Stockport County was one of a handful of teams to do well in pre-season picks, and they are starting to show exactly why. After a slow start, winning just once in their opening five league games, they are now on a five-game winning streak.
This run of results has seen them climb the table into fourth place, before this weekend’s visit of a rejuvenated Doncaster Rovers.
The winning run has included a 2-1 away win at AFC Wimbledon, inflicting the only defeat suffered by the Dons so far this season, and a 5-0 thrashing of promotion favourites Wrexham at home. These two results show the credentials of Dave Challinor’s side. Speaking to the Official EFL Podcast, the Hatters’ boss said;
“If we can get through the next month, we hope to have six or maybe seven senior pros back in our squad which gives us more depth. The challenge that is then on the players that are in the starting XI will be greater and we’ll have a little bit more margin because at the moment, we’re almost asking the same 11 to rinse and repeat.
https://twitter.com/StockportCounty/status/1710271185001275407?s=20
“I’m still really confident that the best of us is still to come if you look at what we’ve got out of the team currently in terms of injuries. At the moment, we’re having a great run.”
Challinor is aware of the pressure on his team this year, and how he can try and help them go further than playoff defeat last season.
“From my perspective, it’s good to be somewhere where there’s a plan and there is an expectation to try and be successful. I’d much rather be somewhere where there’s hope and expectation to get promoted than there is to tread water. We look at Stockport as a town but a really big town where there’s scope to be able to increase fanbase and the size of the stadium.”
Writer’s View
On current form, it does seem that the run of wins will continue on Saturday. Doncaster have only won once away this season in five attempts and will find it hard to stop the free-scoring Hatters.
With trips to Salford City and Harrogate Town coming up, it could be that the consecutive win streak keeps going to almost double figures. Challinor knows that it is important to stay in position now, ready for an assault on promotion at the turn of the year when the league really starts to take shape.
