STOCKPORT County will this Monday host AFC Fylde in the second installment of a tough holiday weekend programme (KO 15:00 BST).
Having lost for the first time in eight National League North matches at second-placed North Ferriby on Easter Saturday, the Hatters are unlikely to find life a great deal easier at Edgeley Park when they receive the Coasters who currently lie in third.
Moreover, Fylde are enjoying a decent run of form – with two draws against Nuneaton sandwiching victories over Boston, Corby and FC United of Manchester since the beginning of March.
And the visitors may well be feeling relatively fresh – albeit a little soggy – given that their home match against Bradford Park Avenue 48 hours earlier was abandoned after 33 minutes due to torrential rain.
County’s contests with Fylde have, in their short history, proved notoriously tight – with honours even overall so far.
The two sides cancelled each other out over 180 minutes, without troubling the scorers, last season. And they have met twice in the current campaign at Kellamergh Park – producing one win apiece.
In the league match on August Bank Holiday Monday, the Hatters shaded a thriller by the odd goal in five – with Jake Kirby firing home an added-time winner. But the Coasters had their revenge in the FA Cup less than a month later, when a Matty Hughes goal was enough to see them through.
County, who remain ninth and five points away from the play-off positions, will be looking to bounce back after the reverse in East Yorkshire. And they will be boosted by some news consequent upon the abandonment of Fylde’s Saturday match – whereby two influential midfielders, Richie Baker (an ex-Hatter) and Bohan Dixon, must carry forward suspensions.
Not that Baker’s absence will mean a lack of County connections on the day, mind. The Coasters’ manager Dave Challinor and his assistant Colin Woodthorpe are former Edgeley favourites. And top scorer Danny (Lucas… as opposed to the one middle-named Martin, also previously on the books in SK3!) Rowe is set to lead the line, with 31 goals to his name in all competitions this term.
That total would have officially stood at 32 but for Saturday’s waterlogging, following Rowe’s conversion of a penalty against Bradford shortly before the players were taken off the field.
After handing debuts at North Ferriby to Marcus Poscha, Brandon Wilson and Sam Grimshaw, County boss Jim Gannon is likely to continue making use of his newly-arrived players in the squad. Lewis Montrose will again be absent from midfield because of a knee injury.
Live updates of the match will be available from our correspondent through County’s official Twitter-feed, @ScfcMedia.
Provisional Squads:
Stockport County: Henderson (GK), Ormson (GK), Smith (GK), Morton, Poscha, Roberts, Connolly, O’Hanlon (C), Smalley, Ellison, Joyce, Field, Garvin, Holsgrove, Grimshaw, Wilson, Odejayi, Marsden, Brodie, Anoruo, West.
AFC Fylde: Hinchliffe (GK), Urwin (GK), Crainey, Gregory, Hannigan, Langley, Sumner, Collins, Whittle, Barnes (C), Charles, Finley, Hardy, C Hughes, M Hughes, Marrow, Dudley, Lloyd, Mullen, Blinkhorn, Rowe.
Referee: David Richardson
Assistants: Samuel Barrott / Michael Brownsett
By Gareth Evans
@GarethE77815055
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