Stockport County: Dave Challinor’s Blackburn Rovers call paid off v Blackpool - View | OneFootball

The County boss was forced to make a tricky decision in the Carabao Cup, but it paid off just days later

Stockport County have made the perfect start to life back in League One, and it's thanks in no small part to the tough decisions made by manager Dave Challinor.

The Hatters have ushered in a whole host of new talent this summer, which has given the side a refreshed look. One thing they haven't been able to reconfigure, however, is their luck with injuries.

The early part of this season has been beset with new signings, loanees and longstanding players all heading to the treatment room in Carrington.

There have been some tough choices for Dave Challinor to make, but he has prioritised exceptionally well.

Challinor made his priorities clear

County drew Championship side Blackburn Rovers in the first round of the Carabao Cup but, on account of the mounting injuries, Challinor was already sounding the alarm following the opening weekend that he was going to have to field a more inexperienced side against Rovers.

Speaking to club media following the Cambridge United win, the County boss said: "It'll be a very young team [against Blackburn]. And listen, the competition for me is important, I got to the final as a player, so I know what memories you can create from that.

"But, we're not in a position where we can risk players. One came off today. If he's not fit, it takes us down to 12 outfield senior players."

The player in question, Lewis Bate, did bounce back quickly from that knock but didn't feature in the cup game as Challinor revealed.

Had to rely on youth in the Carabao Cup

The Hatters manager wasn't exaggerating.

Of the team that started against Cambridge on the opening day, only Ibby Touray was in from the off against Blackburn. He was joined by Ben Hinchliffe, Sam Hughes, Tyler Onyango, Odin Bailey and Jayden Fevrier as the senior players in the side, the rest being brought up from the academy.

On the night, the average age of the starting XI was just 22.09 years old, with 16-year-old Nathaniel Mapengu - the youngest to start the game at around 20 years Hinchliffe's junior - netting County's only goal of the game.

With a number of debuts on the night, their introduction to senior football could not have come under much more difficult circumstances, but the crowd, and likely County staff alike, all noted the position they were in and remained supportive throughout.

They faced a Blackburn team full of senior Championship players, not least the second tier's top scorer last term, Sammie Szmodics, who would seal a move to Premier League outfit Ipswich Town later that week.

It was a rough night for the Hatters' fans in attendance, many of whom had vented their frustration at Challinor's call online as they saw their team dumped out of the cup in a 6-1 defeat, but it would all prove worth it on the coming weekend.

Challinor's call paid off in spades

Although that night was a difficult one to take, the afternoon by the seaside in Blackpool would more than make up for it. A convincing second-half performance from Challinor's side at Bloomfield Road handed them another three goals and another three points, maintaining their perfect record in the first two League One matches.

Every fan naturally wants to see their team competitive on all fronts, but with injuries setting in, tough choices have to be made and priorities must be set.

Challinor did the right thing. A positive start to a season at the highest level County have been at for well over a decade will be remembered much more fondly than a second-round Carabao Cup tie, and even that wouldn't have been guaranteed with the need to get around a strong Blackburn XI.

The risks of fielding an experienced side on that Tuesday evening became clear when Hughes left the pitch injured and was later omitted for the trip to Blackpool. It was a risk not worth taking, and it was rewarded with a resounding win on the road.

We'll never know, but the decision may also have had huge ramifications for the rest of the season. County have been no strangers to long-term injuries for star players, and if one had been picked up against Blackburn the criticism would have been even fiercer for Challinor.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, the Stockport boss navigated a tough week in the best way he could. If County can keep up their impeccable start to the League One season, and avoid any further injuries, that Blackburn result will soon be a distant memory.