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)
Sport
Owen Trout to leave Leigh Leopards at the end of the season
Danny Jones
Leigh Leopards star Owen Trout is officially set to leave at the end of the season after lots of interest around the world.
The 26-year-old has garnered plenty of suitors over the past couple of years, helping lead the Leopards to their best finish to date in Super League history last term.
With that in mind, some would argue it was only a matter of time before he was snapped up, becoming just the latest UK talent to make the move to Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL).
Announcing his exit on Thursday, 26 March, Trout will soon be swimming in Shark-infested waters, as he is set to join Sydney’s suburban side, Cronulla.
England international Owen Trout will take his talents from the Super League to the NRL in 2027 after signing a two-year deal with the Cronulla Sharks ✍️ https://t.co/GYqh6mD23P
Putting pen to paper on a two-year contract, the new Cronulla Sharks signing will get going in the NRL next year, but still has plenty of work to do for the remainder of his time in Leigh.
2026 may not have seen his best performances so far, but the Leopards as a whole haven’t been at their best domestically, either.
With just a couple of points to their name after five games, the next couple of weeks are a real opportunity to put together a proper run of form.
In addition to facing Toulouse this weekend, they’ve also got a North West double bill coming up against Warrington Wolves, who they’ll face in the league and the Challenge Cup quarter-final.
As for Trout himself, having made his England Rugby League debut this past October, he only came off the bench, but many national team followers made it clear they believe he should be in contention for a starting place.
Personality-wise, he’ll also be a big miss for the Super League in general, as he won over plenty of fans by shedding light on men’s mental health with Movember.
Speaking on the signing, Cronulla Sharks GM Darren Mooney said in an official statement: “Owen’s style of play is well-suited for success in the NRL, and we believe he is at the right stage of his career to make the move.
“He still has a job to do at Leigh, and our focus is firmly on the current NRL season, but we look forward to welcoming him to the club in due course.”
The Wakefield-born player has been hailed not only for his natural traits but versality, having played in both the front and second row, and that’s a particular level of utility that the Greater Manchester outfit will be hoping to find again elsewhere.
Meanwhile, in other British rugby league news, another big exit has been confirmed as Salford RLFC boss officially departed the team earlier this week.
Stockport County defender Brad Hills ruled out for the rest of the season
Danny Jones
In a big blow to their promotion push, Stockport County have been hit with a major injury and loss to their first-team squad, as defender Brad Hills has been ruled out for what looks to be the remainder of the season and then some.
Not what Hatters will want to hear with crunch-time in and around the playoffs now well underway.
Having emerged as even more of a starring centre-back this year, following his initial loan spell with the club during the previous campaign, Brad Hills has arguably been one of Stockport’s best and most reliable players in 2025/26 thus far – but not County will have to do without him.
Although the exact severity is yet to be fully revealed, the former Norwich City youth academy graduate is said to have hurt his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
Confirming the news on social media, the Greater Manchester side stated: “We regret to inform supporters that Brad Hills sustained an ACL injury in Saturday’s draw at Luton Town that will rule him out for the foreseeable future.
“Our full focus is on supporting Brad throughout his recovery – we know he’ll come back stronger”
For anyone unaware, ACL tears/ruptures are among some of the worst injuries in football, and depending on the extent of the damage, it can take anywhere between six months and a full year to bounce back.
Safe to say, therefore, that supporters have been left gutted by the update, with one commenting, “Awful, awful news”; another simply wrote, “FFS”.
After typing a very long expletive following the show news, fan podcast The Scarf Bergara Wore wrote: “Wishing Bradley Hills a speedy recovery – come back stronger!
Since becoming a permanent signing back in August, he’s earned multiple man-of-the-match awards in blue and white, not to mention contributed to a decent number of clean sheets. He’ll be a big miss in their backline.
While it’s no doubt a big setback as the League One team looks to get promoted into the Championship, the absence could see manager Dave Challinor reshuffle the pack and perhaps even the formation for the remaining fixtures.
One option is Louie Barry, who – depending on the setup – could finally be set for a return to the pitch after he was signed on a third loan deal this past January, but is still continuing his own rehab following a knee operation.
Put it this way, with not many games left, lots of County fans are probably wishing that the pending and potential further changes in the EFL could have come sooner…
Danny Jones -
17th April 2024 
