West Ham United will be travelling to face North-West side Stockport County at Edgeley Park in the Emirates FA Cup third round – but who are Stockport County?
The Hatters, given their nickname due to Stockport’s historic Victorian hat-making industry, find themselves in the fifth tier of English football, the National League.
County are currently sitting in 12th position in their league, an unrealistic placing with the amount of games the club has in hand over its higher-placed counterparts, with some clubs having played five more games than them.
It’s clear from the league table and the three-game winning streak that Stockport find themselves on, that they are clearly well above their current league placing – seemingly a title contender.
Who The Hammers Need To Watch
John Rooney, brother to Manchester United and England’s all-time top goal scorer, Wayne Rooney, is by far and away the biggest attacking threat to West Ham, scoring an impressive five goals in seven games, all coming from midfield.
Rooney, who signed from Barrow in the league above this summer, is quickly becoming a cult hero at Edgeley Park, and I’m sure his FA Cup first round rocket from beyond the halfway line against Rochdale has only enhanced this status.
Ashley Palmer, age 28, is one of the league’s highest quality, and more importantly, consistent defenders.
Known for his size, strength and hardman status, Palmer has been influential with the shift of mentality at the club, with County super fan, Callum Taylor, telling me, “he’s a brick wall, I mean, he’d literally head bricks if he could”, a statement that Hammers players should probably take note of from corners.
Goalkeeper, ‘Big’ Ben Hinchliffe may be one of the best that non-league football has to offer. Now 32, Hinchcliffe has been promoted to a full-time player, tasked with keeping out Premier League opposition – a quite remarkable achievement for the former lorry driver.
County Fan Reaction
All eyes in Stockport would have been glued to the telly last Monday night, pupils gleaming with anticipation as Robbie Savage got the draw underway.
“I was hoping for a Premier League team and when number 49 got shown I had a feeling it was going to happen”, Callum told me. That’s just what happened as Savage held up number 42, confirming a dream fixture at Edgeley Park.
“I’m buzzing for it – all the rubbish we’ve watched through the years and now we’ve got a Premier League team coming to Edgeley Park, its mental”, Callum added. “If fans were allowed Stockport would be a war zone that day, it would easily sell out and our fans would be all over Edgeley.”
Stockport fans are known to produce some of the most entertaining, funny and creative ways of building an atmosphere, almost always at the expense of their opponents, a part of football we are all missing.
With the fixture set to take place over the weekend of 8-11 January 2021, the progress of getting some fans into stadiums will be interesting to keep an eye on, hopefully culminating in a select few County fans experiencing one of their most anticipated matches in recent memory.
For Hammers fans and players, this may seem like another day at the office or a buy in to the next round, but for Stockport County this is one of the biggest days in the club’s modern history and that can’t be understated. They’ll give West Ham everything they’ve got and pray that FA Cup magic isn’t a thing of the past.
