Huddersfield Town and Norwich City both have Stockport County gamble to thank: View | OneFootball

There have been many cases of clubs signing a non-league gem, who then progresses to have a well-established career in the EFL and potentially, the Premier League.

The most obvious case in this regard is Jamie Vardy, whose move from Fleetwood Town to Leicester City in 2012 paved the way for him to become arguably the Foxes' most legendary player, which continued in this Championship-winning season for the Foxes.

However, Huddersfield Town and Norwich City in particular will also be grateful for one of Stockport County's gambles back in 2008, allowing Anthony Pilkington to eventually forge his own path towards the highest level of English football.

Back in December 2006, Pilkington was an 18-year-old showing plenty of promise for Atherton Collieries, which caught the eye of then Hatters boss, Jim Gannon, after scoring a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over FC United of Manchester in the North West Counties League.

After initially signing a six-month contract, the winger's impact on the team was immediate, which saw him net three goals in his first four appearances in a season where County missed out on the play-offs on goal difference, scoring five goals in total.

However, the following season saw Stockport defeat Rochdale 3-2 under the Wembley arch, with Pilkington receiving the Man of the Match award with a goal and assist, rounding off a fine season that saw him score eight times in 37 appearances across all competitions, which was also rewarded with a new contract in March 2008.

Anthony Pilkington's progression at Huddersfield Town

After a steady string of performances after promotion to League One, Pilkington was snapped up by Huddersfield, with the Terriers said to have spent £750,000 on signings in the 2008/09 season, which included his services on a three-and-a-half year contract.

After making 16 appearances for Lee Clark's side in his first half-season, the winger featured in all but three of Town's 46 league fixtures in 2009/10, registering 17 goal contributions as the West Yorkshire side were ultimately undone by Millwall in the play-off semi-finals.

And despite sustaining a serious injury - dislocating his left ankle and breaking his fibula - in March 2011, Pilkington was able to better his statistics once more, with 14 goals and seven assists in 40 appearances in all competitions across his final season at the then Galpharm Stadium.

However, Town were once again left cursing their play-off luck, and after a 3-0 defeat to Peterborough United at Old Trafford, he expressed his desire to leave the club.

The winger's Premier League move to Carrow Road

Norwich City would then secure his signature for a reported £2m fee as they began life in the Premier League after back-to-back promotions.

He made his Canaries debut on the opening day of the season against Wigan Athletic, before scoring his first top-flight goal against Bolton Wanderers, eventually finishing the season with a tally of eight goals as Norwich finished in a respectable 12th, with 47 points under Paul Lambert's management.

The following season, Pilkington would feature in 30 Premier League games and score five times, with his most notable goal being the winner in a 1-0 victory over eventual champions, Manchester United, as well as scoring twice against Manchester City.

However, despite receiving the first of nine Republic of Ireland caps in September 2013, the winger's final season in East Anglia would prove to be a disappointment, only making 15 league starts through injury, as the Canaries' three-year spell in the top flight came to an end under Chris Hughton.

Anthony Pilkington's career since departing Norwich City

Since leaving Carrow Road, Pilkington continued to have an established career in the EFL, as well as a brief stint in India with East Bengal FC.

He would leave Norwich for Cardiff City in a £2m deal in 2014, before scoring 23 times in 111 overall appearances across four seasons in South Wales, which included a bit-part in their promotion back to the Premier League under Neil Warnock.

He then returned to the North West, signing for Wigan Athletic on a free transfer in 2018, although he only made 26 appearances in two years.

And after his aforementioned stint in India, the former Blackburn Rovers academy product would round off his career at Fleetwood Town before retiring in October 2022 at the age of 34.

As shown by his stats, it's clearly Huddersfield and Norwich who benefited the most from Stockport's initial gamble many years ago.