Stockport County manager Dave Challinor, a fitness fanatic known for his pre-match laps of Edgeley Park, nearly masterminded a Carabao Cup upset against Premier League Leicester City. The League Two side, ranked 89th in England, held the Foxes to a 0-0 draw before losing 3-1 on penalties.
Leicester debutant Daniel Iversen saved three spot-kicks to spare Brendan Rodgers' blushes, after James Maddison and Ayoze Perez missed. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored the decisive penalty. The Foxes made 10 changes from their weekend defeat to Southampton, but struggled to create chances against a well-organised Stockport defence.
Challinor, who arrived at the ground hours before kick-off, saw his team replicate his hard work. They limited Leicester to few clear opportunities, with Patson Daka going close and Youri Tielemans curling wide. Mark Kitching hooked off the line from Dewsbury-Hall, and Vitezslav Jaros saved from Maddison.
Rodgers revealed that Wesley Fofana, absent from the squad, failed to attend a training session last week amid Chelsea interest. The defender is now training with the Under-23s. 'These guys get well paid, the very least you can do is turn up,' Rodgers said. 'You can't then expect to walk back into our group.'
Stockport, back in the Football League after 11 years, have conceded fewer than two goals in only one of their five League Two matches this season. 'It was a brilliant night without the dream ending,' Challinor said. 'I'm really proud of the effort.'
