STOCKPORT County have put the finishing touches to deals which
will keep promising youngsters Ashley Williams and Anthony
Pilkington at the club until 2009 and have extended goalkeeper
Wayne Hennessey's loan deal by another month.
The news comes in another great week for the club, after a 1-0 win
over Mansfield racked up the club's sixth successive victory and
sixth successive clean sheet, and kept them in the thick of the
League Two play-off chase.
Defender Williams was the subject of two big offers from
Championship club Luton Town on transfer deadline day, but he made
it plain that he wants to stay at Edgeley Park.
He followed that by signing a new deal, along with Pilkington, the
young winger who joined the club in a fairytale move from North
West Counties League side Atherton Collieries in December.
Manager Jim Gannon expressed his delight at Williams' decision,
saying: "He's enjoying his football and wants to go places with
Stockport County.
"He's a very important part of our team and will be for the next
couple of seasons. He is set for a great career in the game and
will surely play at a higher level."
Hennessey has stepped into a remarkable piece of Stockport history
by keeping a clean sheet in each of his first six games in league
football since joining on loan from Wolves.
The last time County went six games without conceding was in
1996-97, their last promotion season, featuring another young Welsh
keeper who had joined the club from Wolves, Paul Jones.
And the previous time they won five on the spin was 1966-67, when
they won the old Fourth Division.
Supporters have certainly had their imaginations fired, with the
1,400 allocation of tickets for tomorrow's game at Accrington
already being snapped up.