Stockport County need to guard against giving Huddersfield Town this one advantage in play-off race | OneFootball

The Hatters look good for a play-off spot, but one key factor has the potential to stunt their progress

Stockport County look on course to net a League One play-off place as the final handful of regular season games approach.

Currently in fifth place, regardless of what happens now, given they were only promoted into the division last season, it’s been a good season for the Hatters.

But earning a place in the play-offs will still be key in their minds, with Huddersfield Town, currently 10 points below, among their most likely challengers, with the uncertain ownership picture at Reading still ongoing.

However, Dave Challinor must ensure County don’t slip further into a recent trend, and provide the Terriers with a key advantage at the business end of the season.

The Hatters have been maintaining their position well as the final run-in has kicked off, holding off fellow contenders Charlton Athletic and bettering Bolton Wanderers away from home.

But they haven’t made it easy for themselves.

Already short in defence, with three out-and-out central defenders in the squad, the Hatters have seen two of those – Brad Hills and Ethan Pye – pick up one-game suspensions in back-to-back games against Wrexham and Burton Albion respectively.

Both came relatively late in the game and had no real impact on the respective matches, but certainly won’t have made Challinor’s selection process any easier in the following games with a threadbare defence.

Challinor must also focus in on the Hatters’ issue

As reported by journalist Sam Byrne, Challinor said after the game: "I wasn't aware Ethan (Pye) was on a yellow, but the lad is allowed to drive at goal, we defend poorly & we feel that we have to make that foul.

"The consequence of our ill-discipline is that we now lose who has been our best player this season on Tuesday."

While it’s clear that the County boss understands just how important the ramifications of that challenge could be, it will be worrying for some that he hasn’t got the latest information to hand for making calls on substitutions.

Given the already light defensive numbers, it’s unlikely Challinor would have opted to take Pye off even if he had been aware of his first yellow, but it should alert the Hatters manager nonetheless that a system needs to be put in place to avoid that oversight cropping up again.

Running tight numbers in key areas, with the likes of Huddersfield – who have accumulated half (2) the red cards County have picked up (4) this season – losing vital players in avoidable circumstances is something the Hatters need to address, or risk having the Terriers catch them up and potentially take their place for trivial reasons.

It will be a key area of recruitment for the Hatters in the summer

Those back-to-back suspensions, which have luckily come just after the return of Fraser Horsfall to the backline, expose just how crucial defensive reinforcements will be this summer.

Loanee Hills will return to Norwich City at the end of this season when his temporary stop at Edgeley Park expires, it wouldn’t be a shock to see interest from further up the pyramid for Pye and Horsfall’s contract expires in the summer.

Given Challinor clearly prefers to run three-at-the-back when he can, County may need at least two new defensive names on top of replacing any of the current squad who depart to reach a comfortable level for the upcoming season.

But bringing the focus back to the present, Challinor and his players must tighten up the lax discipline that has slipped into County’s game of late, or else it could derail what has otherwise been an incredible campaign.