play-offs. Gannon was credited with turning around the career of Danny Lloyd, who signed for Peterborough United in May 2017, 12 months after Gannon had persuaded him to play for County rather than quit the game altogether. Gannon said that he was pleased with his defence, but wanted to overhaul the attacking side so as to reach the play-offs the following season. He achieved his aim as Stockport qualified for the play-offs with a fifth-place finish in the 2017–18 campaign, before losing 1–0 to Chorley in the qualifying round. Following the defeat he sold 22-year-old midfielder James Ball to Stevenage for an undisclosed five-figure fee. County reached the second round of the FA Cup in the 2018–19 season, where they fell to a 1–0 defeat at Barnet. Gannon was named as Manager of the Month award in the National League North for December 2018 after his team rose from the bottom half of the table to the top three and also advanced in the FA Trophy. They went on to finish as champions, beating Chorley into second-place by a single point, to end a six-year stay in the sixth-tier. He was named as National League North Manager of the Year for the 2018–19 season. Stockport were just inside the play-offs in seventh-place in the National League when the 2019–20 season was postponed, never to be resumed, on 26 March. Stockport were denied a play-off place however as they dropped to eighth-place on points-per-game. On 21 January 2021, with the club sitting fourth in the National League, Stockport parted company with Gannon, the board citing that "the decision is not results based but is centred around culture". In July 2021, he was appointed as Football Education Programme Manager at Oldham Athletic. Hyde United On 31 August 2021, Gannon was announced as the new manager of Northern Premier League Premier Division side Hyde United. He stated: "I am not coming in to change things but embrace the philosophy that is already here and the way they play and develop it." On 10 February 2022, Gannon was sacked with Hyde sitting 19th in the league table, one place above the relegation zone. Managerial style Gannon is one of few managers in the lower leagues to hold a full UEFA Pro Licence. Priding himself on playing flowing football in the lower leagues of the English game, Gannon has repeatedly spoken out against clubs he