Nick Powell footage quashes any Stockport County fear: View | OneFootball

Nick Powell has begun to dispel early fears around his headline League Two move to Stockport County last summer, showing both his quality on the ball and his commitment to the team in recent outings.

The 29-year-old arrived at Edgeley Park in July last year in a transfer that made waves throughout English football due to Powell's pedigree and his relative young age to drop two divisions.

Joining as a free agent on the expiry of his previous contract with Championship side Stoke City, those same factors which caught the attention of the footballing world also bred some understandable suspicion among the Hatters fanbase, many questioning why the move worked for Powell and whether it was right for County.

However, having had a turbulent start to his County career through injury, Powell looks to be settling into the squad and proving he's every bit the player that the club believed they were getting.

Recent Stockport performances show Powell is a level above

Being the 'pass before the pass', it won't show up in any official statistics, but the instinct and technique deployed by Powell to create the second goal in the away win at Grimsby Town was of a level rarely seen in England's fourth tier.

Fellow midfielder Antoni Sarcevic had won his side a free-kick deep inside County's own half, and before the hosts had time to fall back into position Powell stepped up and drilled a perfectly weighted cross-field ball to an on-rushing Connor Lemonheigh Evans on the right side, isolating a single Grimsby defender against the assist provider and Tanto Olaofe, who put the ball in the back of the net.

Rising through the ranks aged just 16 at Crewe Alexandra, before signing a multi-million pound deal with Manchester United whilst still in his teen years and later going on to have a substantial Championship career, the composure in Powell's play gained through extensive experience playing football at a high level is notable.

Though his stats so far at Edgeley Park only display a handful of goal involvements, he is often the player that will pick up the ball in a deep position, before dispatching a pass that very few players at this level would be able to see, never mind pull off, which gives the attackers space to fashion a chance, something that is difficult to pick up in baseline statistics.

This has led to thoughts that some of Powell's more frustrating appearances in blue and white at the start of this season were down to teammates needing time to adjust to what he's capable of. If that was the case, then it seems that players like Lemonheigh Evans are now up to speed and know what to expect from the former England U21 international, and the goals are beginning to flow.

Body language caused concern at Stockport

Although Powell does play his role in regaining possession, harrying opponents and carrying out defensive duties at set-pieces, it is fair to say there is a difference in style between him and other County forwards who will relentlessly charge down forwards throughout a game, such as Olaofe and Paddy Madden.

Powell cuts a reserved figure at times on the pitch, which can stick in the craw of some supporters when a game isn't going the Hatters' way.

It was that body language that had led to some queries about his commitment. Persistent, and often unfounded, rumours about the weekly salary he commands made matters worse, at a time when injuries meant that appearances were sporadic at best.

However, the footage from the away trip to Blundell Park also provides a snippet into Powell's true character.

Far from the mercenary that some at Edgeley Park feared they had brought in, the midfielder was among the most emotive when celebrating as the goals went in, throwing his arms in the air with elation and running over to be with his teammates, even on occasions when he wasn't directly involved in the goal.

He may seem reserved at times, but in those moments, Powell shows that he is here to play football and to help the team succeed.

Fitness concerns remain with Powell

A player of his natural ability dropping from the Championship to League Two before his 30th birthday will always come with a hurdle. For others, it may be attitude or application, which may prove a far harder obstacle to overcome, but with Powell it is short-term yet persistent availability concerns.

Since arriving in Stockport, the 29-year-old has started roughly the same number of games as he's spent on the sidelines with injury issues.

Whilst this may seem an alarming fact on the surface, it is likely the primary reason County have been afforded the chance to bring him in at this level, at his age.

The powers that be at Edgeley Park have calculated that this is a risk worth taking, likely on account of the fact that Dave Challinor has a wealth of midfield and attacking options to cover any absence from Powell, and their gamble on the midfield maestro appears to now be bearing fruit.

Powell showed against Grimsby that not only can he cut open a team with a single pass from nothing, but also that he is genuinely invested in the success of County.

If the medical team at Carrington can get him on the pitch more than he's off it, he is now showing that he has all the requisite characteristics to play a key role in the next chapter at Edgeley Park.