Current Stockport County manager Jim Gannon is regarded as a legend by County fans and rightly so. Not only did he inspire the Edgeley Park side to two promotions as a player in more than 400 appearances for the club between 1990 and 2000, but he has also proved he has the Midas touch as a manager, having led them to promotion to League One via the play-offs in 2008.

Gannon's first promotion as a player came under Danny Bergara, whose appointment as manager in 1989 marked a turning point Stockport County's fortunes following largely nondescript years after the Second World War.

A transformed team waved goodbye to Division Three in 1991 as runners-up and although Stockport County FC then went on to narrowly miss out on promotion three seasons in a row after losing in two play-off finals and one semi-final, new manager Dave Jones made no mistake in 1997.

Stockport County notched a second-place finish in the new Division Two, registering a club record of 82 points on the way to Division One their first time in the second tier of English football since 1938.

Jones' boys also made the semi-final of the League Cup for the first time in the club's history, beating three Premiership teams (West Ham, Southampton and Blackburn Rovers) on the way.

The 1997-98 campaign, under Gary Megson, brought Stockport County's best-ever position eighth. But, three years later, in 2002 Stockport finished bottom and this disappointment was followed by relegation to League Two.

Enter Gannon the manager, though. He guided the club to safety in 2005-06 and narrowly missed out on the League Two play-offs the next season, before Stockport earned promotion to League One via the play-offs in 2008, beating Rochdale 3-2 in the final.

One of only four English football clubs to be owned by their supporters, County were formed in 1883 by local church members of Heaton Norris Rovers, who changed their name to Stockport County in 1890.

After winning the Lancashire League in 1900, Stockport joined the Football League and have competed in it continuously since 1905 with the exception of the World Wars.