Stockport County rediscovered a not-so-secret weapon against Wigan Athletic: View | OneFootball

It was the first time one of last season's key men made a mark on the new campaign for County

Stockport County had an incredible summer in terms of recruitment, making it easy for some of the talent in the squad to dip under the radar.

One such player is Nick Powell, who was a key feature of the Hatters’ side last season but, through injury and selection issues, has not been one of the main names at the beginning of 2024/25.

However, his return to the field for the second half against Wigan Athletic reminded everyone of exactly what he’s capable of, and may well be utilised in the coming weeks.

But you only needed to look at County’s bench in that game to see that he’ll have to work as hard as ever to make a place for himself.

Powell caused problems when he entered the fray

The game was stuck in a deadlock at half-time with the Latics putting up a strong if unadventurous defence.

Dave Challinor felt the need to freshen things up and turned to his bench to make a triple substitution at the interval, replacing Jack Diamond, Jay Mingi and Lewis Fiorini with Nick Powell, Callum Connolly and Odin Bailey.

It was undoubtedly Nick Powell who had the biggest impact, floating around the pitch, picking up different positions and making himself difficult to mark as he does so expertly, frustrating the opposition.

That was evidenced by the fact that he was the most fouled player on the pitch, despite only playing 45 minutes.

He didn’t manage to put the Hatters ahead in the game, ending in a scoreless draw, and his stats from that match don’t necessarily make him look deadly, but the eye test told fans in the ground that he had delivered a spark that had been missing in the game.

Those 45 minutes reinforced what we already know about Powell, regardless of whether the attention may have drifted away from him over the summer.

He can pick out a pass from anywhere, see moves on the pitch that few others would spot and is often underrated for his defensive work in the middle of the park — he won six of his eight duels in the second half against Wigan.

Due to his finesse in possession, he may be seen by some as a luxury player to be deployed as and when, but Powell isn’t workshy and will get stuck in like anybody else — he even popped up in a defensive midfield role at times last season.

He has a vision and technique that is uncommon at this level, and although he may not start weekly, he broadens Challinor’s options in ways few other players do.

County’s bench against Wigan proves competition is fierce

Despite that, there is no doubt Powell will need to put in some solid graft and produce results when he gets the opportunity, as County’s squad is so strong now that there will be no free passes to the starting XI.

The bench Challinor was able to name is all the evidence needed of that, with Powell and Ollie Norwood, there were a combined 103 Premier League appearances and 579 Championship appearances in the County dugout.

That’s before considering the likes of Tanto Olaofe — County’s top scorer last season — Odin Bailey and young exciting winger Jayden Fevrier.

It’s no longer a given that you make it onto the Hatters’ bench, never mind cementing a place in the starting XI, so Powell still has a tough task ahead of him.