October test for Gannon’s men
STOCKPORT County manager Jim Gannon believes the next four weeks can have a huge impact on his side’s season.
The Hatters have an extremely difficult October ahead of them, going up against a number of sides that are all battling for promotion.
With that in mind, the County boss believes that his team will have to be at their best if they are to have any chance of coming out on top in a lot of those games.
“The month of October is tough. We play the likes of Salford, Tamworth and Chorley, who are teams that are up there getting results and know how to win games,” he said.
“There are no easy games in October so we can’t show any soft under- belly or weaknesses. We need to make sure we’re strong in every department to put us in a position to win those games.
“I don’t think we’ve been a good footballing side all season. We don’t know how to switch the play from throw-ins and we don’t know how to combine.
“We did a bit of work last week on our shape to pick up the ball and combine to score, but I’ve admitted that is a mistake because I never see them do that. We should be working on our set-plays and defensive structure. We need to focus on the stuff that matters.”
Stockport were set to host AFC Fylde at Edgeley Park in a re-arranged match as the Express went to print on Tuesday.
They headed into that game on the back of a 2-1 victory over local rivals Curzon Ashton on Saturday, with County scoring their winner in stoppage time.
Gannon was glad to send the fans home happy, but hopes that the players can perform at a higher level in the future.
“Our football wasn’t great and entertaining, but people want excitement, and I think they will appreciate the effort, energy and purpose against Curzon,” he said.
“It was great for the fans at the end of the game, but are we good enough to get in the play-offs if we play like that?”