Stockport ease into final and another Wembley trip

Stockport County 2 - 0 Stevenage (Stockport won 3-0 on aggregate)

Stockport County secured their place in next week’s League One play-off final at Wembley after a composed second-leg victory over Stevenage.

Author | Josh T

Stadium | Edgeley Park

Already holding a 1-0 advantage from the first leg, Louie Barry extended the hosts’ lead after just 14 minutes with a superb solo effort before Kyle Wootton bettered it with a stunning close-range volley before the half-hour mark.

Stevenage responded with greater urgency after the interval and almost found a route back into the contest when Charlie Goode tested Corey Addai with a low strike, only for the Stockport goalkeeper to produce an excellent save.

Addai was called into action again to keep out Matt Phillips’ driven effort, but the visitors were unable to threaten a comeback.

The Hatters’ 3-0 aggregate triumph, a year on from their penalty shootout defeat to Leyton Orient at the same stage, sends them into the third-tier play-off final for the third time.

Challinor closing in on another remarkable promotion

Dave Challinor now has the opportunity to extend one of the most impressive managerial records in the lower leagues after guiding Stockport County to the League One play-off final.

Across 16 seasons in management, Challinor has finished outside the play-off places only once. That came during his spell with Hartlepool United in the 2019-20 campaign, which was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic, after he arrived midway through the season with the club eventually ending in 12th place in the National League.

He has secured seven promotions during his managerial career, beginning with Colwyn Bay in his first season in charge. Three followed with AFC Fylde, before further success at Hartlepool and two more promotions with Stockport.

Challinor has also collected four league titles during a remarkable rise through the divisions.

Stockport finished third in League One for the second successive season, although their previous campaign ended in disappointment after defeat by Leyton Orient in the second leg of the play-off semi-final at Edgeley Park.

A year later, they are back with another opportunity to add to Challinor’s growing list of achievements.