Dave Challinor wants Stockport to maintain their hot streak

Stockport boss Dave Challinor says his side are “looking up” in 2023 after continuing their superb run with a 2-0 victory at fellow Sky Bet League Two form team Walsall.

Kyle Wootton’s double earned the Hatters a seventh win in nine league games to lift them to 10th, having endured a slow start to the season.

Wootton steered home a cool first-half opener from Akil Wright’s cross and rose highest to glance home Will Collar’s centre to seal the points midway through the second period.

“Coming here on the back of the run we’ve been on and the run Walsall have been on, it was made out to be a big game,” Challinor admitted.

“But I thought we had real control in the game from start to finish. After the first half we should have been further ahead but we got that second goal and we managed the game really, really well.

“It’s a great night for us and sets up nicely going into the new year.

“We’ve given ourselves a situation where we are having to drag the teams above us back in because of our first 10 games – but our second 10 games has been good, only bettered by Walsall.

“Now we’ve started this run of games really well with two wins so we are looking up. Sunday’s game at Grimsby takes us to exactly halfway – 23 games gone, 23 to go, and hopefully it puts us in a really good place to have a real run at the back end of the season.”

Walsall were outplayed as they suffered a first defeat in 10 games and only several saves from Owen Evans and the woodwork – with a Paddy Madden header hitting the bar for County – kept them in it.

“We’ve run into a good team who are playing well and we’ve had seven or eight players who were off it tonight,” said Saddlers boss Michael Flynn.

“Once that happens you’re very unlikely to get anything from the game – and we didn’t deserve anything. Stockport deserved the three points and I’ve got no problem admitting that.

“They are a very, very strong team. They outran us, they won near enough 80-85% of battles and they deserved the three points.

“It’s not something I’m going to get carried away about because the boys have been on a fantastic run but we need a reaction now on Sunday against Mansfield.

“We just looked flat tonight, we were second best. It’s frustrating and disappointing.

“You’ve got to give credit to Stockport – they played a very, very good game away from home – I would be absolutely delighted with them tonight if I was their manager.”