Stockport County will have double regret over West Ham’s FA Cup visit in 2021 | OneFootball

It was nearly another perfect night under the floodlights for County at Edgeley Park

Stockport County have had some memorable moments in the FA Cup in recent years.

The first that springs to mind is, of course, the replay against Bolton Wanderers, which the Hatters snatched in extra time having gone two goals down early in the game.

County’s cup tie against Premier League outfit West Ham United was agonisingly close to becoming another historic name to mention.

But in reality, that encounter will be the source of regret on two fronts.

The Hatters came so close to a historic result

With County still in the National League at this stage, coming up against a team containing Michail Antonio, Said Benrahma, Declan Rice, Mark Noble and Craig Dawson was no mean feat.

Taking into account that star-studded line-up, the Hatters put up a strong fight, managing five shots and one on-target, despite only retaining 37 per cent possession throughout.

Those numbers are somewhat dwarfed by the Hammers’ 12 shots and 63 percent possession, but the fact they only managed two on-target tells the tale of a dogged defensive display from County, battling testing pitch conditions on the day.

Jim Gannon’s side held out for a full 83 minutes, remaining hopeful they could go up the other end and nick one by any means necessary, but it wasn’t to be: veteran defender Craig Dawson rose above the pack to nod home a header, saving the Premier League side from the need to answer some difficult questions.

It should have created more memorable moments than it did

Aside from the end result, there was just one other negative from this game: no fans were in the stadium to witness it.

The game occurred during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that fans were still not able to go to Edgeley Park to watch games, meaning this historic occasion was behind closed doors.

Thankfully, it was broadcast, so supporters were still able to watch the action unfold as it happened, but nothing beats actually being in the stadium for these events.

It would have undoubtedly been a sell-out if fans were able to attend.

With that extra couple of percent, a packed-out ground willing them on into the final few minutes of the game, who knows what County could have produced, and what the impact on the game may have been?

We’ll never know, but County fans will continue to wonder.

County will hope for a similarly memorable cup run this year

The win against Bolton undoubtedly sits at the top of County’s Hall of Fame cup games, with West Ham and an even closer encounter with Leicester City in the Carabao Cup in 2022 a little further behind.

What is clear, therefore, is that the Hatters are no stranger to putting in an inspired performance against one of English football’s big hitters, but it has been a couple of years since the last one.

They face Forest Green Rovers next in the FA Cup, a team relegated from League Two last year and an opposition Dave Challinor’s side will expect to beat.

All eyes will be on the draw if they manage that feat, as a decent cup run increases the chances of getting a big draw, and County know how to turn up when a big side visit.

Another shot at a big scalp would go some way to softening the blow of that missed opportunity the night West Ham came to town.