History of Stockport County F.C.

Stockport County was formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers by members of the Wycliffe Congregational Church,[1] and played their first recorded game in October the next year. The club adopted The Hatters as their nickname,[2] owing to Stockport's history as the centre of the Victorian hat-making industry, a nickname that is shared with Luton Town.[1] Stockport played in the Lancashire League until 1900, when they gained admission to the Football League Second Division.[3] Stockport's first Football League match was against Leicester Fosse which ended in a 2–2 draw.[4] Stockport left their Green Lane home in 1902 and moved to Edgeley Park where they currently reside.[5]

The club finished in the bottom three for their first four seasons, and at the end of 1903–04 they failed to gain re-election.[6] They spent one year in the Lancashire Combination (a league which they won)[7] and the Midland League. At the end of the season, they were re-admitted to the Football League after being re-elected through the Midland League.[8] In their first season back in the Football League, Stockport reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time; however, they were knocked out by Lincoln City.[9] Stockport finished the league in 10th position that season.[10]

Photo of the 1913–14 Stockport County team

Stockport remained in Division 2 of the Football League for seven years until 1912–13 when they again had to seek re-election. Stockport gained 22 votes and was therefore re-elected.[11] Despite an unsuccessful 1920–21 campaign that saw Stockport end the season bottom of the Second Division, which would normally have seen them face re-election however, they were placed in the new Third Division North.[12] After winning five of their first six matches; along with going unbeaten from New Years Day 1921 to Easter Weekend 1922;[13] Stockport set the standard for the division and gained their first Football League title when they beat Darlington in front of 18,500 fans at Edgeley Park. Albert Williams (the then manager) was presented with the trophy seven days later before the home game with Lincoln City.[14][15] This title win began a remarkable coincidence which has occurred in each of Stockport's title winning seasons where Lincoln City have been the last opponents in each of those seasons.[13] Joe O'Kane; who joined Stockport the previous season, was a major factor in the club's promotion although he left the club at the end of the season.[13]

Once Stockport returned to Division 2, they struggled and survived an automatic relegation by one point.[16] The 1923–24 season saw Stockport County finish 13th, one place above Manchester United. This is the only time in history Stockport has achieved better than Manchester United.[17] During this campaign Stockport goalkeeper Harry Hardy was called up to play for the England national team and kept a clean sheet in a 4–0 win against Belgium.[18][19] He is the only player to be capped at full level by England while on Stockport's books.[20][21][22] Two seasons later (1925–26) Stockport returned to the bottom division after finishing bottom of the league and only picking up 25 points.[23] Stockport finished 6th the next season (1926–27) but suffered a 2-point deduction and £100 fine for fielding an ineligible player after the registration documents for Joe Smith were not received by the Football League.[24]

Stockport closed out the 1920s in Division Three North with a 3rd-placed finish in 1927–28.[25] Joe Smith was Stockport's and the division's leading goalscorer in this particular season contributing to 38 of Stockport's 89 goals.[25] Stockport also finished second on two occasions, one in 1928–29;[26] Where Stockport amassed 62 points, scored over 100 goals in a season and averaged 10,000 fans for the first time, it was a memorable season, but one that in the end had been disappointing after Stockport won nine of their last 11 matches it had still not been enough to win the league.[13] Stockport also finished second the following season; 1929–30[27] with an even better record than in the previous season, finishing four points behind the champions Port Vale despite beating them 2–1 away on Christmas Day and 4–2 on Boxing Day, 1929.[13] Frank Newton was Stockport's and the division's leading goalscorer in this particular season contributing to 36 of Stockport's 106 goals.[27]

From the start of the 1930s, Stockport County played in a home strip of white and black and were nicknamed the 'Lilywhites'.[4] The 1933–34 season saw them achieve 115 goals. These included a 13–0 home win over Halifax Town on 6 January 1934; Joe Hill made his debut for Stockport scoring twice to making the score 2–0 at half time. Hill completed his hat trick on 51 minutes also Percy Downes make a notable performance scoring four of Stockport's goals on this day.[13] This record victory still stands as a Football League record today.[28] Over the course of the 1933–34 season Alf Lythgoe scored 46 goals for Stockport .[29] Both of these records still stand in the club's history.[28] Another first for Stockport was also seen during this season when Stockport's 2–1 home defeat to Crystal Palace in the second round of the FA Cup was shown on television .[29] Stockport finished third in this season.[30]

The Main Stand of Edgeley Park, which in 1935 was made of wood, burned down in a fire, destroying all of Stockport County's records before 1935. Besides having to rebuild a significant section of the ground, the club had to piece together historical information. The current Main Stand, was built a year later in 1936 and officially opened by Charles Sutcliffe, then President of the Football League.[5] In 1936–37 County won the Third Division North, gaining 60 points and 23 wins.[31] Towards the end of this season, Stockport had a ten-game unbeaten run that included seven victories before a last-day title decider against Lincoln City in which more than 27,000 fans watched.[32] The following season, Stockport finished 22nd out of 22 in the Second Division and were relegated to Division 3 (North) after only earning 31 points.[33]

During the 1939–40 season football was stopped following Britain's declaration of war and was not resumed until the end of World War II. This was because most British men were sent to the army. Stockport played only two matches in the 1939–40 season before war was declared, losing both and being bottom of the league.[34] Regional league competitions were set up; appearances in these tournaments do not count in players' official records. Due to teams having a depleting number of players most teams resigned from football, the clubs that were left to compete used guest players to make up their numbers. The FA Cup was also suspended and replaced with the Football League War Cup.[35]

In the first war league after the outbreak of World War II (1940–41) Stockport finished in 35th place overall in the Northern Regional League after playing 29 games. League standings were calculated by goal average over the course of games played, with some teams playing more than others.[36][37] In 1945–46, English football still did not have a football season; however, The FA Cup competition was resumed. Stockport was eliminated from the 1945–46 FA Cup in the first round after a 3–2 aggregate loss to Rochdale.[38] The first post-war league season 1946–47 saw Stockport finish fourth in Division 3 (North) with 24 wins and 50 points.[39]

Chart of yearly table positions of Stockport County in the English football league system

The 1950s brought little league success, but were notable for goal-scoring by Jack Connor, whose 140 goals in five seasons are still a club record. These included 13 hat-tricks (three of which were consecutive – once against Crewe Alexandra and twice against Chester), two instances of four goals in a match (against Workington and Carlisle United), and two of five goals in a match (against Bradford Park Avenue and the Tranmere Rovers).[40] When the regional Third Divisions were to be combined into national Third and Fourth Divisions after the 1957–58 campaign, Stockport finished in the top half of the Third Division North and so were placed in the following season's national Third Division.[41]

Stockport spent one season at this level before the club was demoted.[42] Stockport played in the first League Cup competition in 1960–61, beating Carlisle United in the first round,[4] but the club was eliminated in the second round after a 3–0 defeat against Manchester City.[43] In the 1964–65 FA Cup run Stockport were drawn against reigning Football League champions Liverpool at Anfield. Stockport footed the 4th Division table. Stockport pulled off a shock 1–1 draw at Anfield after deservedly taking the lead with enough chances to have won.[44] Unfortunately the replay was a 0–2 home defeat after another excellent performance against top class opposition. Despite Stockport's ability to match the 1964–65 European Cup semi-finalist they finished bottom of the 4th division and survived re-election in the 1964–65 season. After finishing bottom of the league with 27 points, the club was re-elected by gaining 45 votes.[45] During the 1964–65 season, then Stockport Chairman Vic Bernard re-introduced the royal blue strip, colours they still play in.[4] Two seasons later Stockport returned to Third Division by winning the Fourth Division in 1966–67 after gaining 64 points.[46]

After the club was relegated in 1969–70, the 1970s, and 1980s consisted of little other than mediocrity and struggling against relegation. In February 1984 Stockport competed in their first Associate Members' Cup match against Crewe Alexandra in a competition their chairman at the time' Dragan Lukic' helped create. The matched finished 2–2 after extra time and as so was decided in a penalty shoot-out; the first in Stockport's history. Stockport went on to lose 3–0 on penalties.[47] The introduction of automatic promotion and relegation between the Football League and the Conference was not a good sign for Stockport, and in 1986–87 they had just six points from 13 games and faced a real prospect of non-League football, exemplified by being eliminated from the FA Cup by Caernarfon Town. Colin Murphy was brought in for his second spell as manager. Stockport gained 45 points from their final 31 games and survived, although Murphy left shortly after the end of the season.[2] Danny Bergara was appointed as manager in March 1989, quickly transforming the team, and automatic promotion was gained in 1990–91. The next three seasons saw Stockport make the play-offs, losing 2–1 to Burnley in 1994. Stockport finishing with 9 men after Michael Wallace was sent off for spitting at Ted McMinn and Chris Beaumont was dismissed. There was trouble in the stands due to the manner of the defeat. In March 1995 Bergara was sacked after an altercation with then-chairman Brendan Elwood,[48]

The 1995–96 season was Dave Jones' first full season as manager, having taken over from Bergara in April 1995.[49] Although the league season was unremarkable, the club reached the 3rd round of the FA Cup, where they faced holders Everton. County held the Toffees to a 2–2 draw at Goodison Park, and for the replay ten days later over 11,000 squeezed into Edgeley Park to witness Everton's late winner in a 3–2 victory.

The 1996–97 season proved to be possibly the most memorable in the club's history. The season began in a forgettable fashion, recording 2 draws and 4 defeats in the first six league matches. A 2nd round League Cup tie against Sheffield United proved to be a catalyst, and Stockport won with a 7–3 aggregate win, including a 5–2 victory at Bramall Lane. Although County reached the northern final of the Auto Windscreens Shield, losing 2–0 on aggregate to Carlisle and just missing out on a visit to Wembley, it was the League Cup which provided the major highlights of the season, with 4 victories over top-flight opposition. A 1–0 win away at Blackburn Rovers in the 3rd round was followed by a 4th round 1–1 draw away to West Ham and a 2–1 victory in the replay at Edgeley Park, a quarter final 2–2 draw against Southampton at Edgeley Park followed by a 2–1 victory in the replay at The Dell, and then a semi-final meeting with Middlesbrough. Although County lost the first leg at Edgeley Park 2–0, they won 1–0 at the Riverside Stadium, failing to convert several chances to equalise on aggregate.[49]

The league season was also going very strong, and the Hatters eventually gained promotion with a 1–0 victory at Chesterfield in the penultimate match of the season, a game which, had County failed to win, they would have faced a deciding match away at promotion rivals Luton Town on the final day of the season. As it turned out, County travelled to Kenilworth Road with a chance to win the title, but a 1–1 draw meant that local rivals Bury finished top of the table.[49]

1997–98 saw County playing in the top two divisions for the first time in 60 years, facing the likes of Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, Birmingham City, Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth and many others. However, even before the season had started things had taken a turn for the worse - Dave Jones had been poached by Premiership Southampton,[49] taking goalkeeper Paul Jones & full back Lee Todd with him. Gary Megson left Blackpool to take over the reins, and in his first season County finished 8th, just two places off the playoffs to reach the Premiership - the club's best ever league placing. The season also saw the first of several memorable derby matches with Manchester City, a 3–1 victory at Edgeley Park in front of more than 11,000.

That was as good as things were going to get, however, and the following 1998–99 season saw Stockport finish 16th, winning just 3 of their final 14 matches. A 5–0 defeat at relegated Oxford United on the final day signalled the end of Megson's time at Edgeley Park.[50] The club decided to promote from within and Andy Kilner was soon put in charge. Again, he had an encouraging start to his management at County and by Boxing Day the club were 6th, holding a playoff spot, having picked up another unforgettable win over Manchester City, this time 2–1 at Maine Road. However, the team then went a club-record 19 games without a victory, eventually finishing the 1999–2000 season 17th, with two late wins helping stave off relegation. The 2000–01 season saw them again narrowly avoid relegation, finishing 19th overall.

2001–02 turned out to be the club's worst ever at the time. With County already bottom of the league, a 4–0 home defeat to Millwall saw manager Kilner sacked. Shortly after he was replaced with former England international Carlton Palmer.[51] A 2–1 win over Norwich game some hope, but County then went on to lose 11 matches in a row, another unwanted club record. The Hatters picked up just 3 more wins during the rest of the season (one of these being another unforgettable 2–1 victory over Manchester City, having been 1–0 down with just 5 minutes left) finishing the season with just 26 points, going down on 16 March, the quickest post-war relegation.

Season 2002–03 set a trend of optimism followed by great disappointment that would continue in the following years. The season started well enough, a 1–0 defeat at Colchester on the opening day forgotten after consecutive wins over Port Vale, Mansfield, Swindon & Lincoln. However, those wins turned out to be the exception rather than the rule and County languished in the relegation zone for much of the season, until another run of four victories (over Wycombe, Plymouth, Northampton & Huddersfield) helped the club climb to mid-table at the end of the season.

The summer of 2003 saw the club change ownership, as chairman Brendan Elwood sold the club to Sale Sharks owner Brian Kennedy, in a move that would see Sale play their home games at Edgeley Park. A new company was created, called 'Cheshire Sports', which would have ownership of Stockport County, Sale Sharks & the Edgeley Park stadium. The 2003–04 season saw Palmer sacked after another poor start to the season, following home defeats to Hartlepool & Blackpool in the space of one week. John Hollins, who had been Director of Football during Palmer's reign, took over as caretaker manager, but was replaced full-time by former Northern Ireland manager Sammy McIlroy.[52] After a poor start to his time at Edgeley Park & yet more relegation worries, an 11-match unbeaten run saw the club again climb to safety at the end of the season.

2004–05 was another season that promised much, with several promising signings over the summer. The previous season's excellent form failed to carry over, the new signings failed to gel and again County were in the relegation places by the Autumn. McIlroy was sacked in November and replaced by Chris Turner a month later. Turner failed to turn things around and, for the second time in three years, Stockport County finished a season with just 26 points and were relegated.

2005–06 saw Stockport County change owners again. After reportedly losing £4m,[53] Cheshire Sports chairman Brian Kennedy handed ownership of the club to the Supporters Trust, whose aim was to rescue the club from revenue loss, eventually breaking even & turn Stockport County into a community based football club. On the 8 July at 10:30 the deal went through, making County one of a handful of supporter-owned clubs in the country. On the pitch, despite the lower level of football the team failed to adapt. On Boxing Day 2005, already five points from safety, County lost 6–0 at local rivals Macclesfield Town, leading Turner to resign after just seven wins in 50 matches.

Former player Jim Gannon came in as caretaker manager, while the club searched for a replacement. An impressive change to both results and performances under Gannon's leadership led the club to give him the position full-time, and the remarkable run of form continued. Stockport picked up 35 points from the final 23 games, compared to just 17 from the first 23 matches. On an extremely tense final day of the season, County held champions Carlisle United to a 0–0 draw; a last minute winner for Leyton Orient at Oxford United sent Oxford down and brought the Hatters to safety, sparking scenes of celebration at Edgeley Park.

The 2006–07 season started poorly, with the club picking up just five points from the first eight league games of the season, and back where they had spent most of the previous season, in the relegation zone, also losing 1–0 at home to Derby County in the first round of the League Cup.

Results slowly improved through the rest of the calendar year, and by the time County were knocked out of the FA Cup at the third round stage (4-1 away to Premiership club Watford), County had risen to mid-table.

During the January transfer window, two players - goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey (on loan for three months from Wolves) and striker Anthony Elding (from Boston United) signed for County; beginning with their debut against Elding's former club, County won nine games in a row without conceding a goal. Both the nine game winning run and the nine consecutive clean sheets were and remain club records, whilst the combination of nine wins without conceding a goal set a Football League record, eclipsing the eight such games that had been achieved four times previously, most recently by Hartlepool United earlier in the 2006–07 season.

At the end of the record-breaking run, County had climbed to sixth in the table, but following the end of the run, County's form dipped, picking up only one point from a possible fifteen. County remained sixth, however, and picked up four points over the Easter weekend, but the team failed to win again in April, resulting in a drop to 8th place before the final game of the season. That game resulted in a 5–0 victory away at Darlington, but it was not quite enough to secure a place in the play-offs, as a win for Bristol Rovers combined with a draw for Shrewsbury saw County finish in 8th place, losing out to Shrewsbury on goal difference.

The 2007–08 season started on a somber note, with a friendly between Stockport and Dave Jones' Cardiff marking the passing of Danny Bergara.[54][55] Stockport played promisingly and were just three points off the top of the table at the end of September, but a downturn in form throughout October and November saw County slip as low as 17th in the division. Despite losing top scorer Anthony Elding to Leeds in the January transfer window,[56] the New Year saw a sharp upturn in fortunes as the club lost only three further games until the end of the season, climbing into the playoffs by mid-February. The new year also saw Stockport equal a league record of eight consecutive away victories.[57] Approaching the end of the season they had an outside chance to qualify for promotion automatically but missed out, finishing the season in 4th place. However, after beating Wycombe Wanderers 2–1 on aggregate in the play-off semi-final,[58] Stockport played Rochdale at Wembley in the final, coming from behind to secure a 3–2 victory and their place in League One for the next football season.[59]

On 30 April 2009, Stockport County FC announced that they had been placed into administration by a creditor, and Leonard Curtis were appointed as administrators of the club. Jim Gannon and his team were made redundant as cost-cutting measures, and the new season saw Gary Ablett take over as manager. The season was one of the worst in Stockport County history, winning only five league games all season and breaking the club record for the most consecutive league defeats. A consortium led by former Manchester City player Jim Melrose attempted to buy the cash-strapped club out, a process which dragged on for 14 months, as they were not able to fulfilled the Football League Buy-Out Criteria.

Another consortium, led by supporter Dave Schofield, was put together comprising a group of local Stockport based business people, calling themselves the '2015 Group'. It was announced on Thursday 17 June 2010 that the 2015 Group had taken control of the club. On the same day, it was announced that Gary Ablett had been relieved of his managerial duties by 'mutual consent'.

The following season in League 2 began with Paul Simpson as manager, before being replaced by Peter Ward as caretaker manager. He too was replaced in the same season by Ray Mathias and although there was an upturn in performance, it was not sufficient to prevent the club from dropping out of the Football League for the first time in 106 years.

The 2011–12 season began with Mathias being given the manager's role, but a week later, with the (ultimately failed) takeover by a Liverpool-based consortium, he was replaced by Liverpool and Germany international former player, Dietmar Hamann. He was unable to stop the ongoing slump of the club, and resigned in November 2011, to pave the way for the return as Director of Football Jim Gannon, who had been made redundant by the administrators of the club whilst they were in League One. It took until New Year's Day 2012 for him to record a first win.