Respectable finish for Town but boss Wild wants more
STOCKPORT Town ended their second season in the North West Counties Football League in a respectable 10th position in the Division One league table.
The club, who endured a difficult Christmas period as both manager and a number of players left the club, ended the season on high with a final day win over Sandbach Utd, who themselves had ended in the play-offs.
At the beginning of the 2016/17 season Stockport had Calum Sykes at the helm of the first team squad, carrying on from the club’s impressive first season in the NWCFL where they finished 4th but lost out on promotion in the play-offs.
Sykes and his coaching staff got off to a shaky start in their league campaign as the club took just six points from their opening six fixtures. In between those opening fixtures the Lions travelled to league new-boys, City of Liverpool FC, where they tasted defeated but in front of an impressive 435 spectators at the Delta Taxi Stadium.
Come September the Lions had their season in gear and went through the month with five wins out of six in all competitions. Included in that was an historic win in the qualifying rounds of the FA Vase Trophy where Town overcame Alsager Town to qualify for the official First Round of the cup competition for the first time.
Despite that qualification 2016/17 wasn’t the year for Stockport in cup competitions as the club had bowed out of all four competitions they were involved in by the first week of November. Sykes saw his side knocked out of both the Macron Cup and the Reusch First Division Cup by Sandbach United, in the first round and second round respectively.
Town did encounter a Football League side in the Cheshire Senior Cup ●●Dave Wild preliminary rounds however they were dismantled 6-0 at the hands of Crewe Alexandra. After the joy of qualifying for the First Round, Town were immediately dumped out of the FA Trophy after a home defeat to Ryhope CW, despite taking the lead through Nathan Neequaye.
As the fixtures built up for clubs going into the festive period, Sykes would enjoy the labours of victory just three times in his final 12 matches in charge, a run of games that saw his defence ship 36 goals against opposition (three goals per game).
It was at this time that Sykes and Stockport Town FC parted company midway through December following the clubs 2-2 draw away at Holker Old Boys.
As Sykes took on a new post at New Mills AFC in the Premier Division, taking a number of first team players off Stockport’s books, the club worked day and night to turn things around in time for the New Year.
However, a managerless and depleted Town would concede bragging rights in their derby day defeat away at Cheadle Town, and the club could do nothing to stop a rampaging City of Liverpool blow away the Lions in a 10-0 demolition at Stockport Sports Village.
Despite the worrying time for the club, the New Year would bring new fortune to all those involved with the Lions. The club appointed Dave Wild, formerly Assistant Manager at Northwich Victoria, as their new First-Team Manager, and what an appointed it would turn out to be.
In short, Wild would lose just four out of 18 matches in his halfseason in charge of