Inside Stockport's revival, via Man Utd connections, coups and lofty ambitions

For many years, Stockport County were a regular name in the Football League.

As recently as 2002 they were a Championship side.

But mismanagement off the field, going into administration and four relegations in the space of a decade, between 2002 and 2011, saw them go from the second tier to non-league, with a generation of fans likely to be unaware that the club had such a rich history of league football.

In 2013 they dropped even further, down to the National League North. That prompted the club to go semi-pro and six painful years would follow in the sixth tier.

They eventually got themselves back on an upward curve and were promoted as champions in 2019.

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Since then the only way has been up, with the early curtailment of the 2019-20 season seeing them miss out on the play-offs via the points-per-game method. Last season they finished third but were beaten by eventual winners Hartlepool in the semi-finals.

Owner Mark Stott is someone who wants to restore the club to its former glory. He has boldly spoken on eyeing up a return to the second tier within seven years.

On Wednesday night the club won plenty of plaudits on a national stage, after pulling off a superb FA Cup first round replay win over Bolton.

The 5-3 win, achieved after extra-time and after they had trailed 2-0 and 3-1, was watched by a live TV audience on the BBC. A good cup run not only boosts the club's coffers but also allows Stockport's players to test themselves against higher opposition. They'll host another League One side, Rotherham, in round two next month.

Stott has put his money where his mouth is. Not only have the club invested significantly in the stadium - there are plans to increase Edgeley Park's capacity to more than double its current limit of 10,850 - they also have use of the plush training ground at Carrington that once belonged to Manchester City.

On the pitch, this term started slowly for the Hatters which led to the dismissal of boss Simon Rusk. In his place came the shock arrival of Dave Challinor - the man who led Hartlepool to that promotion last year at County's expense.

The appointment raised plenty of eyebrows. After all, they had poached Challinor from a side that had shown promising signs of making a fist of it in League Two.

Challinor, who played for County between 2002 and 2004, was prepared to make the drop down despite the controversy surrounding the move.

His previous employers certainly made their feelings known on Challinor's decision, criticising the way it was handled. But the man himself admits to the proposition being an "incredibly attractive" one.

After being unveiled, he said: "The excitement surrounding the club and the investment that has been put into it, on and off the pitch, makes County an incredibly attractive proposition for any manager.

"Now is the time to capitalise on this and take the fans on the journey they deserve, making Stockport County a force to be reckoned with and getting back to the Football League."

The squad which Challinor has inherited is littered with ex-EFL talents such as Paddy Madden and Antoni Sarcevic.

Those two deals in particular stand out, given they enticed players from League One (Fleetwood and Bolton respectively) into joining a National League promotion push.

The deal for Madden is rumoured to have seen Stockport pay out a fee of £250,000 when it was completed earlier this year whilst Sarcevic skippered Bolton to promotion out of League Two last season.

Throw in Manchester United loanee Will Fish, ex-Old Trafford defender Zeki Fryers and Wayne Rooney's younger brother John - none of whom were involved against Bolton, perhaps showing their strength in depth - and it's understandable as to why the bookies see Stockport as heavy favourites for promotion.

Of course, the key is knitting all that together and delivering the promotion that Stott demands if the club are to make the first step on what has already been a long road back.