Stockport County are back in the football league. For decades County's league status was something supporters took as read. But after 106 unbroken years, they began an 11-year hiatus beginning in 2011, during which even the most die-hard fans began to doubt if they would ever see league football back at Edgeley Park.
However, following the takeover of the historic and famous old club by local businessman Mark Stott in 2020, and his subsequent investment in the club both on and off the pitch, they were crowned National League champions at the end of last season.
There were jubilant scenes as fans invaded the pitch following their last game of the season at home to Halifax to celebrate. And thousands lined the streets for an open-top bus parade where manager Dave Challinor and his victorious squad showed off the trophy.
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Football fever has firmly gripped the town again and there is now a widespread feeling that the club, who have made a dozen summer signings and are now among the favourites for promotion with most bookmakers, are on the up.
The club had an average gate of over 7,000 at Edgeley Park last season. They have already sold over 5,500 season tickets for the upcoming League 2 campaign with over 10,000 witnessing their first league fixture at the ground in over a decade against Barrow last Saturday.
Here we look at what County's resurgence and return to the league means for:
The fans
Phil Brennan was just nine-years-old when he went to Edgeley Park for the first time in 1967. Phil, 63, describes himself (tongue firmly in cheek) as a 'glory hunter,' as Stockport lifted the Fourth Division trophy following his first ever match against Lincoln.
Phil, who grew up in Heaton Norris but has lived in several different areas of Stockport during his life, was living at a guest house for journalists and was taken to the game by a young Daily Mirror reporter.
From the mid-1970s he became a home and away supporter who barely missed a game.
"It was just what you did as a teenage lad from Stockport, you either followed County or City really, there wasn't really as many Reds. It was my hometown team, all my mates went. We went in the back of transit vans with no seats in. Slept in vans, it was just what you did."
It became a lifelong obsession, fuelled by "passion and habit" that has seen him follow the team up and down the country, as well as working for them, and writing books on them.
Since then he has seen all the club's ups and downs. He says that the club's legendary Uruguayan manager Danny Bergara, who has a stand and a street next to the ground named after him, "changed all our lives" during his spell in charge from 1989 to 1995.
"I had seen my team go from the bottom of the Fourth Division to within a whisker of going up to the Premier League," he said, citing the 1998-99 season when County were in the league above City, who had tumbled into the third tier, as a highlight among the club's fanbase.
Phil then had a front-row seat as the club began to slide back down the divisions. He was media officer when the club were relegated from the football league in 2011, a post he held from 2010 to 2013 under then owners, the '2015 consortium.'
"That was horrendous," he said. "Working for the club I'd loved all my life and being there in an official capacity as that was happening.
"But as a fan, the lowest point was dropping down to the Conference North. I remember it all kicking off at Kidderminster on the last day with the fans on the pitch kicking off with the players.
"That was probably as bad it ever got. Even until the last minute of the Halifax game last season, I never thought we would get back out into the league," Phil said.
"When we dropped into the Conference North we were part-time, signing players nobody wanted, we were taking managers on and sacking them again.
"There were so many other clubs who were so much worse than Stockport in terms of stature but were so much better in everything else."
However, he says things have just got "better and better" since the new owner Mr Stott came in.
"If, when we got relegated 11 years ago you'd have said a man is going to come in and get you back up, I'd have taken those 11 years," he said. Everything is fantastic now and it's all moving forward," he said.
Phil, who was written a book called The 100 Club - on every player who has played 100 games or more for County - was at the Barrow game last Saturday, with his son Joe, who has taken on the mantle and now watches County home and away. And he said it was a joyous occasion despite the 3-2 loss.
"As a fan, just seeing people around the town, was amazing," Phil said. "My mates opened a new bar near the station, called Bask, and it was absolutely packed. All the pubs were. And it was just great to see so many County shirts around.
"To walk up to the ground knowing we were going to watch a football league game again was some feeling. It was a horrible league to be in, with the greatest of respect, and such a buzz to be out of.
"I said to my mate coming out of the ground after Barrow, I didn't feel disappointed we lost. I was disappointed at the way we lost but that's because we're never going back down again. Things are just in place now.
"This is probably the most stable Stockport County has been since the days of Danny Bergara and Brendan Elwood.
"For the first time in my lifetime Stockport County have got a chairman who's actually got as much money as God. I'm not saying he'll be here forever but I think everything about the place is built for success."
And Phil is very confident they can continue their success this season.
"This division is nowhere near as hard as the Conference or National League should I say," he said. "I think we're going to go up and I don't even think we'll end up in the play-offs. If we're not in the top six by the end of the season I'll be absolutely gobsmacked. But I think we'll be in the top three.
"We've bought that many players, that could be the only fly in the ointment. But to be back in the fourth division, where they were when I started watching them 50-odd years ago, it's just great."
Local businesses
It became one of the defining images of County's promotion season. Fans marching down Castle Street in Edgeley, holding banners, banging drums, and letting off smoke bombs.
They would start at the top near Stockport train station and finish at the bottom close to the Royal Oak pub.
And Colette Haworth, 27, the landlady of the boozer at the corner of Grenville Street, which has long been a favourite of County fans, says the effect of County's resurgence has been felt up and down Edgeley's high street, which is just a couple of minute's walk over Mercian Way from the stadium.
"We've always got busy for County home games," Colette told the Manchester Evening News. "But last season, the better they were doing, the more County fans were coming out," she said.
"When they got promoted, it's our record day in terms of numbers and takings. From morning to night it was just heaving. Such a good atmosphere."
Colette who employs five staff, had to take on some extra pairs of hands whilst her die-hard County-supporting partner Mike was behind the bar chanting with all the customers.
"And even the following week, the celebrations carried on," she says. "We had the parade.
"It's good for everyone as well, the cafes, the shops, all the other pubs. It's just massive for the area. "It's good for the community as well. Everyone gets together, the families. It's something to bring everybody all out at once.
'When it's not the football season, you can tell," she added. "Sales were absolutely horrific. But as soon as football comes back, business is booming again.
"We do all rely on Stockport County really. Especially the home games, but even some of the away games. We get coaches leaving from here and people coming in for a pint before and after.
"We've never had any trouble with them. We're hoping they carry on going up the leagues now."
Another common sight on County matchday is the queue down Castle Street for The Friary chip-shop. It is run by Chris Antoniou, 58, and his sister Zena Lindsay, 53 who took it over in 2019. It has been part of the area since the 1960s and Chris and Zena's dad Tony, now 87, ran it for over twenty years between 1969 and 1992.
"The fans have always associated us with the club and have an affinity with us," Chris said. Back when my dad had it, due to the competition with City and United, they used to play home games on a Friday night, so that was always a massively busy time in here. As Friday nights are busy anyway.
"With Stockport going down to the lower leagues they started playing on a Saturday again. But it's just a place that holds so many memories for us. And it's nice to be have been and still be part of the journey with County.
"Seeing the excitement on the fans' faces last year was just great. It was fantastic as they have gone through a lot of pain in the last few years.
"Saturday (against Barrow) was just fantastic. I think some people came a bit earlier to make sure they get fed. We saw a lot of our regulars. Some travel from as far as Cornwall for every home game. They are very dedicated.
"I think the demographic is changing a bit as well though. What we have noticed is a lot of youngsters, and teenagers are becoming County fans. It's not just older guys, the traditional fans who've been going for decades."
And Chris said he believes the club's current success will benefit all businesses in the area.
"The area has, especially through Covid, sort of gone backwards a little bit and does need investment. And that can only come from people coming here.
"Trade picked up as they went through the promotions. It's everywhere though. When there are big gates, everywhere is busy. Co-op is hammered. Greggs is. It's not just us.
"For us it's a very limited time window, on match days it's a two-hour time window, usually, 12pm-2pm for a 3pm kick-off, when its very busy and its a case of trying to serve as many as you can in that time.
"But we're confident with their continued success we'll do okay.
"I told the lads who own the Indian café next door to start opening earlier as I can't serve everyone and they may start getting some overspill. And they say they have started seeing some increased trade. That's just an example of how it benefits us all.
"At the end of the day there's 23 match days and we're in business 365 days a year. So we can't base our entire business on Stockport County and their fortunes. We have to run it for the day-to-day.
"The County trade is a bonus on top of that, but it's a big and important one. It's the exposure as well. We've sponsored them over previous years, it's a two-way thing.
"Recently the club came in and filmed an advert for the new kit where one of the players was serving and another was ordering some chips. It was fantastic.
"I think from top to bottom the people at County are now focussed on building a community club, which can only bode well for the future."
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