There were 178 passes attempted by Eoghan O'Connell on Sunday, and 171 of them found a team mate. That is a 96 percent completion rate from a defender who spent the afternoon dictating the shape of Stockport County's 2-1 win over AFC Wimbledon.
O'Connell's influence was not about a single moment or a decisive tackle. It was volume. He took 187 touches across the ninety minutes, more than anyone else on the pitch, and used almost all of them to keep the ball moving in Stockport colours rather than give it away cheaply.
A defender running the tempo
Centre backs and full backs are not usually the names fans point to after a result like this, but O'Connell's numbers tell a different story. Every time Wimbledon tried to force Stockport into a mistake, the ball kept finding its way back through him. Few misplaced passes, constant circulation, and a presence that never seemed to leave the game for a single phase of play.
That reliability was reflected in his 7.6 match rating, the kind of figure that usually goes to a goalscorer or a match winning save, not to a player whose job is largely about not losing the ball.
Stockport held on for the 2-1 win in the League One fixture, and while the headlines will likely focus on the goals, the platform underneath the result was built pass by pass by O'Connell. Nearly 180 attempted balls in a single match is a heavy workload for any player, let alone one playing in defence, and getting 171 of them right is the sort of performance that keeps a team ticking even when the scoreline stays tight.