Progress and Professionalism, those are the buzzwords at the club at the moment, they are the words of Jim to describe what he’s trying to achieve on the pitch, and they are the words of the Board and the Staff at the Club as we try to mirror that strategy off the pitch as well.

The fixture against Macclesfield, as well as being a local derby , will always be a stark reminder of where we have come from and what we’ve achieved. The never to be forgotten six nil at Moss Rose led to Chris Turner’s departure and ultimately Jim’s appointment, the first major decision the Trust and Board had had to make.

If I look back at the club then and now I feel a significant sense of pride with the progress we’ve made and the professionalism with which we’ve done it. We’re better structured, better organised, better prepared and the board and Jim now spend their time discussing how we move onto the next level.

Board Meetings are filled with discussions about how we move forward, how we improve, rather than the arm folding, “what are you going to do about it” of the past.

There are some changes at Board level which come into affect immediately. We accepted the resignation of Brendan Elwood from the board recently, his presence on the board was purely in relation to conditions associated with his deal with Cheshire Sport, and as those have been resolved he severs his final association with Stockport County . We met him recently, and he was extremely positive about what’s happening and very cooperative regarding future plans, he was even presented with one of the new County Tie’s which he immediately wore with pride.

Added to the board is George Hudson, George has been a significant figure in the Trust for some time, and fiercely insistent that the board deliver its promises, so we finally decided that we’d ask him to help us do it!

Congratulations to the Youth Team for their progress to the third round of the cup and to Jim and Peter and all their staff for the fantastic few weeks we’ve had, there will be ups and downs along the way but as long as we focus on Progress and Professionalism we’ll have a fair crack at it. Your support as ever has been phenomenal and the gradual increase in crowds, the feeling of togetherness at the club is beginning to make the place feel like the real Stockport County again, it’s a very special place to be, and I for one intend to keep it going!