Stockport County F.C. is an association football club based in Stockport, Cheshire, England.
Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they were renamed Stockport County in 1890 after the County Borough of Stockport and nicknamed "The Hatters" after the town's former hat-making industry. Stockport have played at Edgeley Park since 1902.
Stockport first joined the Football League in 1900 but had to seek re-election in 1904. The club were not re-elected and spent one season outside the competition before they returned for the 1905–06 season. County then played in the Football League continuously for 106 years until 2011, mostly in the lower divisions. The team won their first league championship in 1922, the newly created Third Division North. Two league championships followed in 1937 (Third Division North) and 1967 (Fourth Division). The 1990s was the team's most successful period, when Stockport competed in the First Division for five seasons and reached the League Cup semi-finals in 1996–97. County also made four appearances at Wembley Stadium during this period, two in the Football League Trophy and two in the Football League play-offs, but lost on each occasion.
After financial difficulties in the early 2000s, the club fell back down the divisions, and were relegated out of the Football League at the end of the 2010–11 season, followed by relegation to the sixth tier in 2012–13. Stockport stabilised on and off the pitch in the following seasons, and won promotion to the fifth tier in 2018–19. In 2021–22, County topped the National League, securing promotion back to the EFL after an 11-year absence, and in 2023, returned to Wembley for the 2023 EFL League Two play-off final.
Football League years 1883–1930 Stockport County was formed in Heaton Norris in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers at McLaughlin's Cafe, by a group of pupils from Stockport Sunday School who were also members of the Wycliffe Congregational Church. Heaton Norris Rovers played their first recorded game in October 1884, a friendly at home against Stalybridge, which they lost 3–0. The club adopted The Hatters as their nickname, owing to Stockport's history as the centre of the Victorian hat-making industry, a nickname that is shared with Luton Town. Heaton Norris Rovers adopted the name Stockport County in 1890 after the County Borough of Stockport. After playing home matches for several years in different parks in the area, Heaton Norris Rovers moved to Green Lane in 1889. This is recognised as the first official home ground of the team. The team played in the Lancashire League and in local cup competitions until 1900, when they gained admission to the Football League Second Division. In 1894, Stockport qualified for the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time in their history—the first Lancashire Combination club to reach this stage. They were eliminated after a 1–0 home defeat to Burton Wanderers.Freeman & Harnwell, p.11 Fred Stewart became Stockport's first manager on the club's admittance to the Football League. He was previously involved in the administrative side from its inception in 1883.Freeman & Harnwell, p.72Perry, p. 29 Stockport's first Football League match was against Leicester Fosse, which ended in a 2–2 draw.
In 1901, the first black professional footballer Arthur Wharton, who was 36 at the time, signed for Stockport and made six appearances before retiring from football in 1902.Perry, p. 93 Stockport left their Green Lane home in 1902 and moved to their current home, Edgeley Park, which at the time of the move was home to Stockport RFC until they folded a few years later. Stockport finished in the bottom three for their first four seasons. The team considered rejoining the Lancashire Combination because of their financial position in 1902, and at the end of 1903–04 season they failed to gain re-election. They spent one year in the Lancashire Combination. A league which they won. At the end of the season, they were re-admitted to the Football League, having been re-elected after a second voting ballot. In their first season back in the Football League, Stockport had intentions of having a first-class team, regardless of expense, by paying wages and advertising for a professional trainer. They finished the league in 10th position. During the early part of the 1908–09 season, the Stockport County board issued a prospectus for the club to become a 'limited liability company' which was confirmed in October 1908.Freeman & Harnwell, p.18 Stockport remained in the Second Division of the Football League for seven years until the 1912–13 season, when they again had to seek re-election. Stockport gained 22 votes and retained their football league status.
During this time Stockport used friendly and charity matches to scout potential new players, David Ashworth was appointed as the team's first manager in 1914. After the outbreak of World War I, competitive football was suspended. Stockport did however complete in the Lancashire section of the Wartime Football League which was played from 1915–16 to 1918–19. The FA Cup was suspended until after the war. Many clubs were without their best players, however Stockport were quite fortunate in being able to regularly rely on many players who had featured in the previous season.Freeman & Harnwell, p.21 Stockport's best placed finish during these years was second in the principal tournament of the 1916-17 campaign before finishing fifth in the subsidiary tournament. Ashworth would manage the team throughout the war, up to the end of 1919, when he joined Liverpool.
An unsuccessful 1920–21 campaign saw Stockport finish bottom of the Second Division; however, instead of facing re-election, Stockport were placed in the new Third Division North. They won five of the first six matches in the next season, were unbeaten from 1 January 1922 to 28 March 1922,Freeman & Harnwell, p.24 and won their first Football League title when they beat Darlington in front of 18,500 fans at Edgeley Park. Albert Williams (the then manager) was presented with the trophy seven days later before the final home game against Lincoln City.
Now back in the Second Division, Stockport advertised in the local newspaper for first-class players in all positions. The team struggled but survived automatic relegation by one point. The following season, saw Ernest Barlow elected as the club chairman, a position he would hold for 30 years.Freeman & Harnwell, p.25 Stockport's goalkeeper Harry Hardy was called up to play for the England national team.Nelson, p.11 He kept a clean sheet in a 4–0 win against Belgium, and is the only player to be capped at full level by England while a Stockport player. Hardy also became the first Stockport player to make 150 consecutive appearances. Stockport County finished 13th that season.
Stockport returned to the Third Division North after finishing bottom of the Second Division in 1925–26. The team finished sixth the next season but received a two-point deduction and a £100 fine (roughly equivalent to £6,300 as of 2020) for fielding an ineligible player after the registration documents for Joe Smith were not received by the Football League.Freeman & Harnwell, p.27
The team closed out the 1920s in the Third Division North. The 1927–28 season saw the club finish third. Joe Smith was Stockport's and the division's leading goalscorer, contributing 38 of Stockport's 89 goals, notably scoring five in a 6-3 home win against Southport.Freeman & Harnwell, p.28 Stockport then twice finished second in consecutive seasons. In the 1928–29 season, they amassed 62 points, scored over 100 goals, averaged 10,000 fans for the first time, and won nine of their last eleven matches, but it was not enough to win the league.Freeman & Harnwell, p.29 Stockport also finished second the following season, finishing four points behind the champions Port Vale, despite beating them 2–1 away on Christmas Day and 4–2 on Boxing Day, 1929. Frank Newton was Stockport's and the division's leading goalscorer, with 36 of Stockport's 106 goals,Nelson, p.21 During this time Newton equalled the club record; set two seasons earlier, for goals scored in a match, with five against Nelson on 21 September 1929.Freeman & Harnwell, pp. 29–30
1930–1950 From the start of the 1930s, Stockport County played in a home kit of white and black and were nicknamed the 'Lilywhites'. In the 1933–34 season they scored 115 goals; a 13–0 home win over Halifax Town on 6 January 1934 included a Joe Hill hat-trick and four goals from Percy Downes. During the season, Alf Lythgoe scored a club-record 46 goals for Stockport,Nelson, p.25Freeman & Harnwell, p.34 and Stockport's 2–1 home defeat on 9 December 1933 to Crystal Palace in the second round of the 1933–34 FA Cup was televised. Stockport finished third that season.
Shortly after midday on 23 July 1935; three weeks before the start of the 1935-36 season, the wooden main stand at Edgeley Park burned down, also causing damage to houses opposite. The fire also destroyed the club's records up to 1935. The current Main Stand was built in 1936 and officially opened by Charles Sutcliffe, then president of the Football League.Freeman & Harnwell, p.36 In the 1936–37 season Stockport won the Third Division North, gaining 60 points and 23 wins; the season included a ten-game unbeaten run including seven victories before a last-day title decider against Lincoln City attended by over 27,000 fans. The following season, however, they finished bottom of the Second Division and were relegated to the Third Division North after earning only 31 points.
During the 1939–40 season, Stockport played only two matches (losing both and being bottom of the league) before war was declared. The Football League was then suspended and did not resume until after World War II. Regional league competitions were set up; the FA Cup was also suspended and replaced with the Football League War Cup. In the first war league (1940–41), Stockport finished in 35th place overall in the Northern Regional League after playing 29 games. League standings were calculated by goal average over the course of games played, with some teams playing more than others. Harry Catterick made 122 guest appearances for Stockport in wartime competitions scoring 98 goals.Freeman & Harnwell, p.39
In the 1945–46 season, there was no English league football, regional competitions still took place, but the FA Cup competition was resumed. Stockport was eliminated from the 1945–46 FA Cup in the first round after a 3–2 aggregate loss to Rochdale. Also in 1945–46, Stockport hosted Doncaster Rovers in a League Three North Cup match, reputed to be the longest professional football match, lasting 203 minutes. The first meeting had finished 2–2, so a replay was needed, and with no extra time provisions, the game had to continue until somebody scored. However, apart from a disallowed goal (after 173 minutes of play), neither side scored, and the game was eventually ended because of bad light. Stockport then lost the second replay 4–0. In the first post-war league season, Stockport finished fourth in the Third Division North with 24 wins and 50 points.
1950–1999