O’Halloran heads back
STOCKPORT County manager Jim Gannon has backed new signing Stephen O’Halloran to be an instant success at the club.
O’Halloran became County’s latest signing last week, returning to Edgeley Park after a previous spell from 2013 to 2015.
He has spent the last two seasons with Salford City, but Gannon is now glad to have him back at Stockport.
“As I mentioned in my comments regarding the signing of Matty Warburton, we have to consider carefully the types of people, professionals and players we want to join us.
“We have nothing to fear in that regard with Stephen,” he told the club’s official website.
“I was inundated with so many glowing references from people at all levels within Edgeley Park about the type of personality and character that Stephen has.
“It is clear that Stephen left a lasting impression on many who worked with him during his last spell at County and they couldn’t speak highly enough of him.
“As a player I have also been impressed with Stephen’s strong finish to the season at Salford and especially his solid performance in the playoff match against Halifax.
“We have been looking to add an experienced left-footed central defender to the team and Stephen was high on that short list.
“The last time I saw him playing for County in central defence he was outstanding and I feel he offers great experience, footballing quality, and natural balance to the other two contracted central defenders Michael Clarke and Chris Smalley.
“Michael and Chris formed a strong partnership and we have great trust in them especially after their first full seasons at this level ended with the team having one of the best defensive records in the division. The addition of Stephen provides the option of both quality and balance that will keep the competition sharp for any of the two man central defensive pair.”
Gannon also revealed that he thought carefully about how O’Halloran’s arrival would impact his side from a tactical standpoint. Another important consideration was also the important tactical option of a three man central defence which became increasingly important for us in gaining tactical advantage against certain teams over the last 18 months.
“The use of tactical variations of 3-5-2 or 3-4-1-2 is more and more prevalent and we expect almost half the teams to use these types of systems regularly.”