Sheffield Wednesday 0 Stockport County 0 ( Football League 1) Saturday 19 September 2026

County came away from Hillsborough with a share of the points against table topping Sheffield Wednesday today.

The game was scoreless- the 0-0 scoreline hardly representative of a game crammed with decent football, most of it from County, but it was massively accurate in giving a reliable indication of the fire power on show as, whilst County were most certainly the better team, neither outfit were able to fully test either keeper.

There`s no point in being over critical, after all County have racked up shed loads of goals so far this season and made Wednesday look anything but table toppers today – taking a point that most teams coming to this part of Yorkshire would be very happy indeed with.

So, we get behind the team and urge them on to better things ,starting with Posh at Edgeley Park next Saturday.

…………………………………..

Hillsborough`s an excellent stadium- 4 huge stands easily accommodating large crowds, and there were well in excess of 30000 inside the historic stadium today.

Wednesday started well, but the façade they created …of efficient table topping excellence, soon curdled and withered via a loose ball and lost possession.

Norwood and O`Connell took the action in hand – the latter unlucky to see Wood fail narrowly to convert the County number 6`s thrusting through ball into a goal in the box.

Wednesday replied – but could not get a shot off- denied by determined defensive work from Gordon.

County were playing some intelligent football now, and a goal did not seem too fanciful a thing to be thinking of, but Wood sprayed a poor effort wide, ending what had been a very encouraging raid – the orange shirted blues might have had a penalty during same- Diamond looked to have been brought down illegally but Mr Toner thought otherwise.

Diamond was in the mix again moments later- shooting wide on 11 minutes, straining, with Glover, to reach an incisive cross from the lively Ben Osborn 3 minutes later.

Osborn was on song – blocked on a run next …. young Jobe getting involved nicely and not looking at all out of place.

Then it was back to Diamond and a one/ two with Bate that threatened to tear great lumps out of the home side`s defence – Glover joined in ushering the ball against a post via his marking defender- Diamond following up ensuring County had a corner, but it stayed 0-0 as nothing came of the flag kick.

We had now gone beyond the halfway point of the half- and Wednesday had a corner but this ended up with their keeper Joe Lumley - an indicator perhaps of how much of a hold County looked to have over their opponents, and Lumley almost put County in with a nervy reaction to having possession at this point- sadly County could not make anything of the opportunity.

On it went, County very much in control – but Glover`s drive carried the bar after Norwood`s free kick had been blocked.

The County press surely must prevail, but no…Jobe was just unable to steal in at the back post and force Norwood`s free kick home.

Then the 40^th minute saw Whatmuff forced to make his first save of the match as Wednesday at last got through County`s defence, but the way of things generally was that County continued to be in the ascendancy – Wood, Diamond and Wootton going close for the blues as half time neared.

But Wednesday managed to up their game in what remained of the half- Gordon coming to assist Jobe with a neatly effective defensive header.

Wednesday had a corner from that action, County clearing their lines nicely but then messing up the possibility of a break that resulted.

It continued- Whatmuff charging from his goal to play sweeper very affectively to stop a break by our hosts down our left flank, but I must say that that left flank had looked pretty solid throughout the match so far, prior to this moment.

Add a late/ late gift (a free kick) from Mr Toner to the Owls, and a determined late ( successful)effort by County to keep Wednesday out, and the half was done.

………………………………….

Off we went in the second half, but it was fully 5 minutes before any meaningful action came about- a County attack that saw Diamond slide the ball into Wootton`s path in front of goal – a chance for sure but Woots` under powered effort was comfortably dealt with by Lumley for the Owls.

O`Connell had looked a reassuring presence alongside Mamadue Jobe ( who looked well suited to League 1 immersion) but twice in rapid order O`Connell almost let Wednesday in – County somehow kept it at 0-0 but it was far from pretty.

But, within 6 or 7 minutes I found myself writing with conviction “O`Connell does well to snuff out a raid as County`s opponents threatened on the break”-that was good to see for sure!

Then the action switched ends as a poor clearance by a Wednesday defender gave County a corner. This looked promising until the blues over-thought matters and any notional chance was gone in the cooling afternoon air.

We were beyond the hour, and Adigun was now on for Wood - going close within a couple of minutes of coming on.

But Wednesday began to stir a bit, Burstow heading wide when well place on 65 minutes.

County responded winning a free kick, 3 minutes later, and it was in a scoreable position , (delayed slightly by the 68^th minute tribute to the Wednesday supporter who died recently- very well supported by County supporters I am pleased to recount) a sharp collective intake of breath coming as Norwood`s kick clipped the woodwork.

Back came Wednesday on the attack winning a corner that saw Whatmuff flap under pressure, but the home side failed to profit from the moment so yet again it stayed 0-0.Play got a tad tedious next as both sides won corners and did precious little with them !

County rang the changes again- Fiorini & Ennis coming on for Norwood & Glover ( 77 minutes) Andresson & Mandron for Diamond & Wootton 4 minutes later.

Into the last 10 minutes of normal time we went, with Whatmuff getting up to punch a free kick clear under pressure .

Adigun provided the County response, but his shot was deflected for a corner , that saw Osborn go close.

Again Wednesday replied, but they were thwarted by an excellent tackle from Mamadue Jobe who I felt looked the part today!

At this point tedium began to afflict the away end as players with blue & white striped shirts started to sink to the deck up & down the pitch.

The ref seemed to make an effort to ignore the `false casualties ` but he wasn`t going to win that one was he!

County kept trying to attack – Ennis doing his best to replicate the fine impression he made last time out- getting a cross or 2 over…….

We then saw County win a free kick and it looked to be right up Norwood`s alley except that Norwood was substituted earlier!

No matter, Fiorini stepped up taking the kick, lifting it towards the back of the box where it was deflected for a corner that no one in orange could make count.

We went into added time with County still attacking, but caught out by a lightning break from the Yorkshiremen, and mightily thankful to Lewis Bate who was on hand to save the day with a superb saving tackle!!!

On it went ….County striving to square this impossible circle - Andresson linking with Adigun who was hauled to the deck with crude simplicity by someone in blue& white.

The free kick sadly got nowhere, and it got a touch sadder as loose passes abounded from both sides - the game meandering to a frustrating conclusion with the score still 0-0.

See you at EP on 26^th then!

Our support is needed and for sure the team will get it, then hopefully …we start to climb up the division!

Stockport County line up :-

Whatmuff, Gordon, O’Connell, Jobe, Glover, Bate, Norwood (Fiorini 77), Osborn (Ennis 77), Diamond (Andrésson 86), Wood (Adigun 61), Wootton (Mandron 86).

Unused Subs: Dacres-Cogley, Wilson-Brown.

Sheffield Wednesday lineup:-

Lumley, Valery, Santos (Otegbayo 86), Cooper, James, Mitchell, Bannan (Heskey 86), Keillor-Dunn (Morrison 65), Slattery, J. Lowe, Burstow (Gray 56).

Unused Subs: Maynard-Brewer, Palmer, Weaver.

Attendance: 32,290 (2,406)

hedgegrower

hedgegrower`s Crowd Gallery :-