Stockport County manager Dave Challinor is being labelled as “top class” after he decided to dedicate his team winning the League Two title to young fan George Thompson, who sadly passed awayin 2021, honouring him in a truly touching tribute.
The former defender, who made a century of appearances for the club back in his playing days before ultimately returning to Edgeley Park as head coach back in 2021, saw his high-flying and free-scoring side seal the League Two title in a 5-2 win over Notts County on Tuesday night.
Promotion was already secured this past weekend but Challinor has insisted from the start that his squad only wanted to go up one way: as champions. More importantly, he wanted to provide the fans and one local family in particular with something extra special to remember.
With a trophy lift and more jubilant scenes still to come this Saturday, the 48-year-old made sure to mark the celebrations in the best way possible by asking lifelong supporter and father Dave Thompson if he could borrow a very meaningful flag that has become so important to the entire County fan base.
There’ll be more to come but bloody hell. When your manager comes over asking for your boy and takes him to dance with the champions.
After the final whistle blew and the team went over to celebrate in front of the travelling fans who made the weeknight journey to Meadow Lane in Nottingham, the manager wasted no time in picking out Dave in the crowd and carrying the flag made in memory of his late son George over to his squad.
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George Thompson was a loyal County fan and regular matchgoer who tragically died after being hit by a train back in October 2021 at the age of just 18, only a month before Challinor was given the job.
The young fan struggled with mental health for several years before his death and had already been rushed to hospital once after previously trying to step in front of a train in September. He had described lows as being like battling through “thunderstorms” and sadly decided to take his own life.
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Ever since his dad has been helping raise money for mental health and suicide prevention causes such as the Mentell Charity formed by fellow Stockport locals. In August 2023, Dave and his other son Will set themselves the challenge of boxing for as many minutes as possible over 24 hours in honour of George, who loved combat sports.
The Thompson’s boxing challengeGeorgeCounty x MentellCredit: Family handout/Dave Thompson (via X)
A gut-wrenching local story that the Hatters have taken deep into their hearts, the personalised St George’s Cross is carried to virtually every County game and to see it held aloft by the players clearly hit home for all those involved, let alone just the Thompsons.
Reacting in the immediate aftermath as Challinor came over to grab the flag, George’s dad simply said: “I have no words. If you saw the end, then you know”.
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Not only was it a championship-sealing win but Notts County also happened to be the last away game the youngster ever attended, with Dave going on to thank the Chester-born coach for “creating something so, so special” and a moment he’ll never forget.
As expected, the heartfelt gesture moved countless SK natives and more, with people labelling the moment “superb”, and “Just beautiful” as well as having brought them to tears, not to mention hailing Challinor as “absolutely top class” and “a special man in charge full of empathy and decency”.
In his own words, “Cheers,thank you.” Doesn’t quite seem enough but to you DC, @1DaveCon@clinthill29 Lord Stott, Sir Steve Bellis and all of the players and staff, as a family we are forever with you. Thank you for tonight. I’ll never forget that moment. G would have loved it. pic.twitter.com/HrjYi5Q4Zf
As for the man himself, he has come out to declare winning League Two with the Hatters as “the greatest achievement” of his career to date, crediting the likes of club legend Paddy Madden – who scored his second hattrick in four games – and fan Graham Allsopp, who currently lives in France but sent him a ‘lucky gold pen’ at the start of the season which has clearly worked wonders.
That’s now two promotions with County for Challinor and seven promotions all-told as a manager, with this being his first-ever EFL title and County’s first in the football league since 1967. Quite the achievement indeed for a club that languished in non-league for over a decade.
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You can watch his post-match interview after County’s in full down below and we look forward to seeing them back in the third division next season.
🗣️ "To lift the trophy in front of 10,000 fans will be a great place to be"
✅ Champions ✅ Madden hat-trick ✅ Third title in five years
Featured Images — Stockport County (via YouTube)/Dave Thompson/@Bomberobates (via X)
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Stockport County fans left ‘absolutely gutted’ after Aston Villa recall star player Louie Barry
Danny Jones
Stockport County fans have been left with an early lump of coal in their Christmas stockings this festive period as loanee and first-team favourite Louie Barry has been recalled by Aston Villa.
After the announcement was delivered this past weekend, Barry is set to return to hisparent club in January, leaving him with just three games left before he has to say goodbye to the Hatters.
Having impressed not only in his debut campaign with Stockport but going on to hit even greater heights to emerge as their star player this season, he’s quite literally been the match-winner more times than supporters will care to count as they prepare to bid him a reluctant goodbye.
Breaking the news to the Edgeley Park faithful on Sunday evening, the update may have been inevitable but it still came as a no less painful one that has frustrated many who believe it’s a “poor from Villa” and “unfair” both on the player and the club who desperately rely on him.
Having taken his goal contribution tally from 13 in 20 games throughout 2023/24 to having notched 15 goals and three assists in 22 appearances this season so far, there can be no question that Barry has found a comfortable second home at the League One club.
It’s come as a hard one to take for the fans who are all too aware of his potential. One person joked, “Thanks villa that’s just ruined my Christmas, All the best Louie”; another simply said, “Are you taking the p***?”, while a third dubbed him a “County legend”.
Many merely mustered the old adage, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. Thank you”, but to sum up the overall feeling, they’re simply “gutted” to be losing the super talented youngster.
One person even went so far as to write: “An absolute box office footballer and a pleasure to watch live Up there with Anthony Pilkington as the most talented footballer I’ve ever seen in a County shirt Thoroughly enjoyed every moment of watching him, will follow his career with great interest.”
Even fans of other teams have been sharing their sympathy, with more than one echoing the sentiment: “An absolute shame. Been brilliant for you but his talents do lie at a higher level. Presume he will be loaned to a Championship team for the second half of the season.”
In fact, there were plenty of Villa fans to be found in the comments too, all debating whether or not this will prove to be a “mistake”, with several asking “Why upset his rhythm?”.
I'm a villa fan and I agree. I think he should have seen the season out with Stockport. Then next season put him in the championship whether with you guys or not. He's only 21 there's plenty of time
With the Birmingham-based side sitting in the European places once again in the top flight this season, the assumption is that Barry will most likely be loaned once again only to a Championship club to see at what level his ability is currently at.
Just as County will now be wishing they had, there’ll be plenty looking to snap the 21-year-old up on a permanent deal should they get the chance, with Leeds, Middlesborough and both Sheffield clubs all said to be interested.
On the other hand, with the Villans still in multiple competitions, they could be looking to bolster their squad with more numbers and given the success of youngsters like high-flying Jhon Durán, Morgan Rogers and Jacob Ramsey, they could be hoping to integrate him into the matchday squad.
However, the worry is that if he does stay at Villa Park and try to fight for first-team minutes, he could end up wasting valuable time sat waiting on the bench rather than continuing to thrive as he was at Stockport County. Regardless, the only saying still rings true: never get attached to a loan player…
You can see his last standout performance for County above. Do you think Louie Barry was right to be recalled or is it a misstep from Villa?
Rúben Amorim’s Man United press conference interrupted by Old Trafford roof leaking – again
Danny Jones
Manchester United manager Rúben Amorim has been given plenty doses of reality since arriving at Old Trafford but surely there can’t be any more telling than the stadium’s roof leaking into his press conference?
Poetic irony timed to perfection.
Not only did the new head coach have to sit in front of journalists as he tried to wrap his head around another Premier League implosion following the 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth – a team now sat in fifth, it’s worth noting – but he also got to witness the condition the stadium first hand.
And when we say first hand, we mean literally right in front of his face.
In case you wanted a summary of how much work there is to be done at Man United, the roof started leaking during Ruben Amorim’s press conference. 💦
In this instance, not only was the leak internal but Amorim’s post-match press conference was actually briefly interrupted as drops of water fell on the desk in front of him.
You can hear reporters asking what it is (they knew full well) before United’s press officer can be heard off-camera asking them to quickly move on. Sports writer Sanny Rudravajhala quipped, “A new meaning to the leaks at #mufc”, in reference to dressing room talk and lineups still being fed to the media.
Make what you will of Amorim‘s expressions in this moment but let’s just say he can’t have been expecting to have to worry about things like this when he accepted the job.
A penny for the Portugueseman’s thoughts when he looked up and saw that leak coming from the ceiling:
The moment Ruben Amorim's press conference is interrupted by a leak at Old Trafford pic.twitter.com/gqc8fW20Om
Although many are deeply reticent to let the iconic Theatre of Dreams go after more than a century of history and sporting memories, scenes like this certainly go a long way to arguing the case for a whole new home ground rather than simply renovating as it appears to be in such a sorry state of disrepair.
But even with a brand-new state-of-the-art footballing arena, it doesn’t do anything to address improving performances on the pitch as even with eye-watering sums invested in the squad over recent years, they still look way off it and serious work needs to be done for them to catch up with the pack.
You can watch the highlights from Man United vs Bournemouth below:
The leaking roof wasn’t the only thing raining down on Amorim as the derby day high was followed by a frustrating festive low.
Danny Jones -
17th April 2024 
