Stockport County host Wycombe Wanderers at Edgeley Park on 29 August 2026, matchweek 3 of EFL League One and a clear contrast is already forming between these two sides. Stockport sit ninth on three points from a win and a loss, Wycombe are sixteenth on two points from a pair of draws. For Stockport, this is about validating Jimmy McNulty's appointment on 5 June 2026 as Dave Challinor's successor. For Wycombe, guided by Michael Duff since September 2025, it is about finding a first win. McNulty and Duff have no managerial record against each other, which makes the contrasting philosophies the relevant frame: McNulty's high tempo press against Duff's compact defensive block.
Stockport's last five across all competitions reads two wins and three losses, the most recent league outing a 1-2 defeat at Blackpool on 22 August. Before that came the 3-1 home win over Plymouth Argyle and a 6-3 EFL Trophy thrashing of Everton, nine goals scored against two opponents in three games. The Blackpool loss raises questions about how they perform away from Edgeley Park but at home they have looked capable of putting sides away. Wycombe's league sequence is two draws and a loss, alongside a penalty shootout win over Reading in the Trophy. The 1-1 home draw against Blackpool opened their league season with a 1-1 at Plymouth following it. Duff has been calling for more second half intensity in press conferences and both results suggest he hasn't got it yet.
No key absences for either side, so what happens here should reflect where each team genuinely is at this point. Stockport have quickly adopted a proactive, high tempo approach under McNulty: the 6-3 win over Everton showed overlapping full backs and late arriving central midfielders making it hard to track runners, while the 3-1 over Plymouth suggested they are already combining quickly in the final third. Kyle Wootton leads the attack, capable of playing direct or linking in tight spaces depending on what the game demands, while Jack Diamond operates from midfield or wide, drifting inside to create overloads and taking up positions in behind to pull centre backs out of shape. The key battle will probably be Diamond's movement against Wycombe's midfield screen and if Stockport break that line, the rebounds and follow up chances that came in bulk against Everton and Plymouth will follow.
Wycombe's identity is built around compact defensive lines and winning second balls. Connor Taylor's hold up play opens space for runners and Fred Onyedinma on the right flank is their most direct threat, at his best taking on the full back one against one in transition and driving at pace towards the box. With the crowd behind them, Stockport should maintain pressure for long spells, forcing Wycombe into longer balls the home defence should handle comfortably. Wootton's ability to win headers in the box against Wycombe's centre backs is likely to matter most: first contacts won consistently in the final third will open up the follow up opportunities that have defined Stockport's better results so far.
Stockport have won 14 of 27 previous meetings, with Wycombe winning six and the rest drawn. They completed the league double over Wycombe in 2025-26 and have won four of the last six, a record that carries some weight without being the deciding factor here.
Set pieces are Wycombe's best chance of scoring. Duff has worked on dead ball organisation from the start and Onyedinma's delivery from the right flank is a genuine set piece weapon, with Stockport needing to be sharp on the near post. Both squads are fully fit, so neither manager needs to improvise, which probably benefits the home side, who have more attacking options to rotate through and can afford to push for a second goal if they find themselves ahead.
Stockport 2-1 Wycombe. Wootton winning headers in behind, Diamond drifting inside off the right, overlapping full backs arriving late: Stockport have more ways to threaten than Wycombe can currently match and at home in front of their own crowd that variety should tell. Wycombe have conceded just once in two league games, so it will not be straightforward and their most likely route back will be through a set piece or a quick Taylor counter. But Stockport's press should force enough errors to settle it.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
