Sport
Club captain and ‘legend’ Paddy Madden bids fond farewell as he prepares to leave Stockport County
Not many players make that kind of impact in just a few short years.
Danny Jones -
9th May 2024 
Paddy Madden has said farewell to Stockport County after announcing that he will leave Edgeley Park this summer, bidding an emotional goodbye to his teammates and the adoring fans who have already as a “club legend”.
The Irishman joined County in March 2021 and won the National League title in his first full campaign with the club, going on to net a total of 65 goals in 155 appearances for the Hatters, including four hat-tricks in all competitions this season alone.
Scoring 17 times for County throughout their promotion-winning year, his second with the club in just three short seasons, not to mention grabbing six assists, he was without a doubt one of Dave Challinor‘s most crucial players and has been ever since he arrived in Stockport.
Jumping on social media after the club announced that their captain and fellow fan favourites Myles Hippolyte, Ryan Croasdale and several others will depart following their contracts expiring, Madden was full of nothing but positivity about his time in blue.
Madden writes: “Stockport County, thank you so much for an amazing three years, me and my family have loved every minute of it. Being your captain was an honour. To play a part in getting such a big club back in the EFL and then into League One has given me memories I will never forget.
“To my teammates I had the honour of sharing the pitch with, I couldn’t ask any more from all of you, you kept your standards high from day one and that kept us on track to reach our goals.
“To the coaching staff, thank you for pushing the squad every day and to the staff behind the scenes a big thank you for your hard work, it doesn’t go unnoticed.
“Last but not least, thank you to you County fans for the amazing support from the first day I arrived. I’m over the moon to see the club back in League One, you all deserve it so much for sticking with your club in the dark days. Up the County.” It’s no secret how much the fans are going to miss their captain either.
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As for the club themselves, despite attempting to sign a new deal for the 34-year-old – who now goes down as County’s 10th all-time leading goalscorer and is still the third most prolific in the history of the third division (114) – they said that “both parties could not come to a satisfactory agreement.”
Madden is now being linked with a move to Chesterfield FC who have just climbed out of the National League as County’s number nine did back in 2021 and would be set to join Will Grigg up front, who sits just four in front of him in all-time League One goals.
Reacting to his bittersweet departure, the Hatters added: “It’s not goodbye, it’s see you soon. The defining signing of the Mark Stott era, and forever a Stockport County legend. Thank you so much for everything, Starman.”
While the Hatters will no doubt miss out on his experience as they return to League One after 12 years away, they’re still in very good hands up front with top scorer Isaac ‘Tanto’ Olaofe managing 22 goals this season and they have plenty of strong candidates for a replacement captain too.
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Featured Images — Stockport County (via Instagram)/Paddy Madden (via Twitter)
