Nick Powell left Stoke City after four years in the summer and signed for League Two promotion hopefuls Stockport County
Nick Powell may have been ‘riddled with injuries’ in his own words as his time went on at Stoke City – but he insists he loved his time at the club.
The playmaker was a prominent figure in the squad during four years at Stoke, winning the player of the year award in 2021 and being badly missed through a series of long stretches in the treatment room.
He was released at the end of last season as part of Alex Neil’s big rebuild and left with a record of 83 league starts, 28 cameos and 27 goals. The 63 matches he missed perhaps played a part in Stoke finishing short of expectations during that time, with a highest position of 14th as two promising campaigns faded out.
“I had a successful time at Stoke,” he told StokeonTrentLive, via SkyBet . “Personally, I can’t say anything bad – I enjoyed my time there. I have that closeness to it because I’m around the area – personally I had a successful time there going off stats.
“For me, I really enjoyed my time there – a lot of people that were there at my time became good friends, and the staff were really good to me. The biggest thing that hampered me was that my last year was riddled with injuries – but I loved my time there.”
Powell’s next destination post-Stoke was a surprise. Having been linked with Wrexham – and what would have been a reunion with James McClean and Steven Fletcher – and amid interest from other clubs in the Championship, he ended up signing for Stockport County.
But Stockport have now won five in a row in League Two and they are quickly climbing the table, although Powell has sat out of the last three since picking up an injury in a 2-1 victory at MK Dons, shortly after scoring his first goal for the club.