Hatters shaping up nicely for Jim
STOCKPORT County manager James Gannon is quietly confident that his side can hit the ground running this season after being impressed during preseason.
The Hatters have had three friendlies so far, defeating LCH Nomads before narrow losses against Barrow and Rochdale.
Gannon isn’t too concerned about results though, and is hopeful that his players continue to improve over the coming weeks.
“I’m pleased with the workouts we’ve had and the initial feel I am getting from the squad gives me a quiet sense of confidence,” he told the club’s official website.
“We had a good first workout at Cheadle Heath Nomads and this led to a good professional display and a 3-0 win.
“The facilities at Cheadle are fantastic and I thought they offered us a stiff resistance and it was a great first day of football action for everyone.
“We then played Barrow who are a league above us, and their manager has built a strong physical team.
“They’ve invested heavily again this season in their playing squad.
“Having previously been promoted from this level and building to get back into the league, they’re the type of team to give us a real measure of where we need to get to.
“Unfortunately, we had Glenn Rule and Danny Lloyd absent, while Adam Thomas, Gary Stopforth and Adam Etches picked up injuries before the game, and then the team was also depleted by early injuries to Josh Amis and Lewis Montrose in the first half.
“Even without these players, the team competed very well, and in such a tight game I always felt that a set play goal was the most likely chance to divide the teams.
“We had our chances to take a fairer result from the game and that would’ve made us all feel a little better about the evening’s work.”