Although Bristol Rovers went into their extended break on the back of a vital win over a fellow relegation battler in Peterborough United, they did have to watch a number of their other rivals down the bottom end of the League One table pick up results over the weekend.
However, the uplifted mood created on the back of that 3-1 victory over Posh will hopefully still be in tact tomorrow night when Rovers host a Stockport County side looking for a remarkable sixth consecutive league win.
Wins over Reading, Crawley Town, Shrewsbury Town, Leyton Orient and Barnsley have seen the Hatters climb up to fourth place in the league table as their excellent first campaign at this level since 2010 continues.
Even considering the fact that the Gas have won their last two home games, extending that record to three in a row would be some scalp against one of the form teams.
But why exactly have Stockport taken to life at League One level like a duck to water following last season’s League Two title triumph. Bristol Live spoke to Stockport County writer Sam Byrne to get the lowdown ahead of tomorrow night’s clash at the Mem…
How would you summarise Stockport County’s season so far?
Excellent. There’s obviously a real upward momentum around the whole club on and off the pitch, and I don’t think anyone in the entire town will grumble at sitting in fourth place with three months to go.
What was the expectation going into the season and how much of a surprise has it been to see Stockport adapt to League One as well as they have?
Maybe a flirt with the play-offs would have been the ‘aim’, but even that would have been more in hope than expectation. Given that there was a fourteen-year absence from League One when the club returned last summer, there was a bit of uncertainty around what to expect. It’s not a major surprise given Dave Challinor’s success as a manager so far in his career, and given some of the summer signings made, but still to do so well has been a nice surprise.
What have been the fundamental elements of Stockport’s success and rise over recent seasons?
Challinor is a huge part. There’s no getting away from how well backed the club are in terms of finances and the signings they can make, but Challinor has put together a winning machine, so consistently solid at the back at all levels they’ve played at. The club was taken over by local businessman Mark Stott in 2020 and have just gone from strength to strength.
What would constitute a successful season now come May?
At the start of the season, anything 10th and upwards would have been a success for me. From here, sitting fourth and a couple of points off third, it has to be a play-off position really. Some may disagree with that and may still think that anything down to ninth or 10th would be a success, but Challinor has the highest of standards and won’t be looking down from here in terms of where he wants his side to finish.
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Who are the stand-out players to look out for?
Lewis Bate, Kyle Wootton, Tanto Olaofe are the three I would go with at the moment. Bate signed after leaving Leeds in the summer and was installed as captain despite his young age; and he’s a really classy player in the middle of the park. Wootton does all the hard work that you want from a target man, and Olaofe has pace to burn alongside him up top. Owen Moxon signed from Portsmouth on deadline day and is a cracking box to box midfielder, but is still awaiting his first start which could come at Bristol Rovers.
What’s your predicted line up and how do you see the game going?
Given the quick turnaround from Saturday to Tuesday, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few changes made. Challinor was also unhappy with his side’s second half performance in the 2-1 win over Barnsley on Saturday, which may prompt a change or two.
(3-5-2): Ben Hinchliffe, Brad Hills, Callum Connolly, Ethan Pye; Kyle Knoyle, Owen Moxon, Lewis Bate, Will Collar, Ibou Touray; Kyle Wootton, Isaac Olaofe.