Gannon's New Young Guns Have The Spirit For A Fight
EXACTLY a year ago on this page, I offered new Stockport County boss Didi Hamann advice on the Blue Square Bet Premier and what he could look forward to on a cold Tuesday night trip to Ebbsfleet the following March – if he (was) still in charge by then.
I got it wrong. Hamann actually resigned his post five days before their trip to Stonebridge Road in NOVEMBER, the Fleet fixture having been brought forward five months.
OK, no-one likes a smart alec, but having seen the remodelled County under Jim Gannon towards the end of last season, when all the off-field sideshow of Hamman's mate Tony Evans' on-off takeover was long in the past – I can confidently predict a better year for the Hatters this time around.
The Edgeley Park club had an unveiling last week, and in a relatively quiet summer of just five new signings, it inevitably wasn't a player. They showed off their new strips, based on colours worn during two of the club's glory years.
Thus, the away kit changes to a white shirt, black shorts and socks combination tagged “Spirit of 37”, the year the club – then known as the Lilywhites – won the Third Division North title, while the home colours are all-royal blue top, matching shorts and white socks, coming under the “Spirit of 67” banner after the season County won the Fourth Division title.
They were glorious times for Stockport, and Gannon has had some great times there himself as player and manager, winning promotion three times.
No-one is anticipating a promotion push in this, their second year outside the Football League. And that might just work in their favour.
No-one expected it from Southport last year, yet they got mightily close to the play-offs despite their part-time status and reprieve from relegation.
Hamann quit County with his team two points above the drop zone, but Gannon ensured they finished ten clear of safety, despite rebuilding with one eye on this coming campaign and a younger squad from January onwards.
He has kept the majority together this summer and although it is tender in years, they have 12 months' more experience and the confidence of finishing last term with five wins and a draw from their final seven games.
Centre-half Danny O'Donnell told me this week: “The likes of us and Lincoln found it really difficult last season, and you've only got to look at where we both finished in the league to see that.
“It is a difficult transition, coming out of the League. But I'd like to think that for all the difficulties we did face last year, it's going to stand us in good stead for the coming season.
“We dealt with a lot of adverse conditions with what was going on behind the scenes at the club, but hopefully if we've got more stability off the pitch, we can have more stability on it this season.”
Remarkably, the ex-Liverpool youngster is the second oldest player at the club aged 26, born five weeks after midfielder Joe Connor in the Spring of 1986.
They have quality midfielders remaining from the Hamann spell in Jon Routledge, Jon Nolan, Sam Sheridan and Sean McConville, while Gannon has pulled off something of a coup with James Tunnicliffe returning to the club. At 23, the defender has almost 150 Football League appearances to his name.
Teenage keeper Ian Ormson, a target for Premier League sides, will benefit from the 13 games he started last season, while big things are expected of Danny Hattersley, who scored six in eight games after being plucked from Evo-Stik NPL Division One North Lancaster earlier this year.
O'Donnell says: “The manager and (assistant) Alan Lord have both got an eye for a talented young player and track record of developing them.
“Even the likes of myself and Joe, we've got big faith in the manager and his philosophy to have a young, hungry squad and that's testament to the fact that we're the two oldest at 26.
“But at the same time, you can be experienced at 20 – it goes on how many games you've played and goals you've scored.
“I don't really see age as that big a problem, because I think we've got quite a mature squad for the average age of it.”
O'Donnell says the banter was flying when County went to their bootcamp on snow this week, the bond generated by a group of players being kept together an obvious asset.
The bookies have them at 28/1, tenth favourites for the title this year. But from what their well-spoken, mature “senior pro” says, the “Spirit of 2012-13” might well pull them through and surprise a few.
Reunited Gulls No Surprise, Surprise!
CANVEY ISLAND legend Jeff King says the return of his former FA Trophy-winning captain Steve Tilson as manager at Park Lane “does not surprise” him.
Me neither, for Tilson's imminent appointment by the Ryman Premier club was doing the rounds in NLP HQ last April when my old Ware boss Glen Alzapiedi was leading them to Essex Senior Cup success.
Obviously, I have an allegiance to my ex-gaffer, but Tilly is someone I also get on great with, having played against him when the Gulls were flying through the Ryman League and kept contact with him as manager at Southend and Lincoln.
I am actually glad to see him follow his old midfield colleague Mark Stimson's lead in being prepared to get his hands dirty again in Non-League, and his destination adds an intriguing sub-plot to the Thurrock v Canvey derbies this season.
What is also a bit dirty though, in my opinion, is the way Canvey appear to have gone about it. Chairman George Frost has admitted publicly it was his decision to re-sign striker Bradley Woods-Garness, a player Glen had got rid of last season after he had a dressing room bust-up with a team-mate, Jay Curran.
So the cynic in me also suggests that, after telling Glen of HIS new addition at their fifth training session a week last Tuesday, it would have come as no surprise either to Frost that the manager would resign.
Glen has since joined Concord Rangers as assistant and, knowing him and Tilly as I do, if both went onto to enjoy success this season I would be about as shocked as I have been by the last fortnight's developments on the Island!
