Sport

Dave Challinor calls on County fans to do ‘better’ after semi-final playoff disappointment

He's urged patience and is ready and raring to go again next year.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 15th May 2025

Stockport County manager Dave Challinor has called on some of his fans to do better following heartbreak in the League One playoff semi-finals.

The Hatters have had an impressive first season back in the English third tier, landing just outside of the automatic promotion places and only narrowly missing out on making the final two following a disappointing penalty defeat on Wednesday night.

County hosted Leyton Orient at Edgeley Park for the second leg, an outfit that has displayed similar defiance in the division throughout the campaign, but conceding a sloppy early goal saw the home side scratching to get into the contest until there was only around a quarter of an hour left to go.

Ultimately, Challinor and his squad equalised and took the game to penalties, but it was the performance from a section of the supporters that he was just as frustrated with, as fans could be seen leaving the ground mid-shoot-out. Here’s what he had to say on the matter.

In a word, he felt they “deserved better’. What do you make of his comments?

A notably hoarse Challinor was left frustrated by some fans’ lack of faith, noting that several supporters began exiting the stadium whilst the penalty shoot-out was still going on.

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The 49-year-old coach described it as the so-called County faithful “giving up”, reluctantly adding that he’d seen similar instances “throughout the course of the season”.

Insisting that if his players let their belief sleep and called it a day early like some of those in the stands, then the club “wouldn’t be in the position that [they] are.”

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He also touched upon missing some big chances in the dying minutes of the 90 and extra time – that Isaac ‘Tanto’ Olaofe one, in particular – but as he told BBC after the game, “it might not have been [their] time”, and there’s a case to be made that may not quite be ready for the Championship just yet.

That being said, he and his backroom aren’t waiting around to make up that ground, insisting that all the staff will be straight back in to prepare for next year.

As for the winning spot-kick, it was scored by Manchester United academy product Ethan Gailbraith and former Salford City loanee, who dispatched it with great aplomb to send Orient into the playoff final.

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Orient are marching into the decisive tie at Wembley under the stewardship of Moston-born manager and another United graduate, Richie Wellens, who also played 87 times for Oldham Athletic before finishing his career at the likes of Salford and Macclesfield Town.

Much like Challinor at County, Wellens’ managerial record thus far has been an impressive one and were he to see the East London club promoted, it would undoubtedly be one of, if not the biggest, achievement of his coaching career.

The 45-year-old hailed his team as a “special group” and has every faith they can go all the way against either Charlton Athletic or Wycombe Wanderers in the final.

You can watch the highlights in full down below.

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Featured Images — Charlie T (via WikiCommons)/Stockport County (screenshot via YouTube)

Sport

Great Manchester Run guide 2025 – everything you need to know

Danny Jones Danny Jones Great Manchester Run guide 2025

The AJ Bell Great Manchester Run returns this month, and with more spectators and people taking part than ever, we thought it’d be handy to put together another little event guide for you.

Whether you’re running it or cheering your friends, family and complete strangers from the sidelines, it’s set to be a massive day that involves a lot of planning and logistics, so we’ll help however we can.

You only have to see the months of time and effort that went into making this year’s Manchester Marathon the incredible success that it was, and the Great Run Company are no different.

So, without further ado, here’s all the important information you need to know ahead of the 2025 Great Manchester Run.

2025 Great Manchester Run guide – all the key info

What is the Great Manchester Run route this year?

Where else better to start than with this year’s Great Manchester Run? Anyone who’s coming back for more will be glad to hear that it remains pretty much unchanged from the 2024 edition and years prior.

Starting once again along the busy Portland Street strip before the half-marathon runners head towards Mancunian Way, participants will pass along Chester Road and on towards Manchester United’s legendary stadium, Old Trafford, before heading back into the city for a grandstand finish on Deansgate.

The 10k route essentially takes out the section heading towards East Manchester and the loop in front of Man City’s equally iconic Etihad Stadium, but still capitalises on all the best and biggest spots for atmosphere. Here you can see the maps in more detail HERE.

The 2025 AJ Bell Great Manchester Run half-marathon route (Credit: Supplied)

Great Manchester Run waves and start times

In terms of when the action will be getting underway, as ever, the hordes of runners will be broken up into various coloured waves depending on their estimated finish time; these colours are clearly visible on your race bib.

You can see a full breakdown below:

  • 8:10am – 10k Elite Wheelchair start
  • 8:15am – Half Marathon Orange Wave start
  • 8:40am – Half Marathon Green Wave start
  • 11:30am – 10k Elite Women start
  • 11:45am – 10k Elite Men start
  • 11:45am – 10k Fast Paced and Orange Wave start
  • 12:05am – 10k Green Wave start
  • 12:50pm – 10k Purple Wave start
  • 13:10pm – 10k Pink Wave start

Runners should have received said bibs in their race packs via the post by now, but if you need to pick up in person or source a replacement for whatever reason, they can be collected during race week.

You can find out where to do so, including other common FAQs, right HERE.

Great MCR Run travel info and road closures

Now, naturally, when such a huge event with more than 30,000 runners is set to take over the city, not to mention the 100k+ spectators that are expected to line the streets on the day, it’s always going to have an impact on travel.

Those watching on the sidelines are being urged to use public transport wherever possible, with extra trams being put on throughout the day and various other arms of the Bee Network helping people get around the event.

If you do end up driving into the region for the action, we would recommend you use one of Greater Manchester’s many park and ride sites and then use one of our many Metrolink services to travel into the city centre itself.

You can also use Transport for Greater Manchester’s (TfGM) journey planner online and see a full list of the confirmed road closures HERE.

Meanwhile, the Bee Network also have an interactive traffic map for the event:

Cheer zones and support hubs: best spots to watch the Great Manchester Run

For those of you set to line the streets and provide your much-needed support on race day, there are some key sections where the atmosphere from the crowd will be injected into the runners.

As well as a Heart Radio pop-up station, drummers, local choirs and plenty more surprises to keep your energy pumping throughout, there’ll be some big corners to look out for your loved ones.

You can find some of the main supporter hotspots and where they are along the route down below, but we’d personally recommend the roundabout coming heading towards Chester Road, the small grassy mounts and central reservation either side of Cornbrook, and the corner of Deansgate-Castlefield.

  • St Peter’s Square – for the start line
  • Manchester Piccadilly – 2-mile marker
  • Etihad Campus/Velopark – 4/5-mile marker
  • Wharfside/Imperial War Museum – 10/11-mile marker
  • Cornbrook – 12-mile marker
  • Deansgate-Castlefield exchange – for the finish line

10k

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  • St Peter’s Square – for the start line
  • Cornbrook – 2km marker
  • Old Trafford – 4km marker
  • Wharfside/Imperial War Museum – 6km marker
  • Cornbrook – 9km marker
  • Deansgate-Castlefield corner – for the finish line

Wherever you decide to watch, just make sure you bring the same kind of wholesome energy that these queens did…

Bag drop and key facilities

Following the success of a new bag drop system at the Manchester Marathon, similar baggage buses will be available at Deansgate from 7am for half marathon runners and around Hardman Street and Jackson’s Row from 10am for those doing the 10k.

Once your tear-off label is fastened to your stuff, you will be able be collect after crossing the finish line.

As for toilets, there will be plenty of facilities to use before the starting run, as well as six locations throughout both distances. You’ll find multiple stations along both too.

One final message

Now, we’re not going to waste too much time reminding you to wash your race kit, stock up on safety pins and get all your other gear ready, but what we will do is remind you to go out there and have fun.

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Make sure you fuel right in the morning and enjoy plenty of carbs and water in the week leading up; also, be sure to keep an eye out on the weather – we want you to be safe out there.

Whatever/whoever you’re doing the 2025 Great Manchester Run for, just know that we’re unbelievably proud of you all and no matter how the day goes, we want you to soak up every single cheer, bell and scream. We’ll see you at the finish line.

Now go put the great in Greater Manchester, we know you’re going to smash it!

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Featured Images — Phlip Oldham/Press Shots (supplied)

Sport

Ruben Amorim reportedly paying for staff members flights ahead of the Europa League final

Danny Jones Danny Jones Ruben Amorim paying for Man United staff flights Europa League final

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is reportedly covering the cost of flights for several staff members and families around the club ahead of this month’s Europa League final.

Taking place on Wednesday, 21 May, Man United take on Spurs in UEFA’s second-string continental competition, giving the Red Devils a chance at lifting the trophy for the second time and, more importantly, getting into the Champions League next year.

Not only is this European final in a United manager’s maiden season a feat only previously achieved by Jose Mourinho, who also won it in his inaugural campaign at the club, but it also happens to be the first of Amorim’s career full stop.

With that in mind, the Portuguese head coach is hoping to rope in as much positivity and support as possible, so despite cost-cutting measures around the club over the last 18 months, Amorim is reaching into his own pocket to pay for staff and some of the family members to be at the final.

Now this is the kind of leadership supporters like to see.

According to ESPN sports writer Mark Ogden, at least 30 members of his backroom staff have seen their travel to the final paid for after the club said they would not be covering the increasingly inflated prices, with flights to Bilbao unsurprisingly skyrocketing.

The Athletic‘s Mark Critchley has gone on to detail that “coaches, physios and support staff would instead be able to purchase up to two tickets”, while only two complimentary family tickets have been granted per player.

If you’re wondering why fans continue to make his name echo around the Theatre of Dreams in spite of poor performances, gestures like this should tell you why.

The 40-year-old’s debut Premier League season might be one to forget, with his team set to record United’s worst-ever finish, but a final at the first time of asking, even with a squad that’s visibly struggling to adjust to yet another period of overhaul, is still an achievement – especially a European one.

In addition to admitting that he’s been left “embarrassed” by the league form, he says one of his biggest fears is that everyone around Old Trafford is “losing the feeling of being a massive club”, both inside and out. Obviously, he’s hoping that potentially winning another European title will help fix that.

United played out a forgettable 2-0 loss to West Ham this past weekend in what should have felt like a bit of a free hit, but ultimately resulted in starting centre-back Leny Yoro picking up another injury and key players exerting a lot more energy than many would have hoped.

Most fans were expecting to see the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, Amad Diallo and so on rested to keep that balance between sharpness and recovery, but many first-choice players played far more minutes than was arguably necessary.

Whether or not this is all in line with his thinking, we’ll have to wait and see when the Reds rock up to the Basque Country a week from now

One thing we do know is there’ll be plenty of places to watch it back home.

A massive Manchester United fan zone is being set up for the Europa League final
Where are you watching it?

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Featured Images — Agência Lusa/Sky Sports (via YouTube)/Panoramio (via Wikicommons)

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