PADDY MADDEN FIRES ANOTHER HAT-TRICK AS STOCKPORT SEAL LEAGUE TWO TITLE

DUBLINER PADDY MADDEN scored a second hat-trick in the space of four games as Stockport County wrapped up the EFL League Two title in style on Tuesday night.

Madden’s first-half treble took his total for the season to 22 in all competitions, and steered Stockport to a 5-2 win at Notts County.

With automatic promotion back to League One for the first time in 16 years already assured, the win sealed Stockport’s first Football League title at any level since winning the old Fourth Division in 1967.

Madden’s first-half hat-trick came in a 14-minute burst as he took advantage of a defensive slip to open the scoring in the 26th minute.

He fired a penalty into the roof of the net to make it 2-0 on 33 minutes before adding a third just seven minutes later, his angled shot taking a deflection on its way in.

Antoni Sarcevic made it 4-0 on 50 minutes, and after Notts County responded through two quick goals from Macaulay Langstaff and Dan Crowley to give themselves an unlikely lifeline, Ethan Pye added Stockport’s fifth six minutes from time.

In League One, Ireland U21 Bosun Lawal scored after just 17 seconds, but later missed a penalty — as did Promise Omochere — as Fleetwood Town lost 4-1 away to Peterborough, a result which leaves their survival hopes hanging by a thread with just two games to play.

2024-04-16T22:45:47Z dg43tfdfdgfd