| Wrexham will be looking to end a run of three
successive defeats in the league and climb of the foot of the table in
the process but face a difficult task at Stockport.
The midweek defeat to Macclesfield actually makes it five
straight defeats including cup competitions but the performance in this
game was
vastly improved from the previous two games, although a combination of
suspension and injuries leaves us five first team players short for the
difficult trip to Stockport.
Despite being ranked as one of the favourites for
promotion this season, Stockport have made a stuttering start with their only league wining coming on the opening day of the
season.
This was a 1-0 home win over league new comers
Dagenham & Redbridge with Liam Dickinson scoring the only goal with five
minuets left.
Stockport have no problems finding the back of the net
but keeping them out at the other end is the main concern with nine
goals conceded in the opening six games.
Four draws in the other six games has left Stockport
in fourteenth place with seven points and the only defeat came at
Mansfield who were leading 4-0 within half an hour but Stockport did
pull two back to make the score a more respectable 2-4 reverse.
Adam Proudlock is the top goal scorer with four goals
so far this season and the former Sheffield Wednesday striker is close
to beating the six he scored in the last campaign.
Manager Jim Gannon is in his second full season in
charge and will be looking to build on last season's eighth place finish
with the Hatters missing out on the play offs on goal difference to
Shrewsbury Town.
Stockport looked nailed on for one of the automatic
promotion place when a league record run of ten straight wins without a goal conceded
left them in a commanding position but a run of only two wins in the
final eleven games meant they narrowly missed out.
A familiar face in the Stockport dug out is our former
midfielder Peter Ward who has been Gannon's assistant since he arrived
back at the club in January 2006.
Past Encounters:
Stockport had the upper hand last season with a
commanding 5-2 win in the corresponding fixture twelve months ago last
weekend.
That was only our second defeat of the season at that
point but demonstrated we were in for a long hard season with Adam
Proudlock doing the damage with four of Stockport's goals.
Stockport completed the double over us in the return
game at the Racecourse but were very lucky to snatch an injury time
winner with Liam Dickinson scoring the only goal of the game.
Our last victory at Edgeley Park was back in April
2005 with Juan Ugarte grabbing a hat trick in the 4-1 win, Carlos
Edwards scoring our other goal.
The overall head-to-head in the league sees Stockport
ahead on 43 wins compared to our 32 and there has been 19 draws in the
94 league games between the teams.
Team News:
By the time Chris Llewellyn and Michael Proctor were
shown red card in midweek, we had already lost the services of Mike
Williams, Ryan Valentine and Eifion Williams to injury and all five are
out this weekend for varying reasons.
On the plus side, midfielders Mark Jones and Danny
Williams have recovered from their back injuries but left back is
causing Brian Carey the biggest headache and a change to wing backs may
be the only solution to the problem.
Teenager Neil Taylor may be in line for his debut if
Carey sticks with a back four and he will also have to decide on who
will partner Neil Roberts up front with Marc Williams or Juan Ugarte the only real
candidates, unless Roberts plays as a lone front man.
Stockport also have their injury problems after winger
Adam Pilkington damaged ankle ligaments and he joins goalkeeper Chris
Adamson and Dominic Blizzard on the sidelines after the pair are still
out with respective finger and hamstring injuries.
Elsewhere in League Two:
League leader Darlington face a difficult task to
maintain top spot as they travel to sixth placed MK Dons who thrashed
Brentford 3-0 last weekend.
Second placed Chesterfield will be looking to take
maximum points at home to Barnet and third place Shrewsbury travel to
Wycombe.
At the other end of the table, Bury joined us in the
relegation zone last weekend and they travel to Dagenham & Redbridge who
occupy twentieth position. |
