# 2023–24 Stockport County F.C. season

The 2023–24 season is the 142nd season in the history of Stockport County and their second consecutive season in League Two. The club are participating in League Two, the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, and the 2023–24 EFL Trophy.
On 13 April 2024, Stockport secured promotion to League One, the third division of English football, for the first time in 14 years with a 2–0 win over Morecambe. The following day, defender Fraser Horsfall was named in the League Two Team of the Season at the annual EFL Awards.

## Current squad

    As of 18 March 2024
| No. | Name | Position | Place of birth | Date of birth (Age) | Previous club | Date signed | Fee | Contract end |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| 1 | Ben Hinchliffe | GK | Preston | (1987-09-10) 10 September 1987 (age 37) | AFC Fylde | 1 July 2016 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 12 | Jordan Smith | GK | South Normanton | (1994-12-08) 8 December 1994 (age 30) | Nottingham Forest | 13 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 13 | Bobby Jones | GK | | (2001-11-20) 20 November 2001 (age 23) | AFC Fylde | 19 September 2022 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| 2 | Kyle Knoyle | RB | Newham | (1996-09-24) 24 September 1996 (age 28) | Doncaster Rovers | 13 January 2023 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2025 |
| 3 | Ibou Touray | LB | Liverpool | (1994-12-24) 24 December 1994 (age 30) | Salford City | 1 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 5 | Neill Byrne | CB | Portmarnock | (1993-02-02) 2 February 1993 (age 32) | Tranmere Rovers | 6 January 2023 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2024 |
| 6 | Fraser Horsfall | CB | Huddersfield | (1996-11-12) 12 November 1996 (age 28) | Northampton Town | 1 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 7 | Macauley Southam-Hales | RB | Cardiff | (1996-02-02) 2 February 1996 (age 29) | Fleetwood Town | 2 September 2020 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 15 | Ethan Pye | LB | Manchester | (2002-11-07) 7 November 2002 (age 22) | Rochdale | 1 July 2021 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2024 |
| 23 | Ethan Bristow | LB | Maidenhead | (2001-11-27) 27 November 2001 (age 23) | Minnesota United | 1 January 2024 | Loan | 31 May 2024 |
| 26 | Rhys Bennett | CB | Manchester | (2003-10-30) 30 October 2003 (age 21) | Manchester United | 19 January 2024 | Loan | 31 May 2024 |
| 29 | Josh Popoola | CB | | (2004-05-07) 7 May 2004 (age 20) | Bournemouth | 31 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 32 | Lewis Cass | CB | North Shields | (2000-02-27) 27 February 2000 (age 25) | Port Vale | 1 February 2024 | Loan | 31 May 2024 |
| 34 | Todd Kane | RB | Huntingdon | (1993-09-17) 17 September 1993 (age 31) | Manchester 62 | 12 March 2024 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 52 | Joe Hillary | CB | | | Academy | 28 December 2023 | Trainee | 30 June 2024 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| 4 | Akil Wright | CM | Derby | (1996-05-13) 13 May 1996 (age 28) | York City | 1 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 8 | Callum Camps | CM | Stockport | (1995-11-30) 30 November 1995 (age 29) | Fleetwood Town | 4 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 10 | Antoni Sarcevic | CM | Manchester | (1992-03-13) 13 March 1992 (age 32) | Bolton Wanderers | 22 October 2021 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 11 | Nick Powell | AM | Crewe | (1994-03-23) 23 March 1994 (age 30) | Stoke City | 7 July 2023 | Free Transfer | 30 June 2026 |
| 14 | Will Collar | DM | Horsham | (1997-02-03) 3 February 1997 (age 28) | Hamilton Academical | 6 February 2021 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 17 | Ryan Rydel | LM | Oldham | (2001-02-09) 9 February 2001 (age 24) | Fleetwood Town | 22 April 2021 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2024 |
| 18 | Ryan Croasdale | CM | Lancaster | (1994-09-26) 26 September 1994 (age 30) | AFC Fylde | 29 September 2020 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 22 | Rico Richards | AM | West Bromwich | (2003-09-27) 27 September 2003 (age 21) | Aston Villa | 18 January 2024 | Loan | 31 May 2024 |
| 24 | Connor Lemonheigh-Evans | AM | Swansea | (1997-01-24) 24 January 1997 (age 28) | Torquay United | 1 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 27 | Odin Bailey | AM | Birmingham | (1999-12-08) 8 December 1999 (age 25) | Salford City | 9 January 2024 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2026 |
| 28 | Ashton Mee | CM | Stockport | | Academy | 22 August 2023 | Trainee | 30 June 2024 |
| 30 | Cody Johnson | CM | Oldham | (2004-10-03) 3 October 2004 (age 20) | Academy | 1 January 2023 | Trainee | 30 June 2024 |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| 9 | Paddy Madden | CF | Dublin | (1990-03-04) 4 March 1990 (age 35) | Fleetwood Town | 15 March 2021 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2024 |
| 16 | Jack Stretton | CF | Newhall | (2001-09-06) 6 September 2001 (age 23) | Derby County | 7 January 2023 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2025 |
| 19 | Kyle Wootton | CF | Kidderminster | (1996-10-11) 11 October 1996 (age 28) | Notts County | 1 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 20 | Louie Barry | LW | Sutton Coldfield | (2003-06-21) 21 June 2003 (age 21) | Aston Villa | 28 July 2023 | Loan | 31 May 2024 |
| 21 | Myles Hippolyte | LW | London | (1994-11-09) 9 November 1994 (age 30) | Scunthorpe United | 31 January 2022 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 25 | Isaac Olaofe | CF | Lewisham | (1999-11-21) 21 November 1999 (age 25) | Millwall | 1 January 2023 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2025 |
| 31 | Ben Knight | RW | Cambridge | (2002-06-14) 14 June 2002 (age 22) | Manchester City | 12 March 2024 | Loan | 31 May 2024 |
| Out on Loan ||||||||||
| | Ethan Ross | GK | Enfield | (1997-03-06) 6 March 1997 (age 27) | Lincoln City | 8 July 2021 | Free | 30 June 2024 |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos | Player | Transferred from | Fee |
| 1 July 2023 | CF | Billy Chadwick | Hull City | Free Transfer |
| 1 July 2023 | LB | Ibou Touray | Salford City | Free Transfer |
| 7 July 2023 | AM | Nick Powell | Stoke City | Free Transfer |
| 31 July 2023 | RB | Sam Bird † | Fleetwood Town | Free Transfer |
| 31 July 2023 | CM | Ackeme Francis-Burrell † | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Free Transfer |
| 31 July 2023 | LB | Taylor McMahon † | Stoke City | Free Transfer |
| 31 July 2023 | CB | Josh Popoola † | Bournemouth | Free Transfer |
| 9 January 2023 | AM | Odin Bailey | Salford City | Undisclosed |
| 12 March 2024 | RB | Todd Kane | Manchester 62 | Free Transfer |
† signed for Emerging Talent Group

### Out

| Date | Pos | Player | Transferred to | Fee |
| 30 June 2023 | CB | Ben Barclay | Carlisle United | Free Transfer |
| 30 June 2023 | RB | Phil Bardsley | Free agent | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | DM | Jacob Davenport | Morecambe | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | RB | Chris Hussey | Walsall | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | CB | Ryan Johnson | AFC Wimbledon | Released |
| 14 July 2023 | CF | Daniel Okwute | Kerry | Free Transfer |
| 17 July 2023 | CF | Scott Quigley | Eastleigh | Free Transfer |
| 30 August 2023 | RW | Ollie Crankshaw | Altrincham | Undisclosed |
| 2 January 2024 | CF | Billy Chadwick | York City | Free Transfer |
| 10 January 2024 | CB | Joe Lewis | AFC Wimbledon | Undisclosed |
| 11 January 2024 | RB | Sam Bird | Stirling Albion | Free Transfer |

### Loaned in

| Date | Pos | Player | Loaned from | Until |
| 26 July 2023 | RB | Jayden Richardson | Aberdeen | 12 January 2024 |
| 28 July 2023 | LW | Louie Barry | Aston Villa | End of Season |
| 28 August 2023 | AM | Joel Cotterill | Swansea City | 15 January 2024 |
| 31 August 2023 | CB | Alfie Pond | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2 January 2024 |
| 1 September 2023 | AM | Odin Bailey | Salford City | 1 January 2024 |
| 1 January 2024 | LB | Ethan Bristow | Minnesota United | End of Season |
| 18 January 2024 | AM | Rico Richards | Aston Villa | End of Season |
| 19 January 2024 | CB | Rhys Bennett | Manchester United | End of Season |
| 1 February 2024 | CB | Lewis Cass | Port Vale | End of Season |
| 12 March 2024 | RW | Ben Knight | Manchester City | End of Season |
* ↑ On 12 January, Richardson was recalled back to Aberdeen early.
* ↑ On 15 January, Cotterill returned back to Swansea early from his season-long loan.
* ↑ On 2 January, Pond was mutually recalled back to Wolves early from his season-long loan.

### Loaned out

| Date | Pos | Player | Loaned to | Date until |
| 1 July 2023 | CB | Joe Lewis | AFC Wimbledon | 10 January 2024 |
| 25 July 2023 | GK | Ethan Ross | Altrincham | End of Season |
| 1 August 2023 | CF | Billy Chadwick | Gateshead | 2 January 2024 |
| 1 September 2023 | AM | Connor Lemonheigh-Evans | AFC Wimbledon | 10 January 2024 |
| 1 September 2023 | CB | Josh Popoola | Spennymoor Town | 29 September 2023 |
| 25 February 2024 | GK | Bobby Jones | Marine | End of Season |
| 29 March 2024 | CB | Luke Partington | Guiseley | End of Season |
* ↑ On 10 January, Lewis joined Wimbledon permanently.
* ↑ On 2 January, Chadwick was recalled back from his loan at Gateshead in order to sign for York.
* ↑ On 10 January, Lemonheigh-Evans was recalled back early from his loan at Wimbledon.

## Pre-season and friendlies

On 30 May, Stockport announced their first pre-season friendly, against Preston North End to celebrate the club's 140th anniversary. Three days later, a further four matches were confirmed against Lincoln City, Altrincham, Chester and Huddersfield Town. On 6 June, the club announced their sixth and final pre-season opposition, against Blackburn Rovers.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

## Competitions
### Overall record

| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
| League Two | 5 August | 27 April | Matchday 1 | Champions | 45 | 27 | 11 | 7 | 96 | 48 | +48 | 060.00 |
| FA Cup | 4 November | 13 December | First round | | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 033.33 |
| EFL Cup | 8 August | 8 August | First round | First round | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 000.00 |
| EFL Trophy | 23 August | 5 December | Group stage | Second round | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 025.00 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 53 | 29 | 14 | 10 | 108 | 59 | +49 | 054.72 |
Last updated: 20 April 2024 Source: Soccerway

### League Two
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Stockport County (C, P) | 46 | 27 | 11 | 8 | 96 | 48 | +48 | 92 | Promoted to EFL League One |
| 2 | Wrexham (P) | 46 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 89 | 52 | +37 | 88 | Promoted to EFL League One |
| 3 | Mansfield Town (P) | 46 | 24 | 14 | 8 | 90 | 47 | +43 | 86 | Promoted to EFL League One |
| 4 | Milton Keynes Dons | 46 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 83 | 68 | +15 | 78 | Qualified for League Two play-offs |
| 5 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 21 | 8 | 17 | 73 | 68 | +5 | 71 | Qualified for League Two play-offs |
| 6 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 69 | 65 | +4 | 71 | Qualified for League Two play-offs |

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 20 April 2024. Source: Soccerway

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 27$^1$ | 35 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 36$^3$ | 44 | 29$^2$ | 45 | 46 |
| Ground | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A |
| Result | L | L | D | W | L | D | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | L | D | D | W | W | D | D | L | W | W | D | W | L | L | D | D | W | D | D | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | L |
| Position | 20 | 22 | 22 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Points | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 29 | 32 | 35 | 38 | 41 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 46 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 51 | 54 | 57 | 58 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 71 | 74 | 77 | 80 | 83 | 86 | 89 | 92 | 92 |
* $^1$ Matchday 27 (vs Gillingham) was postponed due Gillingham's FA Cup involvement.
* $^2$ Matchday 29 (vs Notts County) was postponed due to a frozen pitch.
* $^3$ Matchday 36 (vs Colchester United) was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

#### Matches

On 22 June, the EFL League Two fixtures were released.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

### FA Cup

County were drawn at home to Worksop Town in the first round.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

### EFL Cup

Stockport were drawn away to Sheffield Wednesday in the first round.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

### EFL Trophy

The Group stage draw was finalised on 22 June 2023. After coming second in the group stages, Stockport were drawn away to Wigan Athletic.

#### Group stage

| Pos | Div | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | L1 | Bolton Wanderers | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | +12 | 9 | Advance to Round 2 |
| 2 | L2 | Stockport County | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | Advance to Round 2 |
| 3 | L2 | Salford City | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 3 | |
| 4 | ACA | Manchester United U21 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 13 | −8 | 2 | |
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

## Goalscorers
### League goalscorers

There were 95 goals scored in 45 matches, for an average of 2.11 goals per match.
20 goals
* Tanto Olaofe
17 goals
* Paddy Madden
9 goals
* Louie Barry
8 goals
* Antoni Sarcevic
* Kyle Wootton
5 goals
* Connor Lemonheigh-Evans
4 goals
* Callum Camps
* Will Collar
* Nick Powell
2 goals
* Odin Bailey
* Ryan Croasdale
* Fraser Horsfall
* Akil Wright
1 goal
* Neill Byrne
* Lewis Cass
* Joel Cotterill
* Ethan Pye
* Rico Richards
* Ryan Rydel
* Ibou Touray

### Cup goalscorers

Goals scored in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and EFL Trophy. There were 12 goals scored in 8 matches, for an average of 1.5 goals per match.
5 goals
* Paddy Madden
4 goals
* Kyle Wootton
1 goal
* Odin Bailey
* Neill Byrne
* Tanto Olaofe