HOWARD Kendall knows all about Stockport County - more than enough to warn Blackburn Rovers that they will need to be thoroughly professional against the Second Division side in tonight's Coca-Cola Cup third round tie.

The former Ewood manager saw his promotion-chasing Sheffield United side blown away by County in the last round.

Beaten 2-1 at Edgeley Park and then destroyed 5-2 in the return at Bramall Lane, the Blades got what they deserved.

And so too did County who impressed Kendall by their attitude as well as actions in an overwhelming victory which belied the gap between the teams in the Football League. Kendall feels that Rovers will have to be on their guard tonight against a team capable of causing another upset, especially with loan star Brett Angell on fire at the moment.

Angell has scored eight goals in the last eight games, as Stockport have soared up the Second Division table, from 23rd early in the campaign to the top 10.

The striker is well known to Rovers boss Ray Harford, for the damage he inflicted in a 3-0 battering by Southend back in November 1991, the early days of the Kenny Dalglish-Harford reign which was, eventually, to lead to the championship.

And Kendall, who took Angell to Goodison Park on loan but left it to Mike Walker to return to Southend and sign him some time later, admitted: "He can be a big handful.

"Stockport have strength and size in good areas. But they also have players who can play, such as Chris Marsden.

"The full backs are very lively.

"They took us by surprise in the first game at Stockport and we were very fortunate to get away with a 2-1 defeat. Alan Kelly was magnificent in goal for us. "But we didn't learn our lessons for the second leg when everything they hit seemed to go into the net. They caught us cold which was totally unprofessional on our part.

"But they had also done their homework."

Not only had Stockport prepared themselves well, they put the theory into practice against a Blades team which had no answer to them in either game.

Now they will be looking for an even bigger scalp in the shape of Rovers and sensing - with the present home record - that they have a good chance of emulating their best efforts in this particular competition, by reaching round four.

Kendall has a final warning for his former club.

"They must be professional and not get caught as we did, if they are going to win," he said.

"And they must be on their toes at set pieces."

Although County are almost certainly going to be without fans' favourite Alun Armstrong, Angell has taken over the scoring mantle in great style from his fellow striker.

During a sequence of just one defeat - at Turf Moor! - in 10 matches, Angell has started to cause manager David Jones something of a quandary.

Likely to line up alongside veteran striker Andy Mutcvh, Angell is in the third month of a loan spell to Stockport from Sunderland.

He is thought to be on offer for around £200,000 but that's £50,000 more than the Edgeley Park club's record buy.

The cash might be hard - maybe impossible - to find.

Unless, of course, County enjoy a lucrative Coca-Cola Cup run.

And Rovers must make sure that doesn't happen at their expense.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.