League Two Defensive Mastery: Stockport County’s out-of-possession tactics and the road to the title – scout report

We are just weeks away from the curtain closing on the EFL 2023/24 campaign. A season full of surprises, twists, and turns, but a season where League Two side Stockport County have been consistently strong, sitting four points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand on second-place Wrexham.

Under the management and leadership of Dave Challinor, Stockport have found an impeccable balance in their game, finding consistent quality both in and out of possession. The biggest piece of evidence to back this up comes in the form of their goals scored/conceded totals – 82 goals scored is bettered only by Notts County in League Two, while their defensive record of conceding just 41 goals is the best in the division.

Challinor has coached his County team to be aggressive out of possession, which plays a huge part in opponents struggling to lay a glove on the Hatters. This scout report will provide a tactical analysis of the tactics used by Stockport out of possession – the analysis will identify key points relating to their pressing tendencies as well as how they defend their defensive third.

Overview

This image, provided by our very own TFA writer Venkatanarayanan, led to this deep dive into Stockport’s defensive success. Of course, this data set is a few weeks old now, but it demonstrates Stockport’s defensive consistency. We’ve mentioned that they’ve conceded the least number of goals in League Two. Overall, their record is second-best: 0.9 goals conceded per 90 ranks just below the top spot in League Two. Their tally of 16 clean sheets is also up there among the best in the division – all of them kept by Ben Hinchliffe. Additionally, they also average fewer shots against them than anyone else in the division, facing 7.6 shots per 90, resulting in a total 23/24 season xG against of 40.02.