Stockport County, a little giant in Manchester

Less than five minutes from the stadium, Stockport County fans gather before a game at Ye Olde Vic, a cozy little pub next to the train station. It hardly has a window to the outside, in addition to the back door that should only be opened in summer, when the weather does not freeze customers, but its interior breathes football, community and, of course, alcohol.

Before each match, be it on a Tuesday or any Saturday of the month, the fans hatters They meet in there, with limited capacity until the place says ‘enough’ and of course without social distances in times of pandemic, and then they walk through the lonely streets of Stockport until they reach Edgeley Park, the home of a club in the National League, England’s fifth division, which has had to coexist with the close existence of Manchester City and Manchester United but that has kept the bulk of its social mass, a factor that makes the difference: with more than 6,000 spectators on average per game, Stockport County is one of the most followed teams outside of English professional football.

For almost two years, the club has had horizons that it did not imagine before. The purchase of Stockport County by Mark Stott, a local businessman, has brought joy back to his fans. Stott paid off the debts and promised a better future: He returned the entity to professionalism (In the fifth division, not all squads can boast of having full-time positions) and invested to try to hatters step back into the first four categories for the first time since 2011.

After the 1-4 victory this past weekend, their superiority has become a little more evident: “They are the best team we have played against by far. They are going to win the league. If they go up to League Two, they will also be candidates for the title “, recognized Stuart Maynard, rival coach, who suffered the steamroller that is this Stockport County millionaire in a division where together with Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham They are breaking the transfer market with the aim of moving up to the fourth category.

Stockport County has gathered in its squad players who by merits and qualities should be higher: Paddy Madden (all-time top scorer in the third tier, with more than 100 goals to his name), Scott Quigley (35 goals in his last two seasons with Barrow), Zeki Fryers (Manchester United quarry with steps for Tottenham or Crystal Palace), Ollie Crankshaw (a 23-year-old winger who was at Wigan and accumulates eight goals in his first 12 games) or John Rooney, Wayne’s brother, whose hitting delights the stands.

The financial outlay in the National League has reached a point where a salary limit has been proposed for the competition that will take effect from 2022-23 and that it will be around one million euros, for almost 600,000 in the sixth category. Precisely for this reason, and because there is still this season until it becomes effective, teams like Stockport County or Wrexham are investing as much as they can to try to move up the division.

Two weeks ago, Stockport County were tied with Bolton Wanderers in the first round of the FA Cup. The two divisions that are different between the two clubs were not a problem: after 2-2 in the first leg in Bolton, Stockport County rallied from the replay from 1-3 down and won 5-3 in extra time in front of more than 10,000 spectators they went to Edgeley Park that night. The meeting was televised by the BBC open to all of England. In the alignment of the hatters There was the great signing of this course, one that was not announced until the season began and that made many put their hands to their heads: Antoni Sarcevic, Bolton captain, decided to go down two levels and play for his hometown team … and on the rebound beat Bolton in the FA Cup tie. In exchange, of course, for one of the highest salaries in the category and a contract until 2024.

Sarcevic signing

“This is just the beginning. The direction the club is taking, the facilities … Listen, they are the best I have been in my life. Oh, you went down two divisions, they tell me. You watch the game the other day and if you are a neutral fan you think that the League One team is us “, Sarcevic explained after knocking Bolton down.

Stockport County will play Rotherham in the final round of the FA Cup on Friday before all the Premier League teams take action. In the last four league games they have scored 16 goals and are now 8th after a hesitant start, but only three points from direct promotion. Just 10 kilometers from Manchester, the ‘hatters’ want to continue growing And, who knows, one day repeat what happened one afternoon in March 2002 when, at Edgeley Park, they beat Manchester City 2-1, a duel that went down in the club’s history and is still remembered today in the talks that take place within Ye Olde Vic.