Celebrations for Ben Hinchliffe after his testimonial match, Stockport County vs Preston North End, 1st August 2026

Some matches mean more than others, although it’s rare that a pre-season friendly is anything but. However Saturday’s friendly, Stockport County vs Preston North End, was truly special. It was the testimonial match for County legend Ben Hinchliffe, and the moment he retires from first-team action.

Hinchliffe is a genuine icon at County; the last remaining player from the non-league days, playing at every step since then up to the current League One position. 3 league titles and hundreds of appearances (and clean sheets), it’s rare for one player to have such a prolonged impact at a team these days. It was an honour to be pitchside for the GOAT’s final outing in a County shirt.

And speaking of the shirt, there was a beautiful one-off goalkeeper jersey made just for the occasion.

The match itself was secondary to the occasion, but it also featured new players hoping to make a mark for their new manager, and more-established ones back at Edgeley Park for the first time since the playoffs. Preston, a Championship outfit, looked rusty and never real threatened Hinchliffe’s final clean sheet.

The match was won by County in the second half – Jack Diamond with a lovely, calm, side-footed finish into the bottom corner, to score the only goal of the game. Several new signings impressed, especially Ryan Glover and Harry Wood, and older heads got some more minutes in their legs ahead of the new season.

Plenty of summer optimism around County at the moment – long may it continue into the season proper.

And of course, a fine send-off for the great man himself afterwards: