Stockport County (H) - Tues 10th Oct (EFL Trophy)

[tangerinedream]

Stockport have already announced that their starting XI will be entirely different to that of their Saturday line up against Doncaster Rovers. While I never like being beaten by them, in the great scheme of things and given our present injury situation, I'd be more than happy to see our entire B team line up against them with an experienced bench ready to put in the last 15 to 20 minutes or so. Our priority is maintaining our league form at this weekends clash at Wrexham's Hollywood Bowl. Don't think I've got anything else to add. See you tomorrow night!

[Chris P. Bacon]

Give the squad a run out!

[chipbarm]

There's a rule you have to play at least 4 players from the last or next game so they're being a little disingenuous I would say. Hopefully we start the bare minimum required and don't play them for the full 90 minutes. Avoiding fatigue and injuries is the priority for me

[bronco123]

Their B team beat us 4-0 a few weeks ago, so they won't be worried. I think Berkoe, Lund, Watson and Dackers will get some time.If we can get a winning draw, they have to go to Bolton so àll is not lost.

[hatter25]

Oct 9, 2023 16:55:32 GMT chipbarm said:

There's a rule you have to play at least 4 players from the last or next game so they're being a little disingenuous I would say. Hopefully we start the bare minimum required and don't play them for the full 90 minutes. Avoiding fatigue and injuries is the priority for me

That isn't the rule:

7.6 Any EFL Club failing to meet the requirement to play Full Available Strength will be required to pay a fine of up to £5,000.

‘Full Available Strength’ means the EFL Club must include at least four Qualifying Players in the ten outfield Players named in the starting eleven on the Team Sheet.

7.4 Qualifying Player means any Player who:

- had started the immediately preceding First Team Fixture (as defined below);

- subsequently starts the immediately following First Team Fixture;

- is in the list of ten Players at the Club with the highest number of starting appearances in First Team Fixtures in the same Season;

- has made forty or more starting appearances in First Team Fixtures or international equivalents (and not limited to the same Club or Season); or

- is on standard loan from a Premier League Club or any EFL Club operating a Category One Academy.

www.efl.com/documents/efl-trophy-rules/

We fulfil those requirements with the 6 players we intend to start who were on our bench against Doncaster without needing to play a single player who started that game. 5 of them fulfil criteria 4 and one of them fulfils criteria 5.

[tangerinedream]

Useful run out for the youngsters with Liam Humbles and Junior Muamba particulqrly catching the eye. Great start with Dackers converting Muamba's cross but did little else for the remaining 88 minutes. Not so sure we really wanted to win this tie given the needless penalty and no end of sloppy back passes and clearances which could have seen Madden score two hat-tricks never mind the one he did get. Apart from the opening five minutes of the second half we never really looked like scoring again but at least we've had a good look at a lot of players who wouldn't normally figure but it's keeper Joe Wright who I feel sorry for having been left exposed on too many occasions. We move on!

[bronco123]

I thought Wright was our MOM!

[tangerinedream]

Having just seen the highlights their second goal came from an incisive pass that completely opened us up - as opposed to an under hit back pass - although their third had more than a hint of off-side about it. Having said that they fully deserved their victory and we just couldn't contain Madden up front.

[tangerinedream]

NW post match ......

[tangerinedream]

For those interested in such things the attendance was 1355 with 653 from Stockport.