Town out to land maiden silverware
STOCKPORT Town go for their first ever piece of silverware as they face Nantwich Town in the final of the Cheshire Senior Cup this evening.
The final, hosted at The Milbank Linnets Stadium, home of newly-promoted Runcorn Linnets, of the North West Counties Premier Division, is sure to be a night to remember for everyone involved at Stockport Town Football Club.
The Lions, who will be lead out by InterimManager, Jake Davies, go up against Evo-Stik Northern Premier League opposition, Nantwich Town, under the guidance of boss Dave Cooke.
Nantwich brought their league campaign to a close on Saturday afternoon, suffering a 3-0 home defeat to Stafford Rangers, and extended their losing streak to four matches in a row. That streak began following the club’s 4-3 semi-final victory over Stalybridge Celtic in this competition, losing four league matches on the bounce as the Dabbers finished 16th in the league table.
Nantwich, under Cooke’s management, made it to the Cheshire Senior Cup final last season, but suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Football League’s Crewe Alexandra. The Dabbers hosted the Senior Cup final for three years between 2013-2016, and have reached the final of the competition five times in the last 11 years. They have won the Senior Cup twice, most recently back in the 2011/12 campaign following a narrow 1-0 victory over Stalybridge Celtic.
Stockport Town enter their first ever Senior Cup final since the club was formed, just four years ago. The Lions head into Wednesday night’s final following a last-minute 3-3 draw away at St Helens Town last weekend. A late Treyvon Simpson goal saw the Lions share the points after a great fightback from 3-1 down, having been reduced to 10-men due to injury, and it means the Lions go into the final unbeaten in their last three matches, scoring 12 times.
This years finalists have taken giant scalps on their way to this years final, with Stockport Town the surprise package throughout the competition. The Lions defeated North West Counties opponents Cammell Laird in the First Round before a shock victory over Evo-Stik North outfit Hyde United in the Quarter-Final following a penalty shootout. Davies, who took charge at the start of April, then guided the club into their first ever senior final after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over NWC Premier Division side Winsford United.
The Dabbers defeated Sandbach United in their First Round encounter, before revenge over last years winners, Crewe Alexandra in the Quarter-Final after a 2-1 home win. Cooke’s side then secured a second successive final berth with a thrilling 4-3 extra-time victory over Stalybridge Celtic in the Semi-Final just over two weeks ago.
Both sides have goals in their lockers as Nantwich will look to Harry Clayton and Sean Cooke to provide more goals for their club in Wednesday’s final, with both on 17 and 18 goals in all competitions respectively this season. Meanwhile Stockport will have their new all-time leading club goalscorer, Ben Halfacre, to cause the Dabbers problems in defence as the towering striker looks to add to his 30 goals in all competitions this season.
Wednesday night is sure to be a thrilling encounter, with Stockport very much he underdogs going into their first ever final. All the action gets underway at 7:45pm at The Millbank Linnets Stadium, Stockham Lane, Murdishaw, Runcorn, WA7 6GJ.