Stockport County F.C.

Stockport County Football Club are an English football club playing in the Football League One.

Overview

Stockport County were formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers by members of the Wycliffe Congressional Church, and played their first recorded game in October the next year. Shortly after they merged with a similarly named club, Heaton Norris, and on the 24th May 1890 changed their name to Stockport County to reflect Stockport becoming a County Borough.

The club adopted ?The Hatters? as their nickname, due to Stockport?s history as the centre of the hat-making industry. This nickname is shared with Luton Town. Stockport County are also generally referred to by their own supporters simply as ?County?.

The club first played in the Lancashire Combination league until 1900 when Stockport gained admission to the Football League Second Division. The club finished in the bottom three for their first four seasons until they failed to rain re-election at the end of the 1903/04 season, going back to the Combination for one season. Stockport County won the league & were re-admitted to the Football League for the 1905/06 season. Since then they have stayed in the League, however they needed to be re-elected on four further occasions.

After spending much of their history in the lower reaches of the Football League, in the 1996/97 season Stockport County gained promotion to then Division One, the second tier of English football, by finishing second in Division Two. Other highlights of that season included reaching the semi-final of the League Cup, losing 2-1 on aggregate to Middlesbrough.

The stay in Division One lasted five years, eventually ending in the 2001/02 season. Currently the club plays in the Football League One, the third tier of English Football, and the manager is ex-Northern Ireland coach Sammy McIlroy. In 2003 then chairman Brendan Elwood sold the club to Cheshire Sport, who bought the club?s ground, Edgeley Park, which cleared the club?s debts. The takeover by Cheshire Sport also saw Rugby Union side Sale Sharks move to Edgeley Park.

Colours

Stockport County?s traditional home colours are considered to be blue & white, although very early in the club?s history they had played in red & white stripes or pink with light blue at the top. In the 1960s County played in white & black, and the nickname at the time was ?The Lilywhites?. The current home strip is entirely blue with white piping, and the away strip is all yellow with a blue trim.

Grounds

Originally Stockport County played home matches at the Heaton Norris Recreation Ground, then played at various locations in Stockport until settling at a park by the Nursery Inn on Green Lane, Heaton Norris. In 1902 County required a larger ground and moved to Edgeley Park, then home of Stockport Rugby League Club, who folded a few years later. Stockport County have stayed at Edgeley Park ever since, celebrating the centenary in 2002 by playing Spanish side Athletic Bilbao. In late 2000 the club considered moving to Maine Road, the stadium formerly home of near neighbours Manchester City. The move was ditched after protests from supporters. Edgeley Park is now shared with Rugby Union side Sale Sharks, and Stockport County?s reserve fixtures are held at Woodley Sport?s Lambeth Grove stadium.

Honours

• FA Cup
  • 5th Round: 0-4 vs. Tottenham Hotspur 2000/01
  • 5th Round: 1-2 vs. Liverpool 1949/50
  • 5th Round: 0-5 vs. West Bromwich Albion 1934/35
• League Cup
  • Semi Final: 1-2 (aggregate) vs. Middlesbrough 1996/97
• Football League
  • Championship (then First Division) Best: 8th 1997/98
  • League One (then Second Division) Runners Up: 1996/97
  • League One (then Third Division) Playoff Runners Up: 1-2 vs. Peterborough United 1991/92
  • League One (then Second Division) Playoff Runners Up: 1-2 vs. Burnley 1993/94
  • League Two (then Fourth Division) Champions: 1966/67
  • League Two (then Fourth Division) Runners Up: 1990/91
  • Division Three (North) Champions: 1921/22, 1936/37
  • Division Three (North) Runners Up: 1928/29, 1929/30
• Football League Trophy
  • Autoglass Trophy Runners Up: 0-1 vs. Stoke City 1991/92
  • Autoglass Trophy Runners Up: 1-2 vs. Port Vale 1992/93
• Other Competitions
  • Division Three (North) Cup Winners: 1936/37
  • Division Three (North) Cup Runners Up: 1937/38
  • Manchester Senior Cup Winners: 1897/98, 1898/99, 1914/15, 1922/23
  • 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: 1966, 1967
  • Cheshire Premier Cup Winners: 1970, 1971

Records

• Seasons
  • Most Wins: 28, 1928/29 and 1929/30
  • Least Wins: 6, 1969/70 and 2001/02
  • Most Draws: 21, 1988/89
  • Least Draws: 2, 1946/47
  • Most Defeats: 32, 2001/02
  • Least Defeats: 5, 1936/37
  • Most Goals For: 115, 1933/34
  • Least Goals For: 27, 1969/70
  • Most Goals Against: 102, 2001/02
  • Least Goals Against: 21, 1921/22
• Matches
  • Biggest Win: 13-0 vs. Halifax Town, January 6th 1934
  • Biggest Defeat: 1-8 vs. Chesterfield, September 19th 1902
  • Highest Aggregate Score: 13 goals, 13-0 vs. Halifax Town, January 6th 1934 and 8-5 vs. Chester City May 6th 1933
• Player Records
  • Most Appearnces: 555, Andy Thorpe, 1977-86 & 1989-92 (two spells at the club)
  • Most International Caps: 9 for Finland, Jarkko Wiss, 2000-02
  • Most International Caps For England: 1 vs. Belgium, Harry Hardy, December 8th 1924
  • Most Goals In A Career: 140 by Jack Connor, 1951-56
  • Most Goals In A Season: 47 by Alf Lythgoe, 1933/34
  • Most Goals In A Game: 5, by various players - Joe Smith vs. Southport 1928, Joe Smith vs. Lincoln City 1928, Frank ?Bonzo? Newton vs. Nelson 1929, Alf Lythgoe vs. Southport 1934, Billy McNaughton vs. Mansfield Town 1935, Jack Connor vs. Workington 1952, Jack Connor vs. Carlisle United 1956
• Attendances
  • Highest Attendance: 27,833 vs. Liverpool, FA Cup 5th Round, February 11th 1950
  • Highest League Attendance: 27,304 vs. Lincoln City, May 1st 1937
  • Lowest Recorded Attendance: 13, vs. Leicester City, May 7th 1921 (See Notable Facts)
  • Lowest Actual Attendance: 1,039 vs. Southend Utd, February 15th 1984

Notable Facts

• The lowest ever recorded crowd at an English League match was 13, at Stockport County vs. Leicester City. County?s own ground was under suspension at the time due to crowd trouble during a game against Sheffield Wednesday, and the match against Leicester was held at Old Trafford, home of Manchester United. United had played Derby County earlier that day and around 2,000 fans decided to take in two matches for the price of one. The figure of 13 is those who paid to enter the ground for the second match.
• The longest ever football match took place at Edgeley Park in 1946, when Stockport County played Doncaster Rovers F.C. in the Division Three (North) Cup. The game ended 2-2 after 90 minutes, and after 30 minutes of extra time there was still no winner, and it was decided that the match should carry on until there was a winner. Some stories tell of supporters leaving the match, going home for tea, and returning to find the game still being played. After 203 minutes of football, the referee blew his whistle to signify the end of the game at around 7pm. A toss of a coin decided that a replay of the game would be held at Doncaster?s ground, Belle Vue, which Rovers won 4-0.
• Jack Connor & Alf Lythgoe have both scored three consecutive hat-tricks (a 'hat-trick of hat-tricks') - two of only six players ever to have done so.
• David & Alec Herd were the first father & son to play in a Football League match together, when Stockport County beat Hartlepool 2-0 at Edgeley Park in 1952.