IT'S been a traumatic week at Edgeley Park for Stockport County Football Club, but it hasn't been a particularly bad year for its current multi-millionaire owner Brian Kennedy.

Double glazing and property businessman Kennedy, who heads up Cheshire Sport, the owners of County and Sale Sharks RUFC, has seen a sizeable rise in his personal fortune during the past 12 months from '187 million in 2004 to a whopping '208 million this year, according to The Sunday Times Rich List, which was published this week.

There is little doubt that Cheshire Sport, and Kennedy in particular, have backed County with cash since taking over from former Chairman Brendan Elwood in 2003.

Substantial squad budgets have been provided, especially from the beginning of this current disastrous season, but to see Kennedy's name alongside such illustrious figures as Roman Abramovich, Dave Whelan and Steve Gibson in the top 40 list of 'Football Millionaires', certainly made interesting reading for fans.

Chelsea's Russian master of the cash Abramovich tops the 2005 'Football Millionaires' list with a huge '7,500m fortune, followed in second and third places by Joe Lewis ('2,000m, Tottenham/ Rangers) and The Moores Family ('1,160m, Liverpool) respectively.

It's almost exclusively Premiership representatives in the top 15, until Firoz Kassam, the owner of County's soon-to-be bottom tier rivals Oxford, appears at number 16 with a '250m fortune.

Forty-four-year-old Kennedy's '208m means he is the 18th richest football millionaire, ahead of the likes of Sir Elton John (Watford, '185m), Sir Jack Hayward (Wolverhampton Wanderers, '150m), Paul Gregg (Everton, '127m), Martin Edwards (Manchester United, '110m), Eddie Davies (Bolton Wanderers, '99m) and David Beckham ('75m).

Kennedy is the 231st richest person in the UK.

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