Stockport County need to brace for another Ashley Williams, Swansea City scenario this summer | OneFootball

One of the Hatters’ current defenders has echoes of the talent they unearthed and sent to the Premier League

Stockport County may soon be forced to relive their Ashley Williams experience if Ethan Pye continues progressing as he is.

The former was plucked from Hednesford Town by the Hatters on a free transfer in 2003, before going on to captain the club and eventually move to Swansea City, then in the Championship.

He went on to become a Premier League regular, alongside picking up 86 caps for Wales. There are plenty of parallels with Pye, who many at Edgeley Park back to make a similar rise.

Still only 22 years old, the defender’s placement next year could depend heavily on how the Hatters finish the season.

Ashley Williams was one of Stockport County’s all-time transfer success stories

Williams had been in the youth setup at West Brom, before dropping into non-league to play for Hednesford.

A County scout spotted him, brought him in for a trial and the rest, as the saying goes, is history.

Made captain of the club at just 22 years old, Williams made 174 appearances for the Hatters and, due in part to what he did both at Edgeley Park and after, is an immense source of pride in SK3, writing himself into the club’s history books.

Having proven his worth over a number of seasons for County, Williams became the Swans’ record signing in a £400k deal in 2008.

Ethan Pye’s story is panning out similarly at Stockport County

Pye took a similarly unorthodox route into the Hatters’ setup.

The centre-back had no profile in the senior game, signed on a free transfer from Rochdale as part of a trio of youth recruits, another of which was Millenic Alli, who recently moved to Luton Town for £1.5m from Exeter City.

And he had to wait a while for his opportunity. Loans to non-league outfits Spennymoor Town and Gateshead followed, before he began being integrated into the first-team setup.

Prior to the 2023/24 season, Pye had just three senior appearances for the Hatters. In that title-winning campaign, he made a remarkable 35 League Two appearances, quickly becoming one of the two key names in the side’s defensive unit, alongside the more experienced Fraser Horsfall.

His position, route to the club, seeming fearlessness at a young age and how quickly he became one of the first names on the teamsheet at Edgeley Park all echo exactly what Williams provided almost 20 years earlier.

Could Pye repeat the next part of Williams’ story? Only time will tell, but few would bet against him.

Why Ethan Pye is bound to attract attention from Championship-level sides

As debut seasons go, 2023/24 was incredible for Pye, and he’s followed that up by taking the third tier in his stride.

Performing so consistently at just 22 years old is remarkable, but even more so for a defender, where it typically takes longer to be given such great responsibility.

His base defensive stats — two tackles per 90 and 1.3 interceptions per 90 — put him in the same stratosphere as some of the best defenders in the league.

Add those numbers to the eye test — which will show Pye as a defender comfortable with the ball at his feet and capable of taking responsibility to progress play — and you’ve got just about the full package any modern side are looking for in a defender.

His age will likely tempt many sides to buy now, before he realises his full potential, and the fact he’s left-footed, not the most common attribute in ball-playing central defenders, only serves to increase his desirability.

Thankfully, County were smart enough to tie Pye down to a three-year deal in the summer, so they’ll be firmly in the driving seat of any upcoming negotiations.

With the Hatters fighting for a play-off spot in League One, it’s not unthinkable that he might make his way to the Championship without the need for a transfer, but if County are to spend a second season in the third tier, Championship sides will surely circle.

Pye has had a very similar story to Williams up until this point. Should he continue following that blueprint, County fans may need to brace themselves for Championship advances this summer.