Stockport County are flying on the pitch – and off it.
The Greater Manchester club, who are unbeaten in 16 games and 10 points clear at the top of the National League, opted to fly to Saturday’s league fixture at Eastleigh on the south coast.
Travelling to fixtures by air is normally a luxury reserved for Premier League clubs rather than those fighting to progress from English football’s fifth tier – with Manchester United attracting criticism for opting to fly for their 100-mile trip to Leicester last year.
It is the first time County have travelled by air to a fixture, with a club spokesman telling BBC Sport that 27 players and staff had taken the flight, which was “significantly cheaper than rail travel”.
The club said: “After a gruelling long away trip to King’s Lynn Town and back on Tuesday night, it helped massively with the players’ recovery and preparation to be able to fly to Southampton in just 45 minutes, rather than sitting on another coach for over four.
“It was a great experience for the lads, who were then able to enjoy a training session at AFC Totton feeling fresh and fit, and was also a reward for their record-breaking run lately that has seen them win 19 and draw one of their last 20 games.
“Stockport County is committed to being an environmentally friendly football club, and on minimising the impact by the club, staff and fans on their environment. The flight down to Southampton was not privately charted, and had a commercial flight not already been scheduled to leave Manchester on Friday morning the club would have sought alternative travel arrangements.”
At elite sport level, clubs often argue that flying reduces travel times and therefore aids recovery and minimises the likelihood of injury.
Stockport County owner Mark Stott – who bought the club in 2020 – also owns the majority share in non-league outfit Stockport Town. The North West Counties Football League First Division South side also flew overseas to their fixture at FC Isle of Man this weekend.
County’s decision to fly drew plenty of reaction on social media, with fans stating the club would “fly where we want”, while others claimed the National League side were “doing things Chelsea can’t do”.
Some on social media questioned the move from an environmental standpoint, stating it was not “kind to the planet”, while others pointed to the fact the commercial flight would have made the journey anyway.
It is about seven miles from Stockport’s Edgeley Park to Manchester Airport, and Southampton airport is located just 1.5 miles from Eastleigh’s Silverlake Stadium, meaning a quick transfer to the ground.
And if making a first flight to a game was not enough to please the club’s players, some of them also grabbed the chance to take photographs with Manchester City and Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne at the airport.
The Hatters have seven league wins in a row to their name on the road. They will hope the run of results is maintained on what has been an away trip with a difference.
