Stockport County vs. Rotherham United

Like the last game, I went with short sleeves again. Unlike the last game, the weather stayed sufficiently warm to get away with it – and the team matched the temperature on the pitch!

As it’s Stockport County in the Spring of 2025, of course we went a goal down. A disappointing one to concede really, it was avoidable. Fortunately it acted as the wake-up call the team needed.

Although saying that, it could have been very different. Luckily Jack Diamond decided enough was enough and rifled in another corker before half time to restore parity at the break.

Manager Dave Challinor has consistently got it right at half time, and it would prove today too. The team flew out of the blocks, remembering they were the better team. They made their quality show and harried, outfought and outplayed Rotherham.

And then the moment of the match: loanee Brad Hills bagging his first County goal, right in front of the Cheadle End!

Brad Hills has been a superb addition since joining from Norwich in January. Chants of “sign him up” a regular at Edgeley Park now. I think, realistically, we’ll need to win at Wembley to stand a chance of keeping him – Norwich have a class act on their books. He wins everything in the air and needs no invitations to barrel menacingly up the pitch.

The afternoon ended on another high. Kyle Wootton bagged a goal that his recent displays have merited. Wootton works hard, gets battered, works for his team for 90+ minutes every week, but is occasionally criticised for his lack of goals. If you watch him every week you realise his value to this team. But a goal is always nice, isn’t it?

Kyle Wootton scores for Stockport County vs. Rotherham United