Dons miss out on promising Stockport defender

Stockport County manager Jim Gannon has told the Stockport Express that young defender James Tunnicliffe was close to completing a move to the Dons on loan on the loan deadline day, as County look to cut costs at Edgeley Park.

County have come very close to administration this season and are not totally in the clear yet, a situation that has seen highly-rated winger Anthony Pilkington as well as defender Jim McNulty move in the January transfer window for six-figure sums. Midfielder Gary Dicker has followed McNulty to Brighton on loan, and manager Gannon has revealed that Tunnicliffe, 20, was close to moving on loan to Milton Keynes with a view to a permanent deal. Defender Michael Raynes also had a similar deal to Leeds United cancelled.

Tunnicliffe is a highly-rated central defender who made his first appearance for Stockport in the 2005/06 season from the substitute's bench at age 16. Since then he has been blighted by injury but despite that he has had trials at both Liverpool and Southampton, making twelve appearances for County over the following two seasons before a loan spell at Northwich Victoria.

This season has seen Tunnicliffe break into the first team with 30 starts made in all competitions, along with three more appearances from the bench.

It is unclear why the move fell through and any attempt at a deal in the summer probably depend on Stockport's financial position, as they look to move away from administration.