In football, as in life, a person’s early 20s are a time for learning.
Nathan Lowe has been doing a lot of that since the start of last season – not least due to the fact the 20-year-old is in his second year of a Business Management degree, with the help of the PFA’s Business School. More on that later.
Though he made his debut for Stoke at 17 and started to make inroads to the first team under Alex Neil and Steven Schumacher in 2023/24, last term he went on loan to Walsall and, in 30 appearances in all competitions, scored 18 goals and provided seven assists.
He was absolutely flying – until Stoke recalled him on January 12. Throughout the second half of the campaign, he played five times from the start, five times from the bench and scored once. It was a frustrating end.
Nathan Lowe scored 18 goals in 30 games during a loan spell at Walsall across the first half of 2024/25
But he was recalled on January 12, and scored just once in 10 appearances back at Stoke
Stoke and manager Mark Robins were in agreement that Lowe should head out on loan again this summer, which led to him heading an hour up the road to Stockport. “We’ve secured one of the most sought-after signatures for League One clubs,” said County boss Dave Challinor at the time.
There has been plenty of learning at Edgeley Park since then, too.
He has seven goals and one assist in 19 appearances in all competitions, but had to wait until October before he started in two successive Sky Bet League One matches.
“Overall, development-wise, I’ve had a different side of it to last season, where I’ve had to be patient and bide my time,” he tells Sky Sports.
The 20-year-old has scored seven goals for Stockport so far this term
“The team is doing well and that’s great, but it’s difficult when you’re not in the team. You see your team-mates performing well and think ‘I can perform at that level, too’, but you’ve got to wait for your opportunity and grab it with both hands. Luckily for me, it didn’t come too late in the season,
“We’ve got such competition – especially in the area I’m playing, which is not really my natural position – so I’m learning my trade as I go along and I’ve got to make sure I bring my A-game to every game to make sure I play as many games as possible – if you’re not on the pitch, you can’t score.”
Though an out-and-out centre-forward by nature – and thus given the No 9 shirt in the summer – Lowe has often been deployed deeper, behind striker Kyle Wootton.
But instead of kicking up a fuss, Lowe has shown maturity and level-headedness, and used it to his advantage.
“We’ve been playing a 3-4-3, and I’ve played more off the side, normally off the right, but off the left as well. Kyle has started the season really well and is so vital to what we do, so I had to come to terms with the fact that the best chance of me getting into the team was in that deeper role.
“I spoke to the coaches and said ‘How can I get better at this role? Would you consider me for this role?’ It had to come from me pushing it because I don’t think they thought I’d actually want to do it, but I don’t really care where I play, I just want to play.
“I’ve worked on it in training, with different movements, but it’s not too dissimilar to what I did last season, playing off a bigger target man and running behind or dropping into spaces.
“Facing the adversity of not being in the team and having to push for it and adapt, yes, in the long run, probably will help me. Will I be a wide forward for most of my career? Who knows? However, any experience is valuable.
“I’m still definitely a centre-forward and, in Vertu Trophy games on Tuesdays, where I do get to play my natural position, I’m still working on those movements that are going to be the most prevalent for me in the future.
“It’s still a good development point to learn a new position, just in case for the future. It adds another string to my bow. People would think, 6ft 4ins centre-forward, you’re not going to put him on the wing, but I’ve proved I can do it.”
Challinor – speaking to Sky Sports after winning the Sky Bet League One Manager of the Month award for October – has been impressed by his willingness to learn and promises there is a lot more to come.
“Nathan is still a really young striker who is finding his way in a really difficult division,” he says.
“There’s loads more growth to come from him in terms of his physical attributes and him growing into his body and becoming a more rounded striker.
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Stockport manager Dave Challinor discusses working with on-loan Stoke striker Nathan Lowe.
“At the moment, with his size, you think he would be a target man type; he’s not that yet, but he will undoubtedly add that to his game when he becomes more mature within his body.
“What he does have is a really good habit of getting himself opportunities to score and being able to finish.
“He’s really demanding of himself. Probably an over-thinker at times. He’s ridiculously willing to learn and willing to improve himself – and he will go above and beyond to make sure he’s on the pitch.”
Aside from necessary adaptation, Lowe – who has worked with sports psychologist David Galbraith – knows the value of switching off from football, too.
“The best way I can put it is, if I was going to go and work a corporate job, I wouldn’t necessarily always enjoy everything I was doing. Everyone wants to play, but you can only pick 11 players.
“For me, the biggest focus was on my own happiness and taking my mind off football when I’m not in it.”
While he is also a self-proclaimed “fair-weather golfer” in his spare time, that is where the Business Management degree comes in.
“That’s really good for keeping my mind off it. It keeps me grounded and, if football doesn’t work out, I’ve always got something else to go to.
“It catches you if you fall; if I’ve had a hard day, I can work on an assignment or re-watch a lecture. It makes me feel more normal, is probably the best way to describe it.”
Thursday 20th November 7:30pm
Kick off 8:00pm
Ahead of Stockport’s trip to Peterborough on Thursday night, which is live on Sky Sports Football and Main Event, Lowe is hoping for a fifth league start in a row.
But that is a minor aim – he wants so much more from this season.
“I’ve got a lot of catching up to do, if I’m honest. In my head, I started my season in late October. I hadn’t really started a game until then. It’s like ‘The Chase’, when you’ve got to make your way down and not get caught!
“I want to be the top scorer in the division and I think I can catch up provided I keep playing. It’s about making sure I’m fit and available.
“You have to have those goals, otherwise you float through life without really testing yourself. It might be ambitious as I’ve played fewer games than the other people up there, but that’s where I want to be.”
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Highlights of the Sky Bet League One match between Port Vale and Stockport County.
Contact with Stoke has been frequent across the last two loans. “I’ve been in and had reviews and they give me all the supplements I need, so I feel very looked after. You feel like you’re not out of sight, out of mind,” he adds.
Lowe is under contract at the bet365 Stadium until the summer of 2028 and says the “best-case scenario” would be returning next summer and being charged with spearheading the attack for the club he has been on the books of since the age of 10.
He is not allowing himself to think about that possibility too much right now, though.
“I’m following Stoke’s season with great interest because it affects my livelihood. I’m not from Stoke, but when you’ve been there since you were 10, you grow a fondness for the club. I’m very happy to see them performing the best I’ve seen in the time I can remember.
Lowe turned 20 in September
“Ultimately, I’m not thinking too far ahead. I’m thinking about this season and giving myself the best possible resume at the age of 20.
“I’ll be turning 21 next September, so by that point, if Stoke feel like I’m ready to lead the line, that’s brilliant and the best-case scenario, but we’ll have to assess that.
“It feels in the distance. There’s no point worrying about it now. I’ve got to focus on the here and now and getting myself to there.”
Watch Peterborough vs Stockport live on Sky Sports Football and Main Event from 7.30pm on Thursday; kick-off 8pm.