County’s search for a first win of the new season continues on Saturday afternoon, as we welcome Pete Wild’s unbeaten Barrow to Edgeley Park.
A rollercoaster final ten minutes at Edgeley Park on Tuesday night saw County claim a first point of the campaign, fighting back to draw 1-1 with Bradford City thanks to Tanto Olaofe’s first goal of the season.
That result leaves County in 22nd place in the early league table, but with plenty of room for upward mobility should they claim a first win this weekend, against a Barrow side who were one of only two sides to complete a league double over the Hatters last season.
The Bluebirds, tipped to be dark horses for promotion this season under Wild, have enjoyed a strong start to the new campaign with two wins and a draw. A late leveller away at Accrington Stanley in their last league outing saw them keep that unbeaten start intact – they currently sit second, behind early leaders Gillingham.
Things you need to know:
- County fans can now park at the NCP Car Park at Stockport Train Station for a discounted price of just £3 on a match day, via the ParkPass App! Click here for more information.
- Coming to the game on Saturday? Click here to view our Fan Information pack, containing all you need to know ahead of your visit to Edgeley Park.
- The club have recently introduced a new in-game text message service, allowing supporters the opportunity to contact us directly with any issues or concerns on a match day. Click here for more information.
- Don’t forget to turn up early to Edgeley Park to visit the County Courtyard, which will be opening its doors from 1.00pm! For more information on all the food and drink on offer this week, click here.
- Saturday’s game will be available for our overseas supporters to stream over on Stockport County Live, featuring live commentary with Jon Keighren and Sam Byrne. Audio commentary will also be available for our supporters located in the UK. Click here to buy a pass today
Last Season:
Following a season of struggle in 2021/22 that saw Barrow finish just one place above the League Two relegation zone, the appointment of former Halifax Town boss Pete Wild last summer proved to be a turning point for the Cumbrian side.
County fans won’t need reminding of the 39-year-old’s first game in charge – a 3-2 opening day win at Edgeley Park last year, in which the Bluebirds led 3-0 at the break on our EFL return. That formed part of a stunning start to the season for Barrow, who went on to win seven of their opening nine league games, putting them in the automatic promotion places.
A poor run in the New Year, with seven defeats and just two wins in 13 games, looked to have derailed their campaign as they dropped into the bottom half of the table, but back-to-back 1-0 wins against Bradford and County in February saw the Cumbrians re-establish themselves as play-off contenders.
They remained in contention for a top-seven finish with five games left to play, a remarkable achievement given their struggles in previous years, but just one point in those final five games saw them finally finish the campaign in ninth place.
Summer activity:
As he did during his time at Halifax, Wild has proven a shrewd operator in the transfer market over the summer with talent brought in from the National League. Forward Emile Acquah has joined from Maidenhead United and has already scored twice, whilst Halifax’s midfield engine Kian Spence has linked up with his old boss again at Holker Street – scoring the winner on his debut away at Tranmere Rovers.
Former Port Vale man David Worrall has added quality at right-wing-back, with his Vale teammate Jamie Proctor brought in up front. One-time County loanee Courtney Duffus has also signed from Morecambe, and has come off the bench in each of Barrow’s three league games so far.
He joins another couple of former Hatters at Holker Street in Ben Whitfield and Elliot Newby. Whits is currently out injured for the Bluebirds, whilst Elliot has caught the eye so far this season whilst playing at left-wing-back.
Their start:
Late goals have been a feature of Barrow’s opening three games in League Two. Spence’s debut winner away at Tranmere Rovers on opening day came with just 20 minutes left to play, whilst the Bluebirds trailed at home to Sutton with just 12 minutes to go, before quick-fire goals from Acquah and Procter saw them turn things around.
They left it even later at the Wham Stadium on Tuesday night, with 87 minutes on the clock when Acquah stroked home a late leveller.
Match Stats:
- Barrow were one of only two sides, alongside Grimsby Town, to complete a league double over Dave Challinor’s side last season. It leaves us with just one win in our last eight games against the Bluebirds.
- Despite that run, County still retain the historical advantage between the two clubs – winning 51 of the previous 94 encounters, compared to Barrow’s 33.
- County haven’t gone four league games without a win at the start of a season since the 2013/14 campaign, our first season in the National League North, when we picked up one point from our opening five games.
- Tanto Olaofe has now scored three goals in his last five appearances at Edgeley Park – each of them coming at the Cheadle End.
