Stockport County have appointed Rochdale boss Jimmy McNulty as their new manager on a three-year deal, bringing the 41-year-old back to the club where he played in the 2008-09 season. It is a move that gives the League One side a familiar face after Dave Challinor left following their play-off final defeat by Bolton Wanderers.
McNulty called the appointment a full-circle moment, saying the chance to return to Edgeley Park felt incredible and carried deep meaning for him and his family. He arrives after leading Rochdale back to the English Football League last month, when they won the National League promotion final at Wembley to end a three-year absence.
That journey at Rochdale gave Stockport a manager with a clear recent record. McNulty first took over on an interim basis in 2023 as the club dropped out of the EFL, then earned a two-year deal after steering them to an 11th-place finish in their first National League campaign. He later took them into the 2024-25 play-offs before the promotion-winning run, while Stockport were finishing third in League One for the second straight season and still fell short in May's final at Wembley.
Rochdale moved quickly to acknowledge what they were losing. The club said succession plans were already in place in case McNulty left, even as they thanked him for his fight, honesty and love for the club and said he had left them in a stronger place. That leaves Stockport trying to build on the recent success they had under Challinor, and McNulty has already set out the style he wants to bring back, promising football supporters can recognise and enjoy while the team finds ways to win.
The size of the task is clear. Stockport are not just replacing a manager; they are trying to preserve momentum after consecutive strong League One finishes and a near miss in the promotion race. For McNulty, the return is immediate and personal, but it is also a test of whether the identity he helped forge at Rochdale can now be translated to a club trying to take the next step.
