Stockport County are seeking a second successive promotion and the football club is raising the profile of the town as they battle heavyweights Birmingham City and Wrexham in their quest to reach the EFL Championship.
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Thousands of Stockport fans walk behind the open-top bus.
Stockport County are a club on the up as they challenge for promotion into the EFL Championship.
When you're up against NFL superstar Tom Brady and Hollywood giant Ryan Reynolds, it's perhaps easier to go under the radar.
Celebrity owners never used to be the norm in the third-tier of English football, but right now Birmingham City and Wrexham are first and third respectively in the promotion battle. And while the leaders look nailed-on to earn a spot in the Championship, the fight to join them is hotly-contested. And Stockport County are hoping to complete their redemption arc by prevailing.
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County might not have the glamour of their rivals, but they visit Wrexham on Saturday with the chance to close the gap on their hosts to three points and give themselves a real shot in the arm heading into the final throws of the campaign. Promotion for Stockport would see the club go full circle - from the second tier to non-league and near oblivion, and back again.
Stockport were in National League North as recently as 2019 amid continued financial struggles. But this is a club and a town that has resilience running through it. County were League Cup semi-finalists in 1997 during a golden period where, in 1998, they came within two places of a play-off place for a shot at the Premier League when they finished eighth in the Championship.
And the Championship is where they hope to be playing their football next season. To do that they will likely have to finish above Wrexham. A Wrexham with their glamour, American lure and hefty budget.
Stockport are well backed themselves and have thrived since local man Mark Stott took over the club in 2020, but their story hasn't taken in Disney documentaries and Stateside friendlies against Manchester United.
But it does include getting the better of Wrexham. Twice. County beat them to the National League title in 2020 and then repeated the trick in League Two last season. If they were to get the better of the Welsh club again this season and secure a spot in the second tier it would complete an incredible hat-trick. These two sides are now real rivals.
"You can definitely feel it!" said County man Ibou Touray, speaking to The Manchester Evening News. "I know the fans really love this game and this is one of the main ones they want to win.
"We will be up for it and we need to make sure we can deliver and not let them down. Their is a big rivalry."
The two clubs have plenty in common having both faced financial ruin and years in the non-league doldrums. Now they are thriving again with the feel-good factor very much back at Edgeley Park.
County are regularly pulling in crowds of 10,000 and the scenes in the town when they were promoted as League Two champions last May reinforced just how big a club this is.
"I probably didn't realise until I signed," continued Touray. "Seeing all the people in the town celebrating was just unbelievable. One of the best experiences I have had!"
Stockport County's Isaac Olaofe (left) celebrates scoring his team-mate Kyle Wootton.
Stockport County are riding high in League One.
County and their supporters want that feeling again come the end of this season.
On the pitch, they are led by promotion specialist and ex-player Dave Challinor, who has assembled a competitive squad that has tasted defeat just once in their last 12 league games.
The squad is driven, ambitious but grounded. Hard work comes first, the team ethic is important and ties back into the club's desire to not only be part of its community but central to it.
Yet for all the good work going on behind the scenes, success on the pitch will forever be the main driver. And you wouldn't bet against more of that come May.
"We are in a good place," concludes Touray. "I feel like the only way is up with County at the moment."