STOCKPORT County will this Saturday host the season’s penultimate match at Edgeley Park, when they entertain bottom-of-the-table Corby Town (KO 15:00 BST).
The Steelmen will travel up from Northamptonshire as the reigning Evo-Stik Southern League Premier champions – and, unfortunately, facing the near-certain prospect of dropping back to that step three division for 2016/17, following a one-goal defeat at Bradford Park Avenue on Wednesday night that leaves them in an ‘Aston Villa situation’.
Lying nine points away from safety and having three games to play, Corby are not quite mathematically condemned to relegation from the National League North.
But, with a vastly inferior goal difference to all around them, they are effectively down after just one season back in the National League North – a level at which they previously competed for four years between 2009 and 2013.
Corby’s campaign did start brightly enough with a six-match unbeaten run, but has since developed into one of almost constant struggle – with their last victory, at home to Tamworth, having come 12 games and more than two months ago.
Interestingly, the Steelmen’s most recent success on the road, back in mid-January, was against Worcester City at Aggborough – where County also triumphed, by the odd goal in five, last weekend to end their own mini-slump of three consecutive defeats.
Results elsewhere seven days ago confirmed that the Hatters would definitely not be able to finish in the play-off positions – although they will be keen to end their campaign on a high, and, in receiving Corby, have an opportunity to record a third ‘double’ this term.
The reverse-fixture at Steel Park in December saw County chalk up a 4-0 win – their best of the season, home or away – thanks to goals from Karl Ledsham and Kayode Odejayi, together with two Jonny Margetts penalties, all of which arrived within 25 frenetic second-half minutes.
The two teams’ line-ups promise to be rather different four months on, mind. For some six players from each club who featured in the previous encounter are no longer plying their trade there. In Corby’s case, four were shipped out by player-manager Tommy Wright immediately following the defeat against County.
The Steelmen look likely to field two defenders on loan from Football League clubs, now that Taylor McKenzie and Ben O’Hanlon – of Notts County and Wolves, respectively – are signed until the end of the season.
For the Hatters, Lewis Montrose continues to be absent from midfield with knee damage. But there is better news about Joe Garvin and Glenn Rule, who both began comebacks from injury by playing 45 minutes for County’s reserves on Tuesday.
And striker Obi Anoruo may be fit to return – having made good progress from a hamstring injury that caused him to limp off against Lowestoft a fortnight previously.
Provisional Squads:
Stockport County: Henderson (GK), Ormson (GK), Smith (GK), Morton, Poscha, Todd, Roberts, Connolly, S O’Hanlon (c), Smalley, Ellison, Joyce, Field, Rule, Garvin, Holsgrove, Grimshaw, Wilson, Menagh, Odejayi, Marsden, Brodie, Anoruo, West.
Corby Town: Sutton (GK), Donkin (GK), Myles, B O’Hanlon, Breeze, Appleton, McKenzie, Thomas, Marshall, Courtney, Brown, Taylor (c), Milnes, Hicks, Ball, Draper, Ogilvie, McDonald, Mills, Wright.
Referee: Jane Simms
Assistants: James Price & Robert Sherwood
By Gareth Evans
@GarethE77815055
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