Stockport will want to keep tabs on the top play-off places as Torquay visit in a massive clash

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The league title is beyond Stockport now but they will want to regain a top-three place ahead of the National League play-offs.

With the rest of the league playing their round 40 games on Saturday, Stockport now know that the title is beyond them as Sutton made light work of Maidenhead, whilst Hartlepool also leapfrogged them into third place.

That makes the game against second-placed Torquay all the more important given the structure of the play-offs.

In the National League there is one automatic promotion place and then six play-off places. Those who finish second and third skip a round and go straight into the play-offs, whilst the remaining four sides battle it out in a qualifier round.

Ensuring that an extra post-season break and giving themselves an advantage heading into the playoffs is vital to the club who have really pushed the boat out in a disrupted season in a bid to return to the Football League.

Paddy Madden was scoring regularly for Fleetwood in League One only a few months ago but now, following an ambitious transfer, he is plying his trade with County at Edgeley Park.

Since arriving from the Fylde Coast, Madden has scored seven goals that, alongside the 17 of Alex Reid, has fired Stockport into a promising position at the right time.

Elsewhere in the side, John Rooney has 15 goals evidencing that County are able to share goals around the team where required and, should they not be defeated on Sunday, they will go 16 games unbeaten in the league.

They drew 0-0 with Dagenham & Redbridge last time out which proved to be a costly dropping of points as the glimpse of a title charge fell away as a result.

As for the visitors Torquay, they have lost their grip on the top spot in the league in recent times and have to win on Sunday if they have any real plans of going up automatically.

A win for United will see them sit just a point behind leaders Sutton and they will want to react after a disappointing goalless draw with Bromley that saw them replaced at the top with just three games remaining.

Gary Johnson’s side have relied on experience to provide the key moments this season with Asa Hall and Danny Wright topping the scoring charts, albeit only with 10 and nine respectively.

Johnson has gained a lot of plaudits for a perceived overachievement with his Torquay side and he is sure to want to get one over one of the biggest budgets in the division in Stockport.

They will still have eyes on the National League title, particularly as they have lead the way through various spells of the season and their performances this season, it could be argued, deserve it.

Either way, it will look to be an intriguing contest heading into the post-season, but Torquay will hope they are not part of the playoff madness that will inevitably ensue.

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