered by the club - although this did not prevent him playing for other clubs and at times he preferred to do just that.

In that season he played just his debut game but when he returned to the side around a year later.

TOMMY BRITTLETON A salt mine worker who was recommended to County by founding member Sam Riley and became an established firstteam player. He was praised for his unselfishness, precision in passing and shooting power. After County dropped into non-league the man regarded as the most complete player in the team, continued to impress and a £300 bid from Sheffield Wednesday was accepted after Tommy had signed off with goals in each of his last three games. He was to play there for 15 years, plus four at Stoke, and became the second former Hatter to play for England.

Player Tom Chorlton William Bunce Herbert Sharpley Ike Evenson Smart Arridge Joe Davies Alec Jeffrey George Madden George Perrins Sam Smith Arthur Wharton Sam Eaton Ernest Bentley Andrew Swann Heaton Arthur Marshall Frank Booth Geoff Longstaff Charlie Hinks Walter Dowdall Jimmy Freeborough

Debut 12.01.1901 19.01.1901 09.03.1901 27.04.1901 07.09.1901 07.09.1901 07.09.1901 07.09.1901 07.09.1901 07.09.1901 07.09.1901 14.09.1901 21.09.1901 14.12.1901 28.12.1901 01.02.1902 08.02.1902 01.03.1902 15.03.1902 06.09.1902 06.09.1902

Joe Raby H Rathbone G Tomkinson Dick Wallwork John Dixon James Hosie Robert Hunter Thomas McKiernan Albert Griffin Tommy Brittleton Herbert Hughes George Middleton Patrick Malone Howard Moir Stephen Preston Richard Allan Jack Aston Ernie Bromfield John Brown Jack Price Dick Ray John Reynolds Albert Williams Jimmy Scotson Bob Suart Roly Codling Jimmy Pass William Rooke Albert Kaye William Haughton Wilf Toman Ernest Cottrell Ernest Fletcher Jimmy Heywood Ted Bardsley Tom Green

06.09.1902 06.09.1902 06.09.1902 15.09.1902 27.09.1902 08.11.1902 08.11.1902 08.11.1902 10.11.1902 13.12.1902 20.12.1902 10.01.1903 07.02.1903 14.02.1903 21.02.1903 05.09.1903 05.09.1903 05.09.1903 05.09.1903 05.09.1903 05.09.1903 05.09.1903 12.09.1903 03.10.1903 03.10.1903 17.10.1903 17.10.1903 17.10.1903 24.10.1903 19.11.1903 22.02.1904 05.03.1904 05.03.1904 16.04.1904 01.09.1904 01.09.1904

Augustus Smith Arthur Waters

01.09.1904 01.09.1904

Signed From Northern FC Rochdale Heaton Norris W Berrys Employees New Brighton Twr Manchester C Watford Gravesend U Grays U Stalybridge Rov Stalybridge Rov Hinckley T Broadheath Gainsborough Tr None Leicester Fosse Glossop Middlesbrough Darwen Local Junior team All Saints Denton Gainsborough Tr Liverpool Unknown Heaton Moor Trentham Manchester C Manchester C Distillery Watford Winsford U Heaton Mersey Furness Vale Army Mid Cheshire team Newton Heath Glasgow team Doncaster Rov Chester Motherwell Doncaster Rov Coventry C Auckland, NZD Poynton Manchester C Edgeley White Star Swindon T Edgeley White Star Bristol Rov Distillery Royal Oak Everton Hyde St George Winsford U Edgeley White Star Glossop Swindon T Queens Park R Kettering Walsall

49

County Heaven Sandbach Hatter writes: Evening, folks, and welcome to tonight’s visitors, the ‘Magpies’ of Notts County. True story: last Tuesday morning, I was making a brew in the kitchen at Sandbach Towers and spotted a magpie sitting on our fence, which reminded me that I needed to pen my half of this article. Admittedly, I then promptly forgot again, only to be reminded a second time by my esteemed co-contributor an hour or so later, but that’s still rather uncanny. I just hope the fact I only saw one magpie (for sorrow) is not indicative of a poor result tonight…

Anyway, to matters County Heaven (with what little space I have left after that somewhat loquacious opening). We’re midmonth in the County Heaven Games Room, which means our two prediction leagues are still very much up for grabs, but, by the time you read these notes, my latest quiz will have concluded after a mammoth SEVEN weeks of clues about Premier League footballers.

See if you can work out what connects the following players: Phil Neville, Eden Hazard, Anthony Pilkington (who now plays in India, apparently), 50

Ashley Young, Yakubu, Wayne Rooney and Ederson. I’ll give you an INITIAL clue, which is that this quiz kicked off the NEW YEAR. Pop over to County Heaven’s Games Room to find out if you’re right!

With that, it’s time to hand you over. Hey, Maccy, did you hear Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were once attacked by a giant magpie? Apparently, it was one bird trying to kill two Stones…

Hatter in Macc writes: Well, Sandy, that’s The Last Time I let you do the intro. Arf. Since our last notes, just one would have been a cause for joy rather than sorrow. We are talking County goals, of course - with the last four and a half hours of action on three different pitches seeing a complete absence of them.

The last match here, against Aldershot 10 days ago, was notable in my book for being one of the coldest ever endured in SK3 - and while temperatures were a good deal milder in Maidenhead the following Tuesday, neither net bulged any the more for it. Most recently, over the weekend just gone, and

following our stalemates with the ‘Shots’ and ‘Magpies’, our barren scoring streak against clubs nicknamed after airborne things continued a mile or so west of Southampton Airport, with a single-goal loss to the ‘Spitfires’ at Eastleigh.

There is a chance to ground that particular sequence tonight as we face another mischief of Magpies. And let us hope, too, that it may be a case of third time lucky against these ones from the East Midlands, against whom we have twice already done battle, and suffered narrow defeats, since midDecember.

It is 13 years, following our victory by the odd goal in three at Meadow Lane in January 2008, since we last won a County contest with Notts.

Not that I’m superstitious or anything, you understand, but I’ll still be on the lookout for a pair of magpies together (for joy) whilst en route to cover the game this evening…!

Keep well, and stay safe.

Animo et Fide. www.countyheaven.com

Jon Keighren

Imagine Radio The two pre-season title favourites go head-to-head this evening in front of what should have been a bumper crowd here at Edgeley Park.

Nights like this really drive home the devastating impact that Covid has had on our simple pleasures, and it is heart breaking that fans are still unable to be here to enjoy the occasion.

On the pitch, County are seeking to end a five-and-a-half-hour goal drought, and tonight we face the tightest defence in the National League in Notts County.

The task facing Simon Rusk has not been helped by an unfortunate glut of injuries to key players such as Ryan Croasdale, Connor Jennings, Tom Walker and Mark Kitching, with Macauley Southam-Hales potentially missing out this evening following an X-rated challenge at the weekend.

The Magpies were enjoying their best run of the season so far, until Chesterfield clinched a terrific win at Meadow Lane on Saturday ending Notts County’s four-game winning run in the National League. It was their first defeat in eight, since their FA Trophy win here at Edgeley Park last month.

Simon Rusk hasn’t been helped by injuries to the likes of Connor Jennings

Last year’s beaten Play-Off finalists start the day in fifth, just ahead of the Hatters on goal difference, but with three games in hand on top-of-thetable Torquay United, which means top spot is still very much in Neal Ardley’s sights, with the Gulls slipping up again on Saturday.

But whilst the Magpies’ strong season has been built on a solid defence, they remain the lowest scorers in the top half of the table, which has hampered their progress throughout the campaign.

County boss Simon Rusk must be desperate for the chance to field his strongest side, but injuries have hit County hard at the wrong time. He simply hasn’t had the chance to play his best eleven so far, but Mark Stott and the Board have allowed Simon to go out and strengthen his squad with the additions of Tom Walker, Will Collar and Sam Dalby, and hopefully they could all play a part tonight.

Striker Kyle Wootton is the one to watch, though – he scored the last-minute winner here in the FA Trophy, sparking a run of five goals in his last seven appearances for the big target man.

Mark Stott deserves every credit for his passionate commitment to County’s future, as he continues to invest in the club, our infrastructure and our community, despite the global

pandemic which has had far-reaching consequences for the health and financial viability of all sectors of our society. I hope it isn’t too long before he can fully enjoy the fruits of his labours, because he deserves it.

Finally, thank you for downloading tonight’s match programme, brilliantly put together by Keith Chapman – this is just one of the ways we are trying to bring something of a match day experience to you, wherever you’re watching the game this evening.

And whilst the live stream is no replacement for physically being here, we will do our best to keep you close to the action.

We are only a small team, but thanks to producer Carl Gozem, camera operator Dan Powell and my cocommentator and sponsor John Whelan from My Digital Accounts, we will keep the home fires burning. Enjoy the game.

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51

Oshor Williams With seconds to go and his team a goal down, burly striker Micky Quinn goes crashing to the ground under a heavy challenge from the opposition centrehalf. ‘Penalty!’ he screams. But to the disbelief of his team-mates and the viewing spectators the referee waves play on.

The injustice described never made the back page of the Stockport Express, and the referee was not set upon by an angry mob. This was just another training day at Stockport Lads Club when every session ended in a competitive game, usually a seven-a-side match. These were officiated by that well-known champion of fair play, Eric Webster.

The cognoscenti amongst you will recall that Eric, now sadly departed, managed County between 1982-1985 and despite working on a shoestring he did a fantastic job. But his skills as an arbiter of the rules of Association Football left a lot to be desired.

His impartiality was compromised by the fact that even at the age of 51 he joined in all the seven-aside games, predominantly because we only had a full-time squad of 13 players so Eric had to make up the numbers.

His impartiality was compromised by the fact that even at the age of 51 he joined in all the sevena-side games 52

Eric Webster’s officiating left a lot to be desired!

Not only did he undertake the role of the playmaker in one of the sides, he was also the judge and jury over any key decisions determining the outcome of the game. Anyone who has been a professional footballer will tell you about the intensity of the Friday morning games at any club in the country.

Every Friday session commenced with a warmup and a few passing drills progressing into a functional phase of play tailored to the style and formation of the opposition. After rehearsing setpieces, Eric would get two players to pick sides (just like in the playground) and if he were with us today he’d be delighted to hear me recount that he was never the last pick.

Tommy Sword

Those games always had a little bit of extra spice because the losing team knew that one of their contingent, subject to a democratic vote by the winning team, would be declared the ‘donkey of the day’ and awarded the dreaded yellow jersey.

The ignominy and public shame associated with the yellow jersey was such that I’ve literally seen grown men storm out of the training ground in rage and tears, so every decision counted during those 20-minute encounters. And although we weren’t the most successful team in the league we were certainly blessed with some of the most committed and competitive players I have ever worked with.

Guys like Dean Emerson, Paul Bowles, Andy Thorpe, and John Rutter. The two most aggressive amongst our squad feature in the opening tale to this article. Quinny was a no-nonsense centreforward who would run through a brick wall to score a goal. Unfortunately for him on this occasion was Tommy Sword who would knock you through a brick wall to stop you from scoring. Whenever the two clashed it was epic and I hasten to add there was never any ill feeling afterwards, they were just two dedicated professionals keeping it real.

Mick Quinn

never quite measured up in that department. On numerous occasions when his team were trailing, Eric would suddenly have selective amnesia and say he’d forgotten the score, or at times blatantly add a goal here and there. His most effective ploy when faced with an irredeemable deficit of more than three goals would be to declare: “Next goal is the winner!”

I’ve lost count of the number of times he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with that particular tactic. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a strategy he had the facility to employ in the unforgiving world of 1980s Fourth Division football as evidenced by our league position. I do however wonder whether instead of a Man of the Match award, we should have introduced the ‘Yellow Jersey Humiliation Award’ whereby the player voted the most incompetent received the unwashed, pungent garment in front of the onlooking crowd. It may not have inspired me to play well, but it would certainly have been a novel way to encourage me to avoid having a stinker.

Enjoy the game.

As the referee, Eric had some big calls to make within those Friday classics and sad to recount he

Osh 53

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Deadly Duos Steven Davies

Luke Beckett and Rickie Lambert Today we are looking at two strikers both of an excellent calibre in Luke Beckett and Rickie Lambert.

Luke Beckett started his football journey for Chester and then Chesterfield before his move to County. He made his debut against Burnley as a sub in a cup match, before going on to score nine times for the remainder of the season.

During the season after, Luke was on fire scoring an incredible 29 times throughout the campaign. The season after that though was sadly cut short due to injury, but not after Luke scored in four games in a row before his last spell at County where he scored seven goals in 16 games before moving to Sheffield United.

One of his partners at the time was Rickie Lambert, who was first signed to the Liverpool youth team when he was 10, staying until he was 14 before moving to Blackpool and then on to Macclesfield. it was at this time where he started to work in a factory to fund travelling back and forward to Macclesfield before breaking into the first team.

Carlton Palmer paid Macclesfield £300,000 for him in 2003 to bring him to County – a record for Macclesfield, and there was no looking back for Rickie.

After making his debut against Colchester in a league match he went on to score against his former club Blackpool later on in the same season.

2009, he signed for Southampton for roughly £1million when The Saints were in the third tier of English football before he helped them gain promotion to the Championship and then on to the Premier League.

An England call-up beckoned, and he made his debut against Scotland in 2013, while some said he was too old (31). He showed them what he could do and scored with his first touch before going on to score three goals in 11 England games.

Then came a shock move when he was signed for Liverpool in a deal in excess of £4million which meant he would be playing Champions League football with his hometown club.

The season after saw him score 12 in 40 games which – considering we were fighting for relegation – was a very good achievement.

Rickie scored 19 goals for County before he moved to Rochdale and then on to Bristol City. In

Luke Beckett

Rickie Lambert

After Liverpool, Rickie signed for West Bromwich Albion for about £3million before signing for Championship side Cardiff where he ended his career, playing football at all levels as well as scoring for your country before his retirement from playing. I imagine most people wouldn’t complain...

55

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57

Talking Football Sam Preston

When referee Darren Drysdale put his head into Ipswich Town’s Alan Judge last week, every football fan watching could see he’d made a mistake.

But in truth, it was only a matter of time before a referee responded to the abuse and vile language they are subjected to every single week.

What Drysdale did underlined what we all know and should acknowledge more – referees are human and they have a tipping point.

It has been refreshing to see the overwhelming response to what Drysdale did has been one of sympathy and understanding.

Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish offered some of the most vociferous support when he tweeted, in response to the news that Drysdale had apologised for his actions: “Come on?! No need to apologise at all! I think it’s brilliant.”

Not everyone will think what Drysdale did was brilliant.

He did lose his cool and professionalism after all.

But most supporters watching on could empathise.

Supporters not being in stadiums has lessened the spectacle and been a source of frustration for fans up and down the country.

But it has provided referees with a break from the constant stream of abuse they get from the terraces every week.

Darren Drysdale

58

That said, no doubt the language they get from the players is still as bad as ever. And players are trying to wangle decisions their way at every opportunity, as well as going down easily in the box whenever they can.

Referees continue to be harangued for ninety minutes by players, managers and coaches alike

Imagine that your main source of respite from this interminable, monotonous lockdown was to have players, managers and coaches alike screaming at you for 90 minutes before criticising your decisions in public.

another insight into how the perception of our officials has changed.

It’s only natural that the strain would show at some point and, in some ways, it’s a surprise it hasn’t happened sooner.

Now, their use of VAR is applauded and former Liverpool boss Roy Evans last week praised how Slavko Vincic officiated the Reds’ 2-0 win over RB Leipzig.

Everyone in football has known for years that referees are treated horrendously and the issue is even worse at grassroots level.

It used to be the case that European referees were criticised for being too soft and not letting the play go.

Many of the responses to Evans’ tweet were filled with angry criticism of British referees in general, on a night when they weren’t even working.

This issue has been bubbling away in the background for a substantial period of time and nothing has improved. No action has been taken by the relevant authorities.

The Drysdale incident should be something of a turning point, forcing many within football to examine their behaviour towards referees.

It’s time for that to change, but it remains to be seen if the issue will remain on the agenda once the furore over what Drysdale did fades from the headlines.

Instead, officials are met with even more anger and bile than ever before. That is only going to force referees out of the game, lowering the standard across the board.

Amid this backdrop, criticism of refereeing decisions grows from all angles.

More importantly and disappointingly, that behaviour will only push more and more isolated individuals to their tipping point – which would be a stain on football as a whole in this country.

The return of European action last week provided

59

The Hatters v The Magpies

Facts & Figures Head to Head

Goals scored

Previously at EP

Played (all competitions): 35

Hatters: 34

Played (all competitions): 17

Hatters: 9

Hatters: 6

Draws: 10 Notts County: 16

First competitive meeting

Draws: 7 Notts County: 49

Notts County: 4

Last time out

Saturday 18th October 1913 Division Two (old) Stockport 1 Notts County 2

Previous games Saturday 16th January 2021 Buildbase FA Trophy 4th Round County 1 Notts County 2 Tuesday 15th December 2020 Vanarama National League Notts County 1 County 0

They played for both clubs Brett Angell, Pegguy Arphexad, Tony Barras, Peter Bircumshaw, Les Bradd, Ben Burgess, Steve Burke, Ishmel Demontagnac, Kristian Dennis, George Dodd, Alf Dolphin, Tommy Feeney, Jim Gannon, Fred Garrett, Ali Gibb, Simon Grayson, Arthur Green, Matt Hamshaw, Paul Hart, Glynn Hurst, Fred Jones, Jason Lee, Chris Marsden, Cyril Matthews, Rob Matthews, Tom Meads, Peter Molloy, Sean Newton, Adam Nowland, Chris O’Grady, James Quinn, Gareth Roberts, Marvin Robinson, Gavin Strachan, Tom Walker, Albert Waterall, George Whitcombe.

60

Stockport 1-2 Notts County Buildbase FA Trophy Saturday 16th January 2020 County saw knockout action at Edgeley Park for the second time in less than a week, following their brave FA Cup exit in SK3 at the hands of West Ham – but were similarly edged out of the FA Trophy by a late goal against fellow National League side Notts County.

Ash Palmer netted for County shortly after the visitors had taken a first-half lead, but a deflected strike from distance by substitute Kyle Wootton secured the tie for Notts County by the odd goal in three.

Team (4-2-3-1): Barnes; Southam-Hales (Reid, 75), Palmer (Capt.), Stott, J. Jennings (Kitching, 69); Maynard, Croasdale; Thomas, C. Jennings (Minihan, 69), Williams; Bennett.

Unused Subs: Hinchliffe, Hogan, Rooney, Keane.

Booked: Croasdale.

2020-21

CHE

Statistics W 6 7 8 6 7 4 5 3 3 4 5 4 4 6 4 4 4 3 4 3 2 2 3

D 3 2 2 5 1 4 3 2 2 2 1 2 4 0 1 4 1 3 1 2 3 2 1

Home L 3 2 3 2 4 2 2 4 5 3 5 3 5 1 4 3 5 3 3 9 5 8 5

F 21 25 21 16 19 12 14 8 12 17 15 18 21 13 18 13 15 8 19 15 11 7 9

D 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 4 4 3 3 4 2 3 2 1 4 2 3 2 0 1 0

Away L 2 2 4 3 2 4 6 3 4 3 5 5 2 6 4 6 5 6 7 4 6 6 6

Goals

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

Subs

Goals

Subs

Starts

0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 18 3 3 2 0 4 0 0 2 1 0 1 10 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 14 3 2 1 5 5 0 0 17 1 1 5 15 2 2 1 18 0 1 4 15 6 0 3 0 0 0 0 13 2 1 1 19 3 9 3 20 0 9 1 10 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 0 0 1 3 10 1 1 2 0 0 0 6 9 0 1 0 - 30 27

2 0 3 1 0 6 0 0 1 0 5 0 5 0 6 1 6 4 3 2 0 6 6 5 2 0 6 5 0 2 -

0 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 3 3 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 3 -

0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14

F 23 11 11 16 7 18 16 18 17 13 17 18 12 11 13 12 16 12 9 7 10 9 3

A 11 10 10 14 5 13 20 12 17 14 17 16 7 16 13 17 21 19 24 8 21 25 17

W 13 12 12 10 11 10 10 9 9 9 9 8 8 9 8 7 7 7 6 5 5 3 3

D 5 4 3 7 3 6 5 6 6 5 4 6 6 3 3 5 5 5 4 4 3 3 1

Total L F 5 44 4 36 7 32 5 32 6 26 6 30 8 30 7 26 9 29 6 30 10 32 8 36 7 33 7 24 8 31 9 25 10 31 9 20 10 28 13 22 11 21 14 16 11 12

Total

0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A 23 18 23 23 15 21 26 21 30 28 33 29 26 19 23 26 35 28 44 34 39 47 35

GD 21 18 9 9 11 9 4 5 -1 2 -1 7 7 5 8 -1 -4 -8 -16 -12 -18 -31 -23

Play-Offs: Elimination Round (5th v 6th, 4th v 7th)

Cup Starts

Josh Barnes Nyal Bell Richie Bennett Louis Britton Will Collar Ryan Croasdale Sam Dalby Jordan Downing Harvey Gilmour Max Greenhalgh Ben Hinchliffe Jack Hinchy Liam Hogan Jack Hopkins Connor Jennings James Jennings Jordan Keane Mark Kitching Lois Maynard Sam Minihan Adam Owen Ash Palmer Alex Reid John Rooney Macauley Southam-Hales Finley Stanyer Jamie Stott Adam Thomas Tom Walker Jordan Williams Own goals Total

W 7 5 4 4 4 6 5 6 6 5 4 4 4 3 4 3 3 4 2 2 3 1 0

Play-Offs: Semi-Finals (2nd v 5th/6th, 3rd v 4th/7th) League

Player Roll-Call

A 12 8 13 9 10 8 6 9 13 14 16 13 19 3 10 9 14 9 20 26 18 22 18

Subs

Promotion

P 23 20 22 22 20 22 23 22 24 20 23 22 21 19 19 21 22 21 20 22 19 20 15

Biggest Win

Goals

National League Team Torquay United Sutton United Hartlepool United Eastleigh Notts County Stockport County Wrexham Boreham Wood Altrincham Maidenhead United Aldershot Town FC Halifax Town Bromley Solihull Moors Chesterfield Woking Yeovil Town Dagenham & Redbridge Wealdstone Weymouth King's Lynn Town Barnet Dover Athletic

Starts

# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

STERFIELD FC

2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 21 5 4 2 1 5 0 0 2 1 0 1 16 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 27 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 26 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 20 4 3 2 6 5 0 0 23 1 1 5 19 3 2 1 21 3 1 5 17 9 0 3 0 0 0 0 19 3 3 1 25 4 13 3 25 1 14 1 12 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 17 0 0 2 8 11 1 1 2 0 0 0 8 12 0 1 0 - 44 31

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

Most Goals

Highest Attendance Lowest Attendance Top Goalscorer

Pts 44 40 39 37 36 36 35 33 33 32 31 30 30 30 27 26 26 26 22 19 18 12 10

D W W W D W W L W D L D D W W L W W L W D L L

Form Last 6 Matches D W L D L D L W W W L W W L W D D W W W W W W W L L W D D L D D W W L W W L L W W W L L L W W L D D L W D L W W D L L W W L W L D L D L W D L W D D W D D L L W L L W W L L D D L W L L L D L W L L W D W L L L L L L L W L D L L W L

Relegation

National League Records Saturday 12th December 2020 Chesterfield 6-0 Barnet Tuesday 13th October 2020 Wealdstone 2-5 Stockport County Saturday 17th October 2020 Wealdstone 4-3 Wrexham Wednesday 2nd December 2020 FC Halifax Town 5-2 Barnet Saturday 26th December 2020 Torquay United 6-1 Yeovil Town Monday 28th December 2020 Weymouth 3-4 Torquay United Saturday 23rd January 2021 Wealdstone 3-4 Aldershot Town Saturday 26th December 2020 Torquay United 6-1 Yeovil Town 1,323 Tuesday 15th December 2020 Weymouth 2-3 Wrexham 337 Michael Cheek (Bromley) 12 = 10 Goals + 2 Penalties Tom Walker returns for a third spell, against Aldershot Town

# 1 3 23

National League Fair Play Team Notts County 23 Stockport County 27 Yeovil Town 65

2 2 3

Pts 112 128 290

Cut off dates for number of yellow cards in league matches only, cups are different: 5 = Following 23 fixtures, 10 = Following 37 fixtures, 15/20 = End of the season Automatic league suspension starts next match after an offence, automatic cup suspension starts next match after an offence in the same competition Yellow cards are specific to each competition, red cards apply across all competitions All details up to date as of Monday 22nd February 2021

61

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2020-21

Fixtures & Results Date Opposition October 2020 Sat 3 Torquay United Tue 6 FC Halifax Town Sat 10 Dover Athletic Tue 13 Wealdstone Sat 17 Chesterfield Sat 24 Chesterfield Tue 27 Solihull Moors Sat 31 Weymouth November 2020 Wed 4 Chesterfield Sat 7 Rochdale Sun 29 Yeovil Town December 2020 Sat 5 Bromley Tue 8 Barnet Tue 15 Notts County Sat 19 Guiseley Tue 22 Hartlepool United Sat 26 Altrincham Mon 28 Wrexham January 2021 Sat 2 Altrincham Mon 11 West Ham United Sat 16 Notts County Tue 19 Dagenham & Redbridge Sat 23 Boreham Wood Sat 30 Woking February 2021 Tue 2 Sutton United Sat 6 Yeovil Town Sat 13 Aldershot Town Tue 16 Maidenhead United Sat 20 Eastleigh Tue 23 Notts County Sat 27 Chesterfield March 2021 Sat 6 Weymouth Tue 9 Solihull Moors Sat 13 Dagenham & Redbridge Tue 16 Barnet Sat 20 Sutton United Tue 23 Eastleigh Sat 27 Hartlepool United April 2021 Fri 2 Aldershot Town Mon 5 Bromley Sat 10 Wrexham Tue 13 King's Lynn Town Sat 17 Maidenhead United Sat 24 Boreham Wood Tue 27 King's Lynn Town May 2021 Sat 1 FC Halifax Town Mon 3 Wealdstone Sat 8 Dover Athletic Sat 15 Torquay United Sat 22 Woking Sat 29 Yeovil Town

64

Comp Score A H H A A H H H

Att Pos

NL NL NL NL NL FAC4Q NL NL

0-1 2-1 3-0 5-2 2-1 1-1 0-0 1-2

- 21 Hinchliffe - 10 Hinchliffe - 6 Hinchliffe - 2 Hinchliffe - 1 Hinchliffe - - Hinchliffe - 2 Hinchliffe - 2 Hinchliffe

Minihan Minihan Minihan Minihan Minihan ³ Minihan Minihan Minihan

Jennings J Southam-Hales ¹ Stott Jennings J ¹ Stott ¹ Stott ³ Stott Stott ²

Maynard Maynard Maynard Maynard 1 Maynard Maynard Croasdale Maynard

Palmer Palmer Palmer Palmer Palmer Palmer Keane Palmer 1

Hogan Stott Hogan Hogan Hogan Hogan 1 Hogan Hogan

Kitching Kitching 1 ² Kitching ² Keane Kitching 1 ² Thomas Thomas Kitching

H FAC4Q A FAC1 H FAC2

4-0 2-1 3-2

-

Keane Keane Keane

Stott Stott Stott

Croasdale Croasdale ² Croasdale ¹

Palmer Palmer Palmer 1

Hogan Hogan Hogan

Thomas Kitching Kitching ³

A A A H A A H

NL NL NL FAT3 NL NL NL

2-0 2-1 0-1 3-1 0-4 1-1 2-0

Thomas Minihan Minihan Keane Minihan Minihan Southam-Hales ¹

Jennings J Jennings J Williams Southam-Hales ¹ Williams Williams Stott

Maynard Maynard Maynard Croasdale Croasdale Maynard Maynard

Keane Keane Palmer Palmer Palmer Keane Keane 1

Hogan Hogan Hogan Stott Hogan Hogan Hogan

Kitching ³ Williams ¹ Kitching ¹ Kitching Kitching Kitching Kitching

H H H A H A

NL FAC3 FAT4 NL NL NL

2-2 0-1 1-2 2-0 1-1 4-1

-

4 4 4 3

Hinchliffe Hinchliffe Barnes Hinchliffe Hinchliffe Hinchliffe

Southam-Hales ¹ Minihan 5 Southam-Hales ³ Minihan Keane Minihan

Stott Williams ³ Jennings J ¹ Stott ² Southam-Hales Southam-Hales 1 ¹

Maynard Maynard Maynard Maynard Maynard Maynard

Keane Keane Palmer 1 Keane Palmer Keane

Hogan Hogan Stott Hogan Hogan Hogan

Kitching Kitching Williams Kitching Kitching ¹ Kitching

H H H A A H H

NL NL NL NL NL NL NL

0-2 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-1

-

5 3 4 4 6

Hinchliffe Hinchliffe Hinchliffe Hinchliffe Hinchliffe

Minihan Southam-Hales Southam-Hales Southam-Hales Southam-Hales

Southam-Hales Stott Jennings J Stott Stott ¹

Maynard ² Croasdale Maynard Maynard ³ Minihan

Keane Palmer Palmer Palmer Palmer

Hogan Hogan Hogan Hogan Hogan

Kitching ¹ Williams ¹ Williams Collar ² Collar ³

A A H H A H H

NL NL NL NL NL NL NL

A H A H H A A

NL NL NL NL NL NL NL

A H A H H A

NL NL NL NL NL NL

-

Hinchliffe Hinchliffe Hinchliffe

1,031 11 Hinchliffe 792 5 Hinchliffe - 10 Hinchliffe - - Barnes - 13 Hinchliffe - 9 Hinchliffe - 4 Hinchliffe

Key:

CHE

STERFIELD FC

Bold = Goalscorer 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 = 1st / 2nd / 3rd / 4th / 5th Sub / = Yellow / Red Card = Penalty, * = Own Goal = Lost 6-7 on Penalties, = After Extra Time # = West Ham United additional unused substitutes: Jennings J, Stott

Rooney Rooney Rooney 2 Rooney 3 ³ Rooney Rooney Rooney Rooney Rooney 2 Rooney 1 ¹ Rooney 1

Bennett ² Bennett Bennett ³ Bennett 1 Bennett Bennett ¹ Bennett ² Bennett ³ ² Bennett 1 ¹ Thomas Thomas ²

Jennings C ³ Jennings C ³ Jennings C ¹ Jennings C Jennings C Keane Jennings C ¹ Croasdale

Reid ¹ Keane Keane Reid ² Keane Reid ² Reid Reid ¹

Jennings C Reid 1 ³ Jennings C Reid 1 ³ 4 Jennings C 1 Reid

Barnes Barnes Barnes Barnes Barnes Barnes Barnes Barnes

Stott Jennings J ² Jennings J ² Kitching ¹ Jennings J ² Jennings C ² Hopkins Jennings C ²

Keane ¹ Croasdale Croasdale Croasdale ³ Croasdale Croasdale ³ Owen Keane

Thomas ³ Thomas 1 ¹ Thomas ³ Thomas ² Thomas ³ Southam-Hales Southam-Hales ¹ Thomas ³

Bell ² Reid ³ Reid 1 ¹ Bell Reid 1 ¹ Bell ¹ Bell ² Britton ¹

Barnes Barnes Barnes

Hopkins ³ Jennings J Jennings J

Maynard ¹ Maynard ¹ Maynard 4

Southam-Hales ² Stanyer Southam-Hales Britton ³ Bennett ² Britton

Rooney 1 Rooney Rooney Gilmour ² Rooney Croasdale Croasdale

Bennett ² Bennett ² Bennett Britton ³ Bennett ¹ Thomas ¹ Bennett 1 ³

Jennings C Jennings C ³ Keane ² Jennings C Keane Jennings C 1 Jennings C

Reid 1 ¹ Reid 2 Reid Reid 2 Reid Reid Reid ²

Barnes Barnes Barnes Hinchliffe Barnes Barnes Barnes

Minihan ¹ Kitching ¹ Jennings C ² Hinchy Stott Stott Minihan ¹

Croasdale Croasdale Croasdale ³ Hogan Gilmour Gilmour Gilmour

Williams ³ Thomas ³ Thomas ¹ ³ Rooney 1 ² Southam-Hales ¹ Southam-Hales ¹ Williams ²

Britton ² Britton ² Britton Bennett Britton Bennett Britton ³

Rooney 1 Rooney 4 Croasdale Rooney Rooney 1 Rooney 1 ³

Bennett ³ Croasdale Bennett Bennett 1 ³ Bennett Croasdale

Croasdale Jennings C ² Jennings C ² Croasdale Jennings C Jennings C 1

Reid 1 ² Reid ¹ Thomas Reid 1 ¹ Reid ² Reid 1 ²

Barnes Barnes Hinchliffe Barnes Barnes Barnes

Minihan ¹ Hinchy 4 Minihan ² Jennings C ³ Minihan Palmer ³

Gilmour Gilmour Hogan Palmer Stott Stott

Williams ² Southam-Hales ² Rooney Williams ¹ Williams ¹ Williams ²

Thomas ³ Thomas ³ Reid ³ Thomas ² Croasdale ² Bennett ¹

Rooney Rooney Rooney Rooney Rooney

Croasdale Bennett Bennett Keane Bennett ²

Jennings C Jennings C Walker ² Walker ¹ Gilmour

Reid ³ Reid 1 ² Reid ¹ Reid Reid

Barnes Barnes Barnes Barnes Barnes

Palmer ² Jennings J ² Stott Jennings J Jennings J ¹

Stott Maynard Collar ¹ Williams ³ Williams ³

Williams ¹ Minihan ¹ Minihan ² Minihan ² Maynard

Bennett ³ Thomas Keane Bennett ¹ Dalby ²

Stanyer

Hopkins

Williams ² Williams ³

Minihan Minihan ¹

Williams ³

Minihan ¹

Palmer 5 Kitching ¹

Bennett ¹ # Keane

65

National League News CHE

STERFIELD FC

After dominating the first three months of the National League season, and looking every inch the Champions-elect, the turn of the year has seen a steep downturn in form for Torquay United, with their commanding lead at the top ebbing away week-by-week.

The Gulls now have just one win in their last seven games, suffering three losses in that time frame, including on Saturday. They had lost just twice in 16 prior to their winter wobble.

Halifax were Torquay’s latest tormentors, with midfielder Jeff King having a roller-coaster of an afternoon, giving away two penalties and then bagging an 88th-minute winner to secure a thrilling 3-2 victory.

Sutton United are second in the league after a commanding performance at home to Wealdstone.

Three first-half goals guided The U’s to a 4-1 win and, with three games in hand on Torquay and just a fourpoint deficit, Matt Gray’s men must have top spot in their sites now.

Indeed, Sutton now top the points-per-game table, having recorded a highly impressive tally of two points per game so far.

It was a great weekend also for Hartlepool United and Eastleigh, who rise to third and fourth in the league respectively.

Hartlepool secured a seventh straight win at home to Yeovil Town, with Gavan Holohan the 90th-minute match-winner in their 2-1 triumph. Imagine how much longer that 325-mile bus journey felt for those Yeovil players, with the bitter taste of defeat so fresh in their mouths!

Meanwhile, Eastleigh... well, we all know how Eastleigh climbed the table. The Spitfires’ Saturday success puts them top of the form table, with 14 points from their last six games. The Hampshire club also benefited from Notts County’s home defeat to Chesterfield.

66

Which brings us to another of the division’s form teams, and what a job James Rowe has done since arriving at Chesterfield! The former Gloucester gaffer has had an immediate impact at the club, winning seven of his 12 games and losing just one.

Chesterfield are still in the lower reaches of the table at present, sitting 15th ahead of tonight’s fixtures, though with games in hand on most above them and in the kind of form that breeds great confidence and unity, it seems only a matter of time before they enter the play-off race.

After confirmation came last week that the National League season will continue, with two promotion places into League Two guaranteed, it gives everyone in the top half of the league something substantial to aim for as we reach the mid-point of the season.

Down at the bottom though, it’s a different picture altogether. With the National League North and South seasons now null and void, there will not be any relegations this season.

Great news for those that had previously been fighting relegation then, though pride aside, what really do the teams in the bottom half have to play for now? What does this mean for the integrity of the competition?

And also, what will become of Dover Athletic, who have stated they cannot fulfil fixtures for the remainder of the season? Is there any chance they can regroup for next season at this level, or are they set to be the latest club to fold?

Who knows what twists and turns await in this strangest of seasons?

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Stockport County 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Ben Hinchliffe Sam Minihan James Jennings Liam Hogan Ash Palmer Lois Maynard Adam Thomas John Rooney Richie Bennett Connor Jennings Jordan Williams The Blue & White Army Mark Kitching Jamie Stott Jordan Keane Macauley Southam-Hales Ryan Croasdale Alex Reid Nyal Bell Joshua Barnes Harvey Gilmour Finley Stanyer Jack Hopkins Adam Owen Sam Dalby Jack Hinchy Will Collar Tom Walker Harry Cardwell Elliot Newby

Notts County [1357] [1359] [1397] [1395] [1372] [1394] [1373] [1400] [1396] [1339] [1404] [1398] [1380] [1370] [1401] [1402] [1399] [1367] [1407]

1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 22 23 24 25 29 30

Sam Slocombe Richard Brindley Jake Reeves Ben Turner Jim O’Brien Jordan Barnett Michael Doyle Kyle Wootton Callum Roberts Enzio Boldewijn Inih Effiong Connell Rawlinson Damien McCrory Dion Kelly-Evans Matty Wolfe Jimmy Knowles Elisha Sam Ruben Rodrigues Tiernan Brooks Adam Chicksen Alex Lacey Luke Pilling Calvin Miller Jake Kean

[1408] [1405] [1406] [1388]

The numbers in brackets are each player’s unique Stockport County Appearance Number (SCAN), showing his position in the list of players to make their debut for the club in a senior competitive game. For more information please visit www.scanscheme.org

Tonight’s other Vanarama National League fixtures (7.45pm unless stated)

Dagenham & Redbridge v Sutton United (7pm) Maidenhead United v Aldershot Town (7pm) Wrexham v Hartlepool United (7pm) Boreham Wood v Bromley Chesterfield v Altrincham King’s Lynn Town v Barnet Solihull Moors v Torquay United Wealdstone v Eastleigh Woking v Dover Athletic Yeovil Town v Weymouth

Match Officials Referee Garreth Rhodes Assistant Referee 1 Matthew Sowerby Assistant Referee 2 Adam Burgess Fourth Official Zharir Mustafa

Next At Edgeley Park CHE

STERFIELD FC

Chesterfield Saturday 27th February 2021 Kick-off: 3.00pm Vanarama National League

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