The Stockport County weakness that League Two clubs are exploiting: View | OneFootball

Stockport County have one of the best defensive records in League Two this season, despite a persistent injury crisis, but one method of conceding appears to cause a significant issue for Dave Challinor's side.

The Hatters current sit at the summit of the fourth tier, boasting a better defensive record than all but one side in the division, that being second-placed Mansfield Town.

However, in an uncharacteristically tough week for County, which saw them suffer 3-1 and 4-0 losses to Crewe Alexandra and Tranmere Rovers respectively, it was defensive set-pieces that began to appear as a particular weak point in the side.

So notable was the issue that it received attention from Challinor himself in a scathing interview following the defeat at Prenton Park.

Statistics provided by WhoScored.com show that defensively, in almost every other metric, County are one of the most solid backlines in League Two.

However, when it comes to set-pieces, the Hatters have conceded the joint second most of the 24 teams in the league. One more would draw them level with a top spot they would rather avoid.

In the 33 games played so far, Challinor's side have conceded 15 set-piece goals, which isn't miles away from almost half of the 37 goals conceded in total this season.

Dead balls contribute heavily at the other end too, with the side scoring 17 set-pieces across this season, the most by any team in the league in this campaign so far.

Considering that County have conceded the fewest open-playing goals, the second-fewest goals in total, and scored the most goals in the league, it seems that focus on defensive set-pieces could prove to be the final piece needed to create an almost unbeatable side.

A tough week led to it being addressed by Challinor

The week that saw those two earlier-mentioned defeats contributed heavily to the outlying set-piece statistic, with six of the seven goals conceded across the two fixtures against Crewe and Tranmere being scored in set-play situations. Many were as a result of 'second' and 'third-phase' actions following a dead ball, which, for the purposes of these statistics, are still captured by the definition of a set-piece.

Even discounting the six scored last week, County would still be middle of the road in terms of set-pieces conceded; no cause for immediate concern, but it is a notable weak spot when considering a side that lead in almost all other areas.

Speaking to club media after the Tranmere game, Challinor said: “We’ve conceded six goals consecutively from set-pieces that are just put into our penalty area, and there’s a lack of desire, organisation, communication to keep the ball out of your net.

“I’m a defender. I take pride in how you go about things at that end of the pitch, not just to be porous in terms of allowing teams opportunities.”

In a nod to the persistent defensive injuries being faced by County, these two games saw two separate centre-back pairings, first Fraser Horsfall and Ibou Touray, then, through illness and selection preference respectively, those two were replaced by Neill Byrne and Rhys Bennett at Prenton Park.

Challinor made clear in his post-match interview that he did not see injuries as an excuse, but enforced wholesale changes in quick succession as seen during that week cannot have made defensive organisation any easier, particularly with the Tranmere game coming as loanee Bennett's debut for the club aged 20, and as only the fourth league start for Byrne.

Gillingham clean sheet showed renewed focus

In Tuesday's game, Challinor named two traditionally solid defenders together in Horsfall and Byrne, which paid off with a clean sheet in the 0-0 draw at Priestfield Stadium.

During his post-match interview, Challinor labelled the showing "close to a perfect away performance", later making clear he had made the priority for his side a clean sheet.

The Gills offered little going forward in the game and did find their best chances through set-pieces, with 0.63 expected goals (xG) from set plays as opposed to just 0.03 xG from open play, but this time County were equal to the task at the back.

It gives the Hatters something to build on for Saturday when Swindon visit Edgeley Park. Though the Hatters kept the Gills quiet in midweek, many of the opposition's 15 free-kicks were from relatively safe areas on the pitch and they had no corners to defend for the entirety of the game.

In Swindon, the Hatters come up against the side with the worst set-piece record in the league, having scored just five goals all season from set plays.

It therefore presents a great opportunity for the Hatters to put last week's blip firmly behind them, but any goals conceded via deadball situations this time out are likely to draw heavy attention from Challinor and his team on account of the visitor's record.

The Gillingham game has provided a much-needed clean slate for County. After two games to forget last week, they must now use the coming games to ensure their weak spot has been repaired, as seemed to be the case on Tuesday, rather than allowing League Two sides to continue to exploit it.