Blackpool figure makes League Two move to join Stockport County following previous roles with Oldham Athletic and Middlesbrough

There's been a departure behind the scenes at Bloomfield Road

There has been a departure behind the scenes at Blackpool this month.

Head of Performance Stuart Irwin has exited Bloomfield Road after nearly four years with the club to take up an opportunity at Stockport County as Head of Medical Services.

After holding a number of positions with Middlesbrough, he joined Oldham Athletic as Head Physiotherapist in 2016, before making the move to the Fylde Coast in 2020, where he was initially the Seasiders’ Head of Medical Services.

Explaining the decision to appoint Irwin, Stockport’s Director of Football Simon Wilson said: “This is a strategic move from the club and not a reaction specifically to recent injuries. On benchmarking clubs of our size and ambition, we found that we were under resourced – with our committed staff working tirelessly but lacking the opportunity for proper reflection, CPD and the integration of smarter ways of working.”

“We talk about not waiting to arrive in the Championship to start behaving like a Championship club; believing that by doing this we not only get a head start, but also that the increased level of professionalism will help us get there. This is the challenge we set to all our departments. Stuart has the experience and character to lead our existing talented team and help our medical department grow into this type of operation.”