Stockport County: Imminent moment in Wrexham rivalry ramps things up for League One - View | OneFootball

Highlights

The recently built rivalry between Stockport County and Wrexham is set to reignite this Saturday when the Hatters travel to the STōK Cae Ras for the final day of the League Two season.

Both teams have already confirmed promotion, and County have already sealed the league title, meaning there is little tangible to be gained from the fixture.

However, that is unlikely to be how it is viewed by many of the fans and the players on the pitch, as recent encounters have often been sharp and hostile affairs.

There have been many twists and turns in a rivalry that looks set to continue beyond this season, and this weekend looks set to add another moment to the timeline.

A guard of honour is typically performed by a team when their opponents have already been crowned the league winners, where the team performing the guard of honour will line up on either side of the tunnel and clap their opponents onto the pitch.

It is not compulsory for teams to do this, but it is a tradition in England when a team has won the league with games to spare as a mark of respect for the team's achievement.

The Hatters were confirmed as League Two champions on April 16 following their away win against Notts County at Meadow Lane, which meant that Accrington Stanley, Stockport's next opponents, were first on the pitch at Edgeley Park to give a guard of honour as tradition dictates.

Despite bitter feelings on both sides of Saturday's upcoming contest, there is no suggestion that Wrexham will break this tradition, although many Red Dragons fans have already made their displeasure at the thought known online.

Should it happen on Saturday, it will create yet another marker in a rivalry that has already created a number of memorable moments.

Circumstances have aligned to create a rivalry

Although it is not a typical sporting rivalry, with relatively few geographical ties between the two towns and no historical connection, the two teams have gone head-to-head in league and cup battles on multiple occasions in recent years, creating a healthy animosity when the sides meet.

This is also furthered by the similar scenarios the rivals find themselves in. Both faced long stints in non-league football, having previously been established Football League clubs, both were taken over by wealthy benefactors around the same time and both rose out of the fifth tier in consecutive seasons.

They have two remarkable stories and would individually dominate the headlines at that level were it not for the other's existence.

One particular bone of contention for the Welsh side is the memory of Stockport fans hiring a plane to fly a banner over the Racecourse back in 2022 ahead of their play-off semi-final with Grimsby Town, when the Hatters had already pipped Wrexham to the National League title.

There have also been multiple examples of County's players and manager chanting about Wrexham and the Red Dragons returning the favour on social media by taking every opportunity to remind fans and rivals alike of striker Paul Mullin's last-minute double against Stockport in the FA Trophy a couple of years ago.

In his second of that afternoon, Mullin can be seen running over to the travelling Stockport fans cupping his ears in celebration, further stoking the fires of rivalry that have continued into Wrexham's return to the Football League.

Such is the feeling created by this recent history, Wrexham giving a guard of honour to Stockport will not be a pleasant experience for their fans or players and will be yet another moment to stick in the minds when the clubs face off in the future.

There is more to come from this battle

With both sides having won promotion to League One, the two clubs will meet at least twice again next season and, according to the duo's ambition to go even higher than the third tier, it is a battle that could continue for years to come.

Many deny the existence of the rivalry due to the lack of historical context, but anybody who has attended one of these fixtures will tell you that the extra bite they provide is palpable.

County winning the league, beating Wrexham 5-0 at Edgeley Park and requiring a guard of honour in the return leg will do nothing to dampen that competitive spirit and should make for further interesting encounters as both sides look ahead to a campaign in League One.