SUMMARY

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Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Ave Att:
26	11	3	12	5,315

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This issue is for the game against West Brom in mid October 2001. It features Shefki Kuqi, who came on as a sub in the game. He was to play only another seven games for us, moving on to Sheffield Wednesday shortly after the arrival of Carlton Palmer, which proved to be far from a meeting of minds. In all games for us he played 35 + 2 times, and scored 12 goals. he went on to have a pretty good career in England at a range of clubs, turning out for Sheffield Wednesday; Ipswich; Blackburn; Fulham; Swansea; Derby; Newcastle and Oldham.

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A TRAGEDY UNFOLDS….

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By the time mid January arrived the losing streak had reached 10 games, a rather unwanted record. My mind was made up, that Palmer was absolutely clueless. A bone numbing, and hugely dispiriting afternoon at The Hawthorns, saw us tumble to a 4-0 defeat, offering much less than nothing in opposition. Two down early in the game, Palmer hauled off loanee Gary McSheffrey after 22 minutes. It was the last we saw of him. It was a truly desperate performance. My piece on The Hawthorns recounts a half time conversation, with a fellow loyal traveller, describing the whole situation as a “tragedy”.

The West Brom game also marked a very sad day, even if the debacle which had unfolded on the pitch is ignored. It was the last time we saw Mike Flynn in a County shirt. He had been with us for just under 9 years, led us through the great seasons. Captain Fantastic was how he was described on the cover of his testimonial programme, and that is what he was. Maybe his departure, (which was on loan to Stoke), was a reflection of his comments after the arrival of Palmer. He said “To be fair, the players were a little surprised and I thought we’d go for someone with more experience”. Maybe he saw the writing on the wall? Whatever the case the last link with the 1996/97 team had gone. A sad day.

A League defeat at home to Palace, (in a TV game which kicked off late on a Sunday evening for coverage on the short lived ITV Sport Channel), saw another defeat. That was the 10th on the bounce in the league and was quickly followed by an FA Cup exit to Bolton. Quite what Elwood made of all this must have been illuminating.

Publically he was saying, “Carlton was the best candidate for the job, and I still believe that. He has been brave and he has my full support in what he is doing”.

One thing was for certain was that the fans were appalled at what was happening. We knew that relegation was certain, but the way in which we were heading for it was an insult to people paying good money.

There was a bit more pride as we got two decent away draws, firstly at Coventry and then Gillingham. The game at Highfield Road was our first visit there since 1937. We maintained our less than proud record of never having won there, and of course never would as they moved to the Ricoh Arena. A bloodied and bandaged Palmer fought a magnificent rearguard action which led to a clean sheet, the first in 17 games. That, and his performance in the Manchester City game a couple of months later, are the only two positive memories I have of his time at County.

Five consecutive defeats followed the Gillingham game, albeit that we almost picked a point up at Rotherham. I was behind the goal as the Millers winner went in deep into injury time, leading to my scarf and programme being hurled to the ground. Damian Delaney scored in that game. He had impressed me in his couple of months, but on the final whistle his loan ended. It also saw a debut for John Hardiker, who had signed from Morecambe a couple of weeks earlier, and had been an unused sub at Gillingham. He was to make a real impact within weeks!! Dave Challinor had also come in. Between them that made 40 for the season, and there were still 5 more to come. 45 players in a season – a reflection of what we had witnessed.

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AND HARDIKER SNATCHES IT AT THE DEATH!!

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Relegation was sealed after a trip to Selhurst Park on 16th March. We had 17 points from from 39 games, 22 adrift of next to bottom Barnsley. With our fate confirmed the next game, 3 days later, provided the highspot not only of the season, but also since the heady days of December 1999. City arrived at EP top of the table, in a season which would see them return to the top division, from whence of course they have never departed since. You can see the game unfold here.

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John Hardiker has just got the winner. The top of the table, and eventual champions had been beaten by a side that before the game was already relegated and had won only 3 games. A truly memorable evening!!

Jon Macken, (years later to turn out in a County shirt), gave City an early lead. In some ways I was reasonably content as the game ebbed out that we had kept them to just the one. Then with 5 minutes left, Challinor took a throw in. It was headed back to him; he played it back to Andy Welsh, who threw a cross in which Hardiker got on the end of. It sailed in. 1-1. Better than we could ever have hoped at 7.45.

Within a couple of minutes, Palmer, deep in his own area made a magnificent tackle, picked up the ball, and waiting for the right moment played it out to Welsh on the left touchline. He played the ball forward (into what I used to call the inside-left channel) to Mark Byrne. (making his second appearance in a County shirt). He slid it across and the onrushing Hardiker slid it in the net. Absolute pandemonium. Mark, who was 10 at the time, bounced around shouting his head off. I thought of Rob right at that moment. He had seen every single home game that season, (and it had been hard work!), but was on a school trip to London. He had missed just about the best thing for two years, because the season then ebbed out.

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I always thought he was a useful player, and he lasted three years at EP. When he left in early 2005, he was the longest serving player at the time, and had made well over 100 appearances

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SUMMING UP A SEASON SO BAD IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE

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2001/02 was an absolutely dreadful season, and one of unwanted records. It’s highlighted, (if that’s the right word), in Phil Brennan & Richard Harnwell’s book, “A Pictorial History of Stockport County 1883 – 2006”

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Statistics would show just how poor Stockport County were in a season that saw them finish rock bottom, during which they used an unprecedented 45 players. In a season full of unwanted records County ‘achieved’

The least number of victories in a season, equalling the 1969/70 record of six; the most goals conceded in a season, for the first time ever the Club exceeded 100 goals, totalling 102; the worst ‘home’ goal difference of minus 25 which almost doubled the previous record of minus 13; the worst total goal difference of minus 60, and the most defeats in a season of 32, beating the old record by 3. The figure also became a new record for the First Division.

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We had been in the second tier of English football for five season, and were playing at a level I never, ever, envisaged, in all the years I had trodden the highways and byways of lower division action. In that period there had been 123 home games. I’m glad to this day that I saw every one of them. and added 104 away trip to boot as well. It is something to look back on, and certainly was in those 6 years in regional football.

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HALF A SEASON; 4 KEEPERS; AND NOT MUCH TO CHEER

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Coming in during the close season were Ricky Lambert; Martin Pemberton, Jim Goodwin and Ben Burgess. There had been a right old clear out as well. 25 of those we had seen the previous season had departed the EP shores. So it was a relatively new look team, but one which Palmer said would benefit from Division 1 experience.

It took 4 games to get off the mark, win-wise, but the early season looked as though there had been an improvement. Certainly Luke Beckett was proving his worth. He had scored 7 times in a struggling team in half a season in 2001/02, and continued to look the kind of striker we had needed as he rifled 20 before the end of the year. A really sharp player in and around the box he soon became a firm favourite.

Burgess, who had cost around £400,000, and came with an impressive record when he had been on loan to Brentford from Blackburn, was a disappointment. He managed only 5 in the same period. Lambert had barely featured, and when he did the midfield role he was given seemed unsuitable. There were signs of his impressive shooting power, but it’s fair to say that he was not deployed to most effect in his time at EP. His record elsewhere bears adequate testimony to that.

I made the long trek down to Layer Road on the opening day. Martin Pemberton played on the left side of the defence and I recall saying to Jeff after 20 minutes or so that he hadn’t impressed me. Nor did he go on to do so in the next few games. Maybe Palmer thought that way also. He brought in Anthony Tonkin from Yeovil, and he looked more the part.

It was a season of more keepers as well, Lee Jones, by then a fixture at EP, started off the season; Michael Ingham had a single appearance in a League Cup game at Lincoln; and James Spencer, (who had made his debut at the age of 16 against Watford at the tail end of the previous season, and in doing so became the youngest County keeper for over a century); was in and out of the team. Palmer borrowed Alan Blayney from Southampton for a handful of games. So by the time the last game of the year, at home to Bristol City came round, we had already seen 4 custodians, and there was to be another.

Brad Jones, an Australian, was at Middlesbrough and had yet to play a senior game in England. His first was that day at EP when he arrived on loan It was a debut which must have left him wondering hard about whether this was the right career. We were 3 down at the break, and Jones display left many around me in the Main Stand wondering whether we would see that most unusual of instances – a keeper substituted not for an injury but incompetence. We didn’t, but it was a relief 3 days later when the Vale were visitors that Jones was in net, but Lee rather than Brad. As I sit writing these words it brings to mind a similar one game loan keeper. Keiran O’Hara came in on loan from Manchester United for a National League North game against Solihull at EP. He let 4 in as well…..

So, the year ended with us in mid-table but miles adrift of even thinking about pushing leaders Wigan. But at least it wasn’t defeat after defeat. There wasn’t a great deal to enthuse about but I wondered whether the rot had been cured. As ever, the future always promises to be better. The Club saw big changes in 2003 – a welter of new faces on the field, (including another 3 keepers); a change of manager, and most importantly a change of ownership. The latter was to have far reaching impact which would influence and shape the next decade and a half.

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Back to 2001 Forward to 2003 Home Games Summary Page Away Games 2002

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THE HOME GAMES I SAW THIS YEAR

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Day	Date	Competition	Tier / Round	Opponents	Res	F	A	Crowd	Home Game
Sun	13/01/02	Nationwide Football League – Division 1	Tier 2	Crystal Palace	L	0	1	5,541	657
Wed	16/01/02	FA Cup	Round 3	Bolton Wanderers	L	1	4	5,821	658
Sat	02/02/02	Nationwide Football League – Division 1	Tier 2	Nottingham Forest	L	1	3	6,513	659
Sat	23/02/02 (Highlights)	Nationwide Football League – Division 1	Tier 2	Wolverhampton Wanderers	L	1	4	8,481	660
Tue	05/03/02	Nationwide Football League – Division 1	Tier 2	Bradford City	W	1	0	4,148	661
Sat	09/03/02	Nationwide Football League – Division 1	Tier 2	Burnley	L	0	2	6,410	662
Tue	19/03/02 (Highlights)	Nationwide Football League – Division 1	Tier 2	Manchester City	W	2	1	9,547	663
Sat	23/03/02	Nationwide Football League – Division 1	Tier 2	Preston North End	L	0	2	6,139	664
Mon	01/04/02	Nationwide Football League – Division 1	Tier 2	Watford	W	2	1	4,086	665
Sat	13/04/02 (Highlights)	Nationwide Football League – Division 1	Tier 2	Sheffield Wednesday	W	3	1	8,706	666
Tue	13/08/02	Nationwide Football League – Division 2	Tier 3	Queens Park Rangers	D	1	1	5,811	667
Sat	17/08/02	Nationwide Football League – Division 2	Tier 3	Notts County	D	0	0	5,047	668
Mon	26/08/02	Nationwide Football League – Division 2	Tier 3	Mansfield Town	W	2	0	5,190	669
Sat	21/09/02 (Highlights)	Nationwide Football League – Division 2	Tier 3	Barnsley	W	4	1	5,690	670
Tue	01/10/02	Worthington Cup	Round 2	Gillingham	L	1	2	2,396	671
Sat	05/10/02	Nationwide Football League – Division 2	Tier 3	Luton Town	L	2	3	5,932	672
Tue	08/10/02	Nationwide Football League – Division 2	Tier 3	Peterborough United	W	2	1	4,726	673
Sat	12/10/02	Nationwide Football League – Division 2	Tier 3	Crewe Alexandra	L	1	4	6,468	674
Tue	22/10/02	LDV Vans Trophy	Northern Round 1	Darlington	W	1	0	1,190	675
Sat	26/10/02	Nationwide Football League – Division 2	Tier 3	Brentford	L	2	3	4,601	676
Sat	09/11/02	Nationwide Football League – Division 2	Tier 3	Cheltenham Town	D	1	1	4,531	677
Sat	16/11/02	FA Cup	Round 1	St Albans City	W	4	1	3,303	678
Sat	30/11/02	Nationwide Football League – Division 2	Tier 3	Wycombe Wanderers	W	2	1	4,731	679
Sat	07/12/02	FA Cup	Round 2	Plymouth Argyle	L	0	3	3,571	680
Fri	20/12/02	Nationwide Football League – Division 2	Tier 3	Northampton Town	W	4	0	4,516	681
Sat	28/12/02 (Highlights)	Nationwide Football League – Division 2	Tier 3	Bristol City	L	1	4	5,100	682