Stockport County can reach the Championship on one clear Kyle Wootton condition | OneFootball

The coming weeks will decide the Hatters’ fate for next season

Stockport County, somewhat surprising, find themselves well in the mix for promotion to the Championship at the business end of the season.

Club owner Mark Stott has well-known ambitions to drive the club towards the second tier by 2027, but few would have expected the club to be knocking on the door this soon.

The League One outfit have nine games left to either maintain their play-off spot or sneak into the second automatic promotion place behind Birmingham City.

In those remaining matches, the form of striker Kyle Wootton could have a pivotal role to play.

Wootton’s strong start has somewhat dried up in recent weeks

The 28-year-old was crucial in bridging the gap between the fourth and third tier for County in the early part of this season, notching at least a goal or assist in each of the Hatters’ first four League One outings.

He has since racked up seven goals and six assists in the league, but is without a goal involvement since the beginning of February: eight outings in total.

And his lack of output up front, in terms of headline stats, has been an evident absence in Dave Challinor’s side, having only scored more than one goal in one of the club’s last five games.

Just six points from the automatic places, Wootton finding his early-season form could be the difference between promotion and spending another season in League One.

Wootton brings more to Stockport than goals and assists

Although Wootton hitting the back of the net would be a surefire way to challenge those at the top of League One, he certainly still has his uses even when not on the scoresheet.

The towering centre-forward is, in some ways, a throwback, classic no.9 in County’s frontline.

Thanks to his sizeable frame, strength and warrior-like readiness for a scrap at the top of the pitch, he causes centre-backs nightmares, often leading to them resorting to doubling up on him and, more than occasionally, fouling him.

His hold-up play has come on leaps and bounds in recent seasons and, when not putting it in the back of the net himself, he’s working hard to bring others into play, a role not always appreciated by highlight reels and stat packs.

But, when all is said and done, strikers are judged on their output, and Wootton is no different.

The burden doesn’t rest solely with Wootton

Despite losing top scorer Louie Barry midway through the season when Aston Villa recalled him, County still have plenty of other goal threats in their squad, not least Tanto Olaofe.

He has been somewhat underutilised this season, starting just 18 times, after notching a career-best 20 goals in League Two last term.

But just as Wootton has gone quieter, Olaofe’s form has been showing green shoots.

He’s notched three goals since the start of February, against Barnsley, Bristol Rovers and Bolton Wanderers – not setting the league alight as such, but without his goals in those games County would have been five points worse off.

The goal against Bolton is an ideal example, with the game locked in a stalemate, he used his electric attacking power, and a smart bit of skill, to create and finish his own chance, the only goal of the game.

It goes to show that County are not solely reliant upon Wootton’s form for goals, but if they could add the best version of the striker to their options, then it would strengthen their promotion hopes no end.