Stockport County have appointed Jim McNulty as their new manager on a three-year deal. McNulty joins from Rochdale, where he led the team back to the English Football League after a three-year absence. He arrives at Edgeley Park after former Hatters boss Dave Challinor left the club following their League One play-off final defeat by Bolton Wanderers. McNulty said of the club he played for in 2008-09, "To go full circle and return all these years on as head coach at County feels incredible." He added, "Some opportunities feel meant to be, and there's so much alignment and connection here for me, so there's amazing pride here for me and my family." Meanwhile, Rochdale said they had put succession plans in place in case McNulty departed the club. "On behalf of the board, the staff, the players and our incredible fans, we thank Jimmy for his fight, honesty and love for this club, as both a player and head coach. He has left us in a stronger place, and that is his legacy," a Rochdale statement said. McNulty takes over a Stockport side who missed out on promotion from League One in May's play-off final at Wembley, when they were well beaten by near neighbours Bolton. Prior to his exit, Challinor had been the fifth longest-serving manager in the EFL and won two promotions with Stockport, lifting them from the National League to the third tier. In the past two seasons, however, they have finished third in League One and missed out on promotion via the play-offs. McNulty initially took over at Rochdale on an interim basis as they dropped out of the EFL in 2022-23 and later signed a two-year deal as they began their first non-league campaign. Having led them to an 11th-place finish in their first season in the National League, McNulty sealed a play-off spot in 2024-25 before their promotion winning campaign last term. McNulty said, "We celebrated so much during my time here as a player, because we played a brand of football that we were so proud of as players and we knew the fans loved, and we found a way to win whilst doing it." He added, "That is the idea that I want to cultivate for our supporters again, and I'm very excited to meet them and begin to develop that idea together."