The boards of both the Trust and the Club spend a lot of time thinking about how we can improve communication with fans. It isn’t easy, and we certainly know there are things that could be done better.

We have to meet the varying requirements of a wide spectrum of fans. At one end there are those who just want to come to a match, who may sometimes buy the programme, and who aren’t really interested in what happens off the pitch. At the other there are people who are interested in the minutiae of what happens behind the scenes, and demand a thorough account of every policy decision that we make.

As a trust owned club we have a responsibility to explain as much as possible to fans. After all, the fans own the club through the Trust. That doesn’t mean that we can discuss in detail everything that makes the club tick. After all it is a business, employing professional people, and with commercially sensitive contracts. But we are much more open than most clubs, and we try to release as much information as we can.

There is also the issue of how we communicate with fans in an effective, economical, fair and interesting way. Not everyone has internet access. Not everyone can get to games, or get a programme. Should we release information first online through the County website, or here on match days, or even to Trust members (who after all own the club) first? The Trust has produced a newsletter which is being distributed here and online, and which is well worth a read.

When Mark Maguire wrote in the last programme that Brendan Elwood had left the board, we received criticism that the programme was used to make the announcement! And of course some people wanted to know more about the implications of his departure. There aren’t any by the way – County still has its option to buy Edgeley Park within 10 years of the Trust’s purchase of the club. And Brendan left after making a massive contribution to the club, and will be welcome back whenever he chooses, as will all the other people who have been on the board in recent years.

As ever, communication is a two-way thing. The club wants to hear from you too, and your comments do make a difference. You can contact the club by writing to us, or by emailing fans@stockportcounty.com. The Trust can be reached on info@stockportcountytrust.com. And of course you can always talk to any of the members of either the Trust or club boards here on match days.

We are in the middle of a challenging period on the pitch. We have a series of games against very strong opposition, including today’s opponents Darlington. One of the great things that has happened over the last few months is that Jim and Peter and the players have created a much stronger team that can battle out matches against good opposition, and can come from behind to win, as we did against Wycombe in the Cup. We know that we can bounce back after losing in Milton Keynes on Tuesday. And though of course everyone will focus on each league game, there’s a real belief around that we can get a result against premiership Watford in the cup.

It’s an exciting time to be a County fan, and I’m sure that everyone can see the professionalism and progress around the club.