A familiar face will be on the opposite side to Carlisle United at Wembley on Sunday.
Stockport’s Paddy Madden spent two seasons with the Blues (2011-2013) scoring just two goals in 32 appearances.
But since leaving Brunton Park Madden’s career as a goal scorer has taken off with 22 in 44 at Yeovil; 52 in 167 at Scunthorpe; 43 in 131 at Fleetwood and currently 40 from 93 at Stockport – ten of them this season.
Now aged 33, Dublin-born Madden has his sights set on a second successive promotion with Stockport after making the switch to non-league from League One Fleetwood in the 20-21 season.
He insists his move was always based around the vision of the football club when many thought it was for financial reasons only.
Talking to the Irish Times, the once-capped Republic of Itreland international, said: “At the time there were a lot of eyebrows raised about dropping down the leagues but I knew what kind of plans were in place here.
“I had the chance to watch a couple of game at Edgeley Park, heard the atmosphere and that played a massive part in me coming here because I knew how well the team was followed.
“We always backed ourselves that we would get into a good position, we are annoyed with ourselves that we did not get top three but at the same time getting promoted through the play-offs is better.”
County boss Dave Challinor took over at Edgeley Park in November 2021, just five months after he had guided Hartlepool into League Two and the County boss repeated that feat with his current club.
He’s now just one game away from what would be a rather unique treble.
At a Stock[port press conference the 47-year-old admitted they suffered a poor start to the season but he had never stopped believing he could lead County to successive promotions.
He said: “The start of this season was tough but we have got over that and we have built.
“Now it’s come up to this point where we have to back ourselves and we all hoped of having the shot of getting into League One because that was our ambition at the start of the season.
“It was a big ambition some would say, now we have the opportunity to take it. Promotion was always the plan, the hope, the ambition and that’s the big thing.”
Stockport were the form team, the one with real momentum at the end of the season, unbeaten in 13 games but had to settle for the play-offs after falling four points behind third placed Northampton.
Talking to journalists Challinor admitted that playing at Wembley is a far different atmosphere to what his players are used to on a weekly basis.
He said: “You can have an impact in front of 10,000 at Edgeley Park, a bigger impact elsewhere in front of 2,000, it’s going to be difficult in front of the Wembley crowd.
“What we do everyday on the grass outside gives us bigger belief and trust that the players are good enough and that’s not going to stop me from wanting to kick a bottle or an advertising board.
“We are in a really strong situation, the fact we have got two players in (Antoni) Sarcevic and (Chris) Hussey that have played in a play-off final, so in terms of that, they can pass on completely different feelings and emotions, and we need to use those experiences in a positive way.”
