Stockport County have Leyton Orient insurance policy after Salford City bout | OneFootball

The Hatters have some extremely relevant experience heading into the League One play-offs

Stockport County have finished at the top of the play-offs for the second time in three seasons.

They face Leyton Orient this time around in League One, with the opportunity to play the second, and most important, leg in front of a home crowd.

The scenario is very similar to the 2022/23 season, where the Hatters faced Salford City away and then at home in the League Two play-offs.

That experience will have provided them with vital lessons, and see them head into the two games against Orient with all the experience needed.

Tough beginnings against Salford in 2023

Back in 2023, the Hatters travelled to the Peninsula Stadium to face the Ammies first, and it was an afternoon to forget.

County cannot claim to have deserved the win, registering just one shot on target, with Salford’s Matt Smith clinching the only goal that day.

Following the excitement of earning a play-off place in the club’s first season back in the Football League, and the scramble to get tickets in the away at Salford’s compact stadium, it felt like a deflating day.

The second leg proved anything but.

Edgeley Park crowd proved decisive in sending County to Wembley

Back in Stockport for the second leg, Paddy Madden had a header cleared off the line before Tanto Olaofe finally drew the tie level just past the hour with a headed effort of his own, turning in a Ryan Rydel cross.

The Hatters were applying pressure all the way throughout, but the game was to be settled first by extra time.

Crushingly, it looked like it was Salford’s day when Stephen Mallan scored a long-range effort was deflected in, in the 21st minute of extra time.

But Edgeley Park responded in the way only a home crowd can.

Roars of “Come On County” echoed around the ground and, the Hatters shooting towards the Cheadle End, they managed to will the ball into the back of the net.

With seconds left on the clock, Antoni Sarcevic managed to flick the ball up to Jack Stretton to nod into the back of the net, sealing what will surely be one of the most important goals of his career as he raced off to celebrate with the crowd.

The momentum of the crowd with them, and with home fans on all four sides of the ground, there was only penalties to go.

At this point, there was only one winner, Ben Hinchliffe heroically saving two and Matthew Lund missing a third to allow Sarcevic to score the winner, before a pitch invasion ensued.

That fight until the dying seconds, the confidence during the spot-kicks with so much on the line; all thanks to the home crowd.

Salford game provides important lesson for County when facing Orient

Since that game, Challinor is still in the dugout, Olaofe is still up front, and Fraser Horsfall and Kyle Knoyle are still in the defence. Along with a couple of other names, a strong spine of that team remains ahead of Orient.

Which means the lessons learnt in that 2023 tie will be felt strongly as the Hatters line up against the O’s.

Whatever happens at Brisbane Road, they know they’ll have the Edgeley Park crowd behind them to provide them that extra marginal lift that can make or break games for a team.

In sealing third place and guaranteeing a home game in the second leg once again, County know exactly what an important advantage they’ve provided for themselves.