Stockport County Appoint Jim McNulty as Manager
Stockport County have announced the appointment of Jim McNulty, the current Rochdale manager, as their new head coach on a three-year contract.
The 41-year-old McNulty joins Stockport following his recent success in guiding Rochdale back to the English Football League after a three-year absence. This achievement came after Rochdale won the National League promotion final at Wembley last month.
McNulty takes over at Edgeley Park after the departure of former Stockport manager Dave Challinor, who left the club following their League One play-off final loss to Bolton Wanderers.
"To go full circle and return all these years on as head coach at County feels incredible," McNulty said, reflecting on the club he played for during the 2008-09 season.
"Some opportunities feel meant to be, and there's so much alignment and connection here for me, so there's amazing pride here for me and my family," he added in an interview with the club's official website.
McNulty Aims to Revive Stockport's Success
McNulty inherits a Stockport side that narrowly missed out on promotion from League One after their defeat in the May play-off final at Wembley, where they were convincingly beaten by local rivals Bolton.
Prior to his departure, Dave Challinor was the fifth longest-serving manager in the English Football League and had overseen two promotions with Stockport, elevating them from the National League to the third tier of English football.
Despite this progress, Stockport finished third in League One for the past two seasons but failed to secure promotion through the play-offs.
Meanwhile, Rochdale experienced a dramatic conclusion to their National League campaign, narrowly missing automatic promotion in a tense battle with York City. The title was decided on the final day after a 103rd-minute equaliser by York City in a draw against Rochdale, which handed York the championship.
Undeterred by this setback, Rochdale secured promotion through the play-offs. McNulty's team showed resilience by coming back from 2-0 down against Boreham Wood to level the match at 2-2, forcing extra time and eventually winning on penalties.
McNulty initially took charge of Rochdale on an interim basis during the 2022-23 season after the club dropped out of the English Football League. He subsequently signed a two-year contract as Rochdale embarked on their first campaign outside the league.
Under his leadership, Rochdale finished 11th in their first National League season and secured a play-off position in the 2024-25 campaign before achieving promotion last term.
"We celebrated so much during my time here as a player, because we played a brand of football that we were so proud of as players and we knew the fans loved, and we found a way to win whilst doing it," McNulty said.
"That is the idea that I want to cultivate for our supporters again, and I'm very excited to meet them and begin to develop that idea together."
