Saturday, 31^st January 2026.

Matchday, County v Plymouth Argyle, League 1.

Just as we started to get some of our players back to fitness, Dave Challinor’s pre-match interview brought disappointing news about some others:

• Beno Andrésson: He appears to have an inherent weakness in his ankles and after he collided with Blackpool’s ‘keeper on Tuesday he’s going to be out for some time. He could be back in six to seven weeks or he might have an operation which would effectively see him out for the season. A shame for us but it must be distressing for the lad himself.
• Jack Diamond: He suffered an ankle injury at Blackpool as well and he’s 50/50 for inclusion in today’s squad.
• Callum Camps and Callum Connolly: Both need surgery on their backs, probably out for the season.

Huddersfield Town fans are upset that Alfie May has been banned for three matches for pulling an opponent’s hair, despite the club claiming it was accidental. County had Jack Diamond banned for three matches for exactly the same thing last season, it wasn’t seen by the officials but he was punished retrospectively after a complaint by the opposing team. County made the same plea in mitigation to no avail. The complainant in that case? Huddersfield Town.

County have introduced automatic turnstiles in a couple of places this weekend but the type they’ve chosen are more often seen at public toilets than at football grounds. A reasonably active six-year-old could find his way past them.

Edgeley Park was in festive mood to welcome our lost lamb back to the fold. Don’t get me wrong, I’m delighted that Tanto is here on loan but the American style fireman’s helmets, the inflatable fire extinguishers, the tee-shirts, the naming of the food in the courtyard and playing “Freed From Desire” as the teams emerged might have been just a little over the top. You could argue that all the froth wasn’t aimed at a curmudgeon in his seventh decade, but there it is.

By way of contrast, this tribute to Phil Robinson was subtle and appropriate:

County’s team came as surprise to me at least, I wasn’t expecting both Olaofe and Sidibeh to start, but the news that Stokes was injured explained their presence. Apparently, the screw he had inserted in his foot has caused a bulge which is rubbing on his boot.

The Pop Side toilets were out of commission again, according to Ken Boxshall’s announcement whatever the problem was, it was outside the club’s control. If the toilets have a mind of their own, it explains a great deal.

The Plymouth fans had filled the Railway End and made a decent racket, helped by their team being on top for most of the first half once County’s initial pressure had waned without amounting to anything tangible. Things got scary after twenty minutes, Plymouth’s Watts went down in the penalty area from a tackle by Pye, this roused the Argyle fans to a frenzy but the referee saw exactly what had occurred, waved the appeals away and booked Watts for simulation. Watts spent the rest of the half displaying a level of fouling, petulance and back chat to the referee that might well have earned him a second yellow. Plymouth’s superiority paid off after forty-two minutes when their number 2, Ross, found too much space in the penalty area, received the ball from the left and fired them ahead. I’ll be honest, I couldn’t see us getting anything from the game at this stage.

This feeling lingered into the start of the second period; we played our part but couldn’t manage to make the necessary breakthrough. Dave Challinor recognised that something had to change and on the hour he made three attacking substitutions, Diamond, Bate and Mothersille replacing Bailey, Osborn and Sidibeh.

Four minutes later it was time for a minute’s applause to mark the passing of Phil Robinson. It was very well observed among our three sides of the ground and if only some of the away fans responded, so what? We came together to mark a life well lived by one of our own and that’s what counts.

Mothersille has taken a good deal of stick since signing because he hasn’t become prime Maradona overnight but it seems to me he’s done better and better every time he’s played and he was instrumental in our equaliser. He chased a ball that was going out, brushed aside the attentions of three defenders, passed the ball to Edun who crossed to Wootton who flicked the ball home despite facing the wrong way. Plymouth were noticeably tiring by now and started to get fractious when things went against them. Our winner was again a product of the substitutions, Bate and Diamond being closely involved. The latter’s cross to the far post was met perfectly by Wootton, who rose head and shoulders above the attendant defender to power a header into the net. Argyle weren’t entirely out of it and kept us on our toes by hitting the bar late on.

An excellent comeback that looked unlikely at half time and as most of the promotion contenders won as well, it was vital that we did the same.

Today’s tune is for the Plymouth fans still bleating on about the penalty they were denied, “There, There My Dear” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners:

Sunday, 1^st February 2026.

The League 1 table looks like this after yesterday’s games. The top seven all won, with the exception of Cardiff, but our three points keeps the pressure on them. Our away games against Lincoln, Bolton and Bradford will be key.

PPG Prophet’s graph looks good too:

No game for County Ladies this weekend, but the games that took place left them in fourth place, down one from last week.

With County ladies having a Sunday off to do as they please, today’s tune is a Morris tune from Ashley Hutchings, “Ladies Of Pleasure”:

Monday, 2^nd February 2026.

Transfer Deadline Day.

TSBW’s Match Review Pod came along at breakfast time as usual to distract us from the trauma of deadline day. Discussing the ins and outs of Saturday’s match were Jimmy Harmer, Steve Bardsley and Dan Culverwell.

• Forced fun: The fanfare around Tanto’s return was generally agreed to be over the top; the crowd was more than capable of generating its own excitement.
• The team: The injury to Josh Stokes and the resultant inclusion of both Tanto Olaofe and Adama Sidibeh made it difficult to say exactly what formation we were aiming for.
• First half: We were poor. Plymouth, backed by the noisiest fans seen at EP this season, chased, pressed and harried, giving us no time to settle. Their goal has apparently been credited to Watts, it seems Ross’ shot brushed his head on its way into the net. Sidibeh was the bright spot for us, he was everywhere like a wasp at a picnic. Such was the contrast between the sides, we were lucky to be only one down at the break.
• Second half: No changes for us at first, perhaps Bate’s speed and urgency would have helped, but a full half might be beyond him at this early stage in his comeback. With Argyle starting to tire, DC showed his hand at sixty minutes, bring on Diamond, Mothersille and Bate to replace Osborn, Bailey and Sidibeh. Our first goal stemmed from an over-hit cross by Diamond, which was rescued by Mothersille who passed it on to Wootton via Edun. Wootton’s flick with his heel can only be truly appreciated by watching a video clip taken by a Plymouth fan from the Railway End. Our second goal involved practically everyone bar the Edgeley Park cat but culminated in a superb cross by Diamond which Wootton rose to head home. Although Plymouth as a whole looked pretty deflated by this time, they very nearly salvaged a point with a shot that dipped and hit the bar late on.
• The cast, in random order:
  • Adama Sidibeh: Everything we were led to believe, he’s fast, a pest and has an incredible leap on him. A crowd favourite in the making.
  • Jack Diamond: Excellent in the last two games, he’s produced the end product we’ve all been craving.
  • Malik Mothersille: Gets better every time he plays. This week’s version comes with added chasing and the confidence to try a trick.
  • Lewis Bate: In his absence it was easy to forget just how good he is.
  • Josh Dacres-Cogley: At last, a wingback who can do both bits of the job splendidly and can fill in at centre half at a pinch.
  • Kyle Wootton: Target man who can defend as well, now top of the League 1 scoring charts with fifteen. If only we’d thought of crossing the ball to him before!
  • Dave Challinor: His inspired triple substitution changed the game.
  • Referee: Sam Allison did an excellent job, he wasn’t taken in by Watts’ attempt to win a penalty and he let the game flow. More like him, please.

I’ve gone on at length, but there’s even more in the pod, watch it for yourself:

The mid-season sale at County is brilliant. I called in the shop as I was collecting my Port Vale (A) ticket and saved £28 on an away shirt; they hadn’t got one in my size.

Deadline day as it happened:

• 16:00 hours: Louie Barry on his way, Luton trying to buy Jack Diamond, Blackburn rumoured to be after Kyle Wootton.
• 16:45: Jid Okeke maybe heading back to Walsall on loan.
• 19:00: Okeke to Walsall confirmed.
• 19:03: Luton bid of c£1M for Diamond was enough for County but the transfer didn’t go through in time.
• 19:33: Louie is back. We’re unlikely to see him play for six weeks or so due to the injury he sustained at Sheffield United, but what a prospect. County have nothing to pay until he plays forty-five minutes.

Now the dust has settled and the window is closed, here’s the summary:

Players in:

• Josh Dacres-Cogley from Bolton, permanent.
• Roman Dixon from Everton on loan.
• Josh Stokes from Bristol City on loan.
• Adama Sidibeh from St. Johnstone, permanent.
• Tanto Olaofe from Charlton on loan.
• Louie Barry from Aston Villa on loan.

Players out:

• Jayden Fevrier to Charlton on loan.
• Corey O’Keeffe back to Barnsley at end of loan.
• Jid Okeke back to Walsall on loan.
• Owen Moxon to Wigan on loan.
• Nathan Lowe back to Stoke at end of loan.

This leaves us with eight loan players and the limit in the matchday squad is five, so DC has plenty to consider when selecting a team:

Owen Dodgson (Burnley)

Ben Osborn (Derby)

Roman Dixon (Everton)

Tyler Onyango (Everton)

Corey Edwards (Rochdale)

Josh Stokes (Bristol City)

Tanto Olaofe (Charlton)

Louie Barry (Aston Villa)

County’s announcement video for Barry’s return is quite something:

Today’s tune is “Return” by Shed Seven:

Tuesday, 3^rd February 2026.

A reminder of what Louie Barry can do:

County Ladies will travel away to take on last season’s runners up, Poulton Vics, in the Second Quarter-Final round of the Cheshire FA Women’s Challenge Cup. The Ladies’ next game is on Sunday, away at Norton and Stockton Ancients in Stockton-on-Tees.

While we’re on the subject of women’s cup competitions, the Football Association are proposing radical changes to the Women’s FA Cup, including seeding four teams and dispensing with a draw after the round of thirty-two. According to the Guardian, the plans would introduce a “road-to-Wembley bracket” from the last 32, which would map out those teams’ route to the final, in the style of a World Cup. If you’re not upset about this because you don’t follow the women’s game, it could well be that this is a rehearsal for further tampering with the male equivalent competition, which has already lost replays to favour Premier League clubs.

This picture turned up recently on my Facebook feed this week. It may seem incongruous in a football blog but some may recognise it as the interior of Stockport Edgeley locomotive shed, which could be seen over the fence from the Railway End at Edgeley Park. The photo dates from 1967, just a year before end of regular steam operation on British Rail. The ground is just out of sight over to the left.

Today’s tune, inspired by the renewed air of optimism engendered by the club’s activity in the transfer window, is “We’re Gonna Get There In The End” by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds:

Wednesday, 4^th February 2026.

The announcement that County are to take over the whole of Stockport Sports Village hasn’t been greeted with universal enthusiasm. The club’s statement says that the centre “will become the long-term home for the Club’s Academy, women’s teams, Football Education programme, and Stockport Town Football Club, helping to establish SSV as a leading football development centre within the borough. Community and grassroots football will continue at the site, with this provision set to expand as part of future investment.” So far so good, but there are downsides as well; those who use the Life Leisure gym have received an email telling them that it will close from 1^st April and they will have to use other centres in the borough instead. There is also concern from teams who use the existing pitches and five-a-side courts that they will lose access as County complete their takeover of the site. A petition against the takeover is circulating locally using this emotive artwork:

County will need to tread very carefully to avoid becoming the villain of the piece over what is intended to be a great benefit to sport in Stockport.

The club’s statement is here in full:

https://www.stockportcounty.com/news/2026/february/03/stockport-sports-village-set-for-major-next-phase

Ashton Mee, a product of County’s Academy with a number of appearances in midfield for the first team, has signed for Buxton on a permanent basis.

TSBW’s main show tonight was one of their very best. As well as discussing all the usual topical stuff, Russ and Waggie talked to club historian Marcus Heap.

• As it was Marcus’ first appearance, they started with the usual debut questions:
  • First game: County v Everton, 20^th September 1976. A 1-0 defeat for County to a Bob Latchford goal in the third round of the League Cup.
  • Favourite game: Nuneaton v County, 27^th April 2019. The 3-0 win for County that meant so much for us all.
  • Favourite goal: 14^th November 1988, Wayne Entwistle v Telford in the FA Cup.
  • Favourite players (past): Billy Bocking and Frank Newton.
  • Favourite players (recent): Terry Park and Kevin Francis.
• Plymouth (H):
  • Tanto’s homecoming: All very WWE, it was just lacking a wrestling ring over the centre circle.
  • Adama Sidibeh: The brouhaha around Tanto overshadowed an excellent home debut for the lad, he chased everything and demonstrated an astonishing aerial ability.
  • The opposition: They looked good in the first half but faded in the second.
  • Kyle Wootton: His first goal a superb flick and his second a powerful header. No wonder Blackburn are sniffing round him.
  • Phil Robbie: Disappointing response from the Argyle fans to Phil’s applause; if they didn’t know why three sides of the ground were standing and clapping, they should probably have guessed something was afoot; we did at Blackpool.
• Orient (H): Does Richie Wellans still have a spell over us, or will the loss of players like Kelman and Beckles give us more of a chance?
• Transfer window: Was it the best in the Stott era? Bringing in attacking options like Tanto, Sidibeh, Stokes and Barry and keeping Diamond has addressed most of our obvious issues. Add the returning Bate to that lot and we’ve given ourselves a chance.
• The History Boy: It was the club programme from his first game that sparked Marcus’ interest and he now has 6,000 of them. He moved on from there to books and then contacting former players and their families. Finding that there was nothing in Stockport Reference Library in 1978 spurred him on the build his own archive. I won’t steal his thunder but Marcus took us through the true stories of County legends like surviving re-election and the “thirteen men and a dog” game against Leicester at Old Trafford. There’s every chance of a second appearance on a special myth-busting pod and I, for one, can’t wait.

Watch the whole show here, it’s an absolute belter:

Continuing the theme of x number of men and a dog, today’s tune is “Another Irish Rover” by Four Men And A Dog:

Thursday, 5^th February 2026.

County play Port Vale next Tuesday in the quarter final of the Vertu Trophy. Not a fixture to stir the blood perhaps, but it’s two wins away from a Wembley final and we owe the Valiants one for that defeat in 1993. Match tickets are only a tenner, less if you’re young or a pensioner. There are seats available on the Fingerpost Flyer, so getting there couldn’t be easier. The Flyer will leave Lowndes Lane at 16.30, picking up at Worrall St, Mercian Way 16.45, mention when booking if boarding there. Remember that we do not allow alcohol on the coach.

Adults: £20

https://buy.stripe.com/14A9AS39f5ek1xt0vu1440K

Accompanied Under 14s: £15

https://buy.stripe.com/14AbJ09xD9uAfoj9201440L

Mark Stott and Simon Wilson have been over in Hungary to visit their new acquisition, Debreceni VSC. There’s an account, in English, of a press conference and an interview with Mark:

https://en.dvsc.hu/mark-stott-debrecen-has-everything-in-place-for-development

Geordie Hatter’s Thursday show kept me occupied tonight with the usual mix of County-related words and tunes. The committee were on form in the live chat and a splendid time was had by all. Relive it all here:

https://the-geordie-hatter.mixlr.com/recordings/3019044

This excellent graphic has been created by TSBW’s Steve Bardsley and provides a handy reference to our squad now that the transfer window has closed:

Today’s tune was my suggestion for Geordie Hatter’s theme this week of Homecoming, “Not Like Jordan” by the Oysterband:

Friday 6^th February 2026.

Highlights of the win against Plymouth are now available on the club’s YouTube channel:

In TSBW’s Preview Show for Orient (H), Steve Bardsley spoke to Paul of the Orient Outlook podcast:

• Ownership: David Gandler, an American lawyer and philanthropist, took over in April of 2025 and has 78.55% of the shares. Day to day running of the club is delegated to a board under chairman Nigel Travis. Under Gandler, the club hopes to establish itself in the Championship and move to a new stadium in Waltham Forest, possibly to be shared with a London NFL franchise.
• Manager: In charge since March 1925, Richie Wellens saved the club from relegation to the National League and gained promotion to League 1. Despite a relatively poor showing so far this season, he retains the support of the vast majority of the supporters.
• The season so far: Having lost the core of last season’s team either through sales or being recalled to their parent clubs, they currently sit in nineteenth place. They score more than most, 40, but concede more than anyone else, 49. Dom Ballard ties with Kyle Wootton for the most goals in League 1 so far with 15.
• Recruitment: They have signed nine players in the latest window, three of them goalkeepers. One is an Austrian international who injured himself without playing a game, which will strike a chord with County fans.
• Formation: Wellens prefers 4-2-3-1 but has been compelled to go for 3-5-2 for lack of suitable personnel.
• Playing style: They favour a high press and defend from the front.
• Prediction: Paul hopes the new players will fire them up but would settle for a draw.

Well worth a watch, get it here:

The club have announced a huge step change in the distaff side of Stockport County. The Ladies will be known as Stockport County Women from next season and Tracey Neville has been appointed as Managing Director of the women’s team. To quote the club website, “Her appointment signals a clear shift from support to strategic leadership, with a long-term focus on building a sustainable, high-performance programme rooted in the community and capable of competing at the very top of the women’s game.”

The graphic below shows the squad numbers to be used for the rest of the season. Numbers 3 and 14 are currently free as a result of Mollie Newton having gone to Port Vale on loan and Paige Cole and Courteney Csomor leaving the club.

Here’s my predicted team for tomorrow. Our transfer window activity has been excellent but it hasn’t made choosing a team any easier. I’ve assumed a solution has been found to Josh Stokes’ foot problem and I’m conflicted over whether Odin Bailey or Ben Osborn will start.

Today’s tune is by Dr. Feelgood and is how I imagine Tanto and Louie Barry told their parent clubs they were heading back to County; “Going back Home”:

See you all at Edgeley Park!

Animo et fide.