Form
Stockport County came third in League One last season, 14 points behind second-placed Cardiff City, finishing on the same number of points as Bradford City in fourth. They made it to the playoff final after beating Stevenage in the semi-finals but lost 1-4 to Bolton Wanderers at Wembley.
This season marks their third straight campaign in the third tier, having won promotion from League Two in 2024 after finishing top of the league. They are right in the promotion hunt so far, sitting second in the league,
three points behind leaders Huddersfield Town.
Their recent form has been relatively strong, having seen three wins, one draw and one loss in their last five league games. Their last league game saw them beat AFC Wimbledon 2-1 at Edgeley Park, before beating Cray Wanderers in the first round of the FA Cup 3-2 and drawing 0-0 with Tranmere Rovers in the EFL Trophy.
The two sides played out a 1-1 draw at Edgeley Park last September before Reading claimed a 1-0 at the Select Car Leasing Stadium back in January.
The boss
Jimmy McNulty: McNulty was appointed Stockport head coach in June this year, taking over from Dave Challinor, who left the club by mutual consent after their playoff final loss.
McNulty had a long playing career as a defender, appearing for the likes of Macclesfield Town, Stockport, Barnsley, Bury and Rochdale, where he made over 200 appearances.
McNulty had two spells as temporary manager of the Dale, before officially starting his managerial career with the club in May 2023 after their relegation to the National league. He stayed at Rochdale for three seasons and guided the club back to League Two last season, via the playoffs, where they beat Boreham Wood on penalties.
He returned to his former club Stockport in the summer and has had a strong start to life at the Hatters, with the side currently sitting second. The 41-year-old has won 12 of his 19 matches in charge so far, giving him an impressive win percentage of 63%.
McNulty likes his sides to play attacking football and usually favours playing three at the back.
Squad
Stockport brought in 12 players over the summer with 11 signing permanently and one joining on loan.
Their loanee was goalkeeper Oliver Whatmuff, who joined from Premier League Manchester City.
They made further defensive additions with the free transfers of goalkeeper Luca Ashby-Hammond and defenders Kyron Gordon and Eoghan O’Connell. Stockport also paid transfer fees for Tom Wilson-Browne (Leicester City) and Mamadou Jobe (Cambridge United).
Midfielder Ben Osborn joined on a free transfer, with County buying midfielder Harry Wood (Shelbourne FC), wingers Ryan Glover (Barnet) and Ethan Ennis (Manchester United) and forwards Jason Adigun (Chelmsford City) and Mikael Mandron (St Mirren).
Goalkeeper Whatmuff will be available for Stockport after withdrawing from the England under-20 squad.
Expected setup
Formation: 3-4-3
Style: Attacking, possession-based football
Lineup: Whatmuff, Jobe, O’Connell, Pye, Dacres-Cogley, Ennis, Norwood, Fiorini, Diamond, Andresson, Wootton
Key player
10. Oliver Norwood: Former Royal Norwood joined Stockport in August 2024, signing on a free transfer following the end of his contract at Sheffield United.
The midfielder started his career at Manchester United, joining the Red Devils’ academy at the age of seven. He never made an appearance for United but had loan spells at Carlisle United, Scunthorpe United and Coventry City.
He made a permanent switch to Huddersfield Town in 2012 and spent two seasons with the Terriers. He then joined Reading in 2014, making 92 appearances, scoring five goals and claiming 18 assists.
After two years in Berkshire, Norwood joined Brighton & Hove Albion on a permanent deal. While there he also had loan spells at Fulham and then Sheffield United. He signed for the Blades permanently in January 2019, where he stayed for five and half years, making 252 appearances and scoring 11 goals.
Norwood has made over a century of appearances for Stockport since joining and is captain of the Hatters. He has also represented Northern Ireland and won 57 caps, before retiring from international duty in 2019.
The 35-year-old is a creative midfield playmaker with a great eye for a pass. He’s a strong set-piece taker who likes to shoot from distance.
One to watch
16. Harry Wood: Midfielder Wood joined Stockport during the summer transfer window from Irish side Shelbourne FC.
Wood started his career in the youth setup at Manchester United, before joining Hull City’s youth team. He made his professional debut at Hull in 2021 and went on to gain further first-team experience during loan spells at Scunthorpe United, Shelbourne and Grimsby Town.
He returned to Shelbourne on a permanent deal in 2024 and made over a century of appearances for the club, scoring 23 goals.
The 24-year-old already has three Stockport goals to his name. Wood is a high-energy attacking midfielder who likes to run at defenders.
