2023 in 53 photos
Plus! Barrow build-up, and County are off to Spain in the latest instalment of Des Junior’s review of the year
Tuesday 26 December 2023
NEXT HOME GAME: Mansfield – Monday 1 January, 3pm
NEXT AWAY GAME: Barrow – Today, 3pm
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2nd v 1st on Boxing Day. That’s got quite the ring to it, eh? Two teams beaten by non-league sides in the FA Cup this month, but in the league, two teams absolutely flying. Barrow have won seven games on the bounce in League Two, gearing up for a real crack at promotion under Pete “The Fist Pump” Wild.
County, meanwhile, would reach 52 points with victory in Cumbria today. Danny Bergara always said if you achieved that figure by February you were in with a shout of doing something, never mind Boxing Day. People may think County have had a slight wobble, but we’ve still lost just once in our last eighteen league games, at Newport. Ian Brown thinks we’ll win today. If we do, Notts County boss Luke Williams might have been spot on when he suggested just handing us the title now. (Don’t worry readers, I’m not in my back garden counting chickens just yet.)
Whatever happens this week, County will almost certainly finish the year top of League Two. (Worst case scenario, we’d be 3rd, level on points with Barrow and Wrexham, but even with defeats at Holker Street and Valley Parade, it’s unlikely that those two promotion rivals would make up 13 and 15 goals respectively.)
2023 has been another phenomenal year in the continued resurrection of this football club, with a play-off final at Wembley in May, and Dave Challinor’s team well on course for promotion this season, and maybe even a first Football League championship since 1967. I’ve become a bit of a photo geek this year, so today I thought I’d scroll through my phone and share some of my favourite images from the last 12 months.
I’ve also written something for you as well, with part seven of my Great Big Review of 2023. Only two words needed to get you in the mood for this one: “Eviva Espana!”
A massive thank you to Mike Wilson (a Hazel Grove Hatter now living in Australia) who signed up as a paid subscriber over Christmas. Mike thinks The Scarf My Father Wore “is always entertaining”. If you agree with him, please consider signing up as well. For the price of a pint each month, you can play a key part in making the website even bigger and better in 2024, and you’ll receive loads of subscriber perks as well.
Today’s edition is sponsored by The Crazy Cat Ladies Cheshire. I’m sure the majority of our readers are at home today (apart from those heading up to Barrow), but you’ll soon be back at work in January, and off on weekends away and holidays later in the year. If you need to leave your feline friends at home, you can be sure they’ll be well looked after. Just call 07478 697605 or email thecrazycatladiescheshire@gmail.com.
Finally, I’m currently walking every street in Stockport to raise money for mental health charity Mentell. If you’d like to make a donation to help me reach my target, please click here.
Total distance so far: 46.68 miles
Total steps so far: 83,302
Total raised so far: £1,037
Total completed streets so far: 24 (Click here for the full list, which includes reports and photos from every day of the walk.)
Further information on the walk can be found by clicking here.
Des Junior
A safe journey to all Hatters travelling to Barrow and Bradford this week, and here’s to 2024, which is already shaping up to be a rather exciting one!
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Barrow v County
Des Junior loves writing about County. But he can never be arsed doing match previews. They’re a bit dull, aren’t they? Paddy Madden’s out for two games with an ingrown toenail…blah blah blah…tomorrow’s referee has handed out more cards than Moonpig…blah blah blah…County haven’t won at Birmingham since 1672.
Fortunately, he has a number of fellow County content creators to call upon. Here’s their thoughts, general chit-chat and score predictions, ahead of today’s clash between the top two.
Ian Brown, hedgegrower
Barrow 0 County 1
Sorry to hear you missed the Notts County game due to your “snotty, sneezy thingy”. Firstly, how are you feeling? And secondly, you said you’re trying to get to Holker Street on a combination of whisky and paracetamol. Is a trip to Barrow-in-Furness in the middle of December a sensible idea if you’re feeling under the weather?!
Ah, my “snotty, sneezy thingy”. Thanks for your concern Des, but the tried and tested regime of whisky and paracetamol (suitably spaced out during the day) has put Barrow very much on!
Despite my incredibly advanced years and Barrow’s notoriously harsh microclimate – at this or any other time of the year – I’m looking to my Holker Street visit to be a morale booster and the highlight of the Christmas period.
Rather than being afeared looking at the Bluebirds’ form and current position in the league, I see County seeing them off with Callum Camps offering additional midfield solidity from the start hopefully.
I do not foresee a goal fest – 1-0 seems a likely outcome to me although I earnestly hope that that scoreline is not achieved by us parking the bus as I observed them doing at EP (via the streaming service) on Friday against Notts County.
Notwithstanding the above comments, I acknowledge that Friday’s was a fine win. But, if we invite teams to attack us for prolonged periods, sooner or later one of them will suss us out and snatch the points. It won’t be Barrow, though. I see Mansfield as the greater threat, but that’s for another day.
Photo of the day
Christmas in Wigan. Is it just me, or is that lad a little too excited with his Wigan gloves and boxers…
Today in SK
Bask (SK1) is the place to be if you’re looking to party tonight. You’ll only get in if you’re wearing fancy dress, though! 7.30pm - late. Tickets £5.
Des Junior’s Great Big Review of 2023: Part 7 – July
July started on a busy note for County’s secretary. Akil Wright put pen to paper on a two-year extension, Dave Challinor on a three-year extension, and Nick Powell on a 20-year million-pound-a-week deal. Or something like that.
The month also started with Hannah Brown (alongside her County travel buddy Clare Jeffs) jetting off to Spain on a Ryanair flight from Manchester. Hannah wrote a very popular ‘Postcards from Pinatar’ feature for us. To be honest, she tickled me before she even boarded the plane.
While Hannah covered all the important stuff off the pitch, such as beer in the local McDonald’s, Lincoln fans asleep in hotel corridors, and helping Mark Love apply his sun cream properly, Dave Thompson filed a match report for us.
“Hot,” was his first word.
We did get a little bit more out of Dave as well: “Always hard to judge performances in pre-season but we looked well set. A Lincoln fan afterwards said he thought we were the better team.” The game ended 1-1, Sarcevic on target for County.
Back in the UK the following weekend (in torrential rain, obviously), Edson Arantes do Nascimento made his first appearance for County at Altrincham. I still can’t believe I wrote that to describe Nick Powell; Darren Anderton might have been more accurate. To be fair, Powell did score at Moss Lane, along with Sarcevic, Camps and Evans in a 4-2 win.
“In the first half we looked a bit goal-shy and vulnerable on the break,” said John K Bilsbury. “Second half, we tore them a new orifice with our much improved pressing game.”
We said a fond farewell to Scott Quigley, leaving EP for Eastleigh, before a Tuesday night trip to Chester. Connor Evans and Paddy Madden were on target, along with an absolute belter from Sarcevic, which even Chester fans were applauding inside the Deva Stadium.
“That Sarcevic goal is up there as one of the best goals I’ve ever seen live,” said Dave Philbin. “The pass, the touch and finish were right from the top drawer.”
Four days later, Neil Warnock’s Huddersfield provided a much tougher test, comfortably winning 4-0 at Edgeley Park, in a game that was originally going to be played for 120 minutes, before everyone saw sense and reverted back to 90.
There were a few loan moves to report on, with Ethan Ross joining Alty, Jayden Richardson arriving from Aberdeen, and a certain Louie Barry heading up to SK3 from Villa, before County rounded off the month with two games in two days.
Blackburn won 1-0 at Edgeley Park on the Friday night, but Dave Challinor’s men beat Championship outfit Preston North End the following day. Will Collar and Ryan Rydel scored the goals in a 2-0 victory, as County celebrated their 140th anniversary. Here’s to the next 140 (which I believe is when Nick Powell’s contract expires…).
Des Junior’s Great Big Review of 2023
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