It will be 42 days tomorrow since Stockport County's last pilgrimage to Wembley. And in keeping with the Hatters' horrible history when it comes to grand occasions under the famous arch, it was another afternoon laced with disappointment as they were bested by Luton Town in the EFL Trophy final.
Stockport's latest defeat at the national stadium — their record stands at seven games, six losses — was merely the latest episode of anguish for a fanbase fluent in heartbreak. It is 13 years since they were forced to digest the bitter reality of Stockport's relegation to the sixth tier of the English football pyramid. And it is almost 100 years since the Hatters were so financially compromised that they succumbed to selling a player to Manchester United for two freezers' worth of ice cream.
The sky is a little bit bluer at Edgeley Park these days, though. And while it may be 24 years since Stockport County last graced the second tier of English football, back in the old First Division, tomorrow, they are potentially 90 minutes away from completing one of the most remarkable comeback stories in football history following a renaissance that rivals even that of their opponents last month at Wembley.
Like Luton, Stockport have ascended through the divisions at breakneck speed to book a date with destiny and Bolton Wanderers, delivering the perfect response to one of the most destructive periods of their existence.
Three Relegations in Four Years
Three relegations in four years saw Stockport surrender league status for the first time in their proud history, leaving them to languish in the obscure surroundings of the National League North. All of a sudden, jousts with their more distinguished neighbours such as Manchester City were replaced by sobering trips to Colwyn Bay.
Humbling is the word of choice for Steve Bellis as he recounts that chastening period. Stockport's President was a volunteer in the 1980s before going on to become an employee. After watching their demise shortly after the Millennium from afar, he was parachuted in to try and salvage a club which had been poisoned by financial trauma.
Gone was the thriving community hub that Stockport had been fashioned into. On the pitch, Stockport were a shambles. Off it, Bellis could no longer recognise the same club he fell in love with as a 14-year-old.
"It was horrible. Bars that would be bustling after a game, empty at 5.30. It was horrendous," Bellis says. "They were really humbling times."
Six Attempts to Escape Regional Alcatraz
It took Stockport six attempts to escape their regional Alcatraz. The initial goal was stability after their divisional nosedive. The calibre of opponents may have dropped, but Stockport found little solace in their new surroundings.
"I always remember going to Vauxhall Motors," Bellis recalls. "Which isn't even a place, it's a factory. I thought, 'at least we'll win' — and they beat us! Colwyn Bay at home; I used to go there on my holidays as a kid. They beat us and were all having selfies on the pitch."
Bellis was one of five unpaid directors who embarked on a survival mission to rehabilitate the club in 2013. After years of financial strife, sensible spending was at the heart of their plans. Back in the 80s, Stockport were one of the first clubs to go into schools and provide information and support to their local communities around healthy living, self-development and everything in between. They were ahead of the curve. Re-establishing a fractured bond with the community was viewed as imperative as generating a formula for success on the pitch.
Jim Gannon Lays Foundations
It was another figure from Stockport's past who played an instrumental role in kickstarting their future. Bellis and Co turned to club royalty in the form of Jim Gannon in a bid to get the club back on an upward trajectory.
It paid dividends, with Gannon overseeing promotion to the National League in 2019. It was nowhere near as grand a feat as when he guided the club to League One during his previous premiership. Nor were Stockport exactly back where they yearned to be. But Gannon and Co laid the foundations for what has followed; nobody has forgotten that.
Since hitting rock bottom, Stockport can lay claim to a remarkable record of bettering their previous position each year. And 13 years of incremental improvement has culminated in the club being just one game away from the Championship.
Dream Owner Mark Stott
The catalyst for the transform in fortunes is owner Mark Stott, a local businessman who is "rooted to the heart of the club." It was he who oversaw a return to the EFL in 2022.
"The plan was always, 'Let's try and get us back on our feet and then hopefully we can attract an owner who can take us on'," Bellis adds. "And we ended up getting a dream owner."
That Stott was viewed as the gold standard of stewards ahead of other parties by Bellis, who was the first port of call to analyse prospective suitors, speaks volumes. Among the other runners and riders was Vincent Kompany, the former Manchester City captain who had aspirations of acquiring County as part of a consortium.
Stott's premiership has, as noted, seen Stockport ascend the pyramid at a rate of knots. Recent foes Luton etched a unique chapter in football history by ascending from non-league to the Premier League in just 10 years. County could yet emulate their imperious feat, with Stott's ambitious seven-year plan of reaching the Championship ahead of schedule.
Dave Challinor's Stellar Record
A return to the EFL was secured under the watch of Dave Challinor: a coach whose own personal record is as stellar as Stockport's remarkable year-on-year progression.
Acquiring the 50-year-old from Hartlepool in November 2021 was another landmark moment in Stockport's arduous climb back up the pyramid. When it comes to mastering the art of a promotion push, Challinor has achieved it: in 15 seasons as a manager, he has never finished lower than the play-offs. He is seeking a third promotion in five years after finishing third last term, only to lose to Leyton Orient over two legs in the play-offs.
Challinor's charges finished third again this year, though their triumph over Stevenage in the semi-finals means they have already gone one better than last season.
They dispatched the division's sixth-placed team 3-0 over two legs to book a return trip to Wembley and banish memories of last year's play-off heartache. It would not be Stockport County if there was no sub-plot of adversity, though.
Kyle Wootton's Selfless Shift
Striker Kyle Wootton, the club's leading goalscorer, has deputised at centre-back since the EFL Trophy final due to a dearth of defensive options after Joseph Olowu was forced off with an MCL injury at Wembley. The 29-year-old, described by Challinor as "the most selfless player" he's ever worked with, had been in with a chance of bagging the divisional Golden Boot award before Stockport's defensive crisis. His new duties did not stop him getting back on the scoresheet in the home leg of the play-offs, with Wootton plundering a superb volley to book a second Wembley trip in as many months.
Wootton's emergency rearguard exploits epitomise the endurance of a club who have gone from orbiting oblivion to within touching distance of the stars.
Blueprint for Others
Stockport's upward trajectory means they are now a blueprint for clubs to follow rather than a doomsday scenario example. Strong, sensible ownership has taken them to the cusp of the Championship. To put that potential feat into context, and unlike their opponents tomorrow who have rich memories from many years in the Premier League, that is a level the club have only graced for five seasons of their 143-year existence.
Bellis says: "All I know is that we try and do things the right way. Clubs all have different models. They do things and they have different owners who want to do things in their own way.
"I'm a great believer that's why we're back where we are today, by doing things the right way. I hope that is inspirational to other people."
Bellis, who is responsible for safeguarding the club's DNA, as Stott puts it, was absent the solitary time Stockport have won at Wembley in seven previous visits. He quips that were it not for his current role as President, he would likely be denied entry at the weekend.
Should he and the generations of Stockport fans hardened by the trials and tribulations of years past be able to toast promotion under the arch, Bellis is in no doubt it would be the grandest chapter in the club's rich history.
He recalls how Alan Ogley, a goalkeeper who became a revered figure among the fanbase after joining from Manchester City in the late 1960s, would approach him with tears in his eyes at Edgeley Park during the darkest days of Stockport's non-league odyssey, begging him to get the club back where it belonged before he died. Ogley turned 80 earlier this year and already has his wish.
"Days like Sunday mean so much more because of what we've been through. We've got a lot of young fans now for whom success seems commonplace and we have to manage their expectations sometimes," Bellis concludes. "But the older fans, I mean I'll never forget the tears in the Danny Bergara stand when we finally escaped the clutches of the National League and got back into the Football League. The tears that flowed that day from a lot of our older supporters who thought we would never get back in the Football League.
"For them to think we [could get] back into the second tier is incredible."
