A great big HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY to The Scarf My Father Wore family!
Thank you to everyone who makes the website possible, as we celebrate our first birthday today
Monday 6 November 2023
NEXT HOME GAME: Bolton – Tuesday 14 November, 7.30pm
NEXT AWAY GAME: Swindon – Saturday 11 November, 3pm
🎶 Happy birthday to us, happy birthday to us, happy birthday to usssss, happy birthday to us! 🎶
Dear County fans, Stopfordians, and any gatecrashers who’ve managed to sneak in past the bouncers, grab a cocktail sausage and pop on your party hat as The Scarf My Father Wore turns one year old today!
Stick a drop of brandy in your morning coffee, and whack a candle in that vanilla slice from Greggs on your lunch hour, as we celebrate a whole year of (hopefully) insightful and entertaining County content landing in your inbox, as well as other bits and bobs on football and the town of Stockport.
The first ever article was published on 6 November 2022 – a match report which chronicled County winning by four goals at home in the first round of the FA Cup. That’s a bit spooky, innit? And the opponents on that particular afternoon were Swindon Town, who County face next on Saturday.
Before you get too excited and tell your boss you’re not coming in today, this isn’t going to be a swanky celebrity party with cocktails and canapés. With hindsight, it would have actually been nice to have a get-together at somewhere like Bask or Notion (maybe we can do that next year) but I’ve only just realised – literally within the last hour or so – that we’d reached our one-year anniversary whilst looking back at that Swindon article ahead of our trip to Wiltshire this weekend. So this party is only going to be along the lines of a pint and a packet of pork scratchings in The Pineapple (P3) I’m afraid, but I hope you still have a nice time nonetheless. (And make it out alive.)
Like a crappy husband who’s forgotten his anniversary, I haven’t actually prepared anything. In this case, the equivalent of rushing to the petrol station for a hastily-bought bunch of flowers and a box of Milk Tray is your editor clicking on The Scarf My Father Wore dashboard, and bringing you a countdown of the 10 most-viewed articles we’ve published during this first year. There’s a paragraph from each one, and you can click on the title for the full article. That’ll do I reckon, and I’ll fill Bask or Notion with hookers and cocaine for our second birthday celebrations this time next year. Wayne Rooney and Robbie Fowler have already confirmed their attendance.
On a serious note, a huge thank you to all of our advertisers, writers, subscribers and readers. Together, we’ve built a nice community on this platform, and I’d like to think we’ve published some fantastic content over the last 12 months. Here’s to The Scarf My Father Wore getting even bigger and better over the next year, by which point we’ll be in the third tier if we maintain our current form…
Today’s birthday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore is sponsored by Radial Fire and Security. A big thank you to Dan. See below for further details.
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: £915
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
10: An away end from 1989, breakfast overlooking Morecambe Bay, and County fans smashing bottles in a car park… it’s Barrow away!
Wednesday 1 March 2023
Dave Thompson, Zak Rothwell-Holland and Jon Waterman
“The journey was fine. I picked up my fellow Sipper Stuart in Stockport and we set off for Lancaster, where we had a lovely full English breakfast in a café in Williamson Park overlooking Morecambe Bay. It was then on to Barrow via the M6 and A590 without any delays, even passing County’s team coach in Newby Bridge. After parking the car in the centre of Barrow we met up with a friend who lives there, who took us to a couple of pubs (Spoons and Derby Inn) for pre-game drinks which were nice and cheap.”
9: A Subway breakfast in a toy car, expensive pints in London, and directions from Arnold Schwarzenegger… it’s AFC Wimbledon away!
Thursday 2 February 2023
Harry Bruckshaw, John Edgerton and Stuart MacKinkay
“Great journey. No hold-ups, but four and a half hours of driving which is a long time. Planned the route using a brilliant app called Waze, with Arnold Schwarzenegger giving us directions.”
8: The Streets of Stockport - Day 1
Sunday 22 October 2023
Des Hinks Junior
“Thankfully, there’s no more near-misses as I carry on down the A6 towards Stockport. It’s turning into a beautiful day as well. Storm Babet is making headlines in the news, and I am indeed wearing a coat at the start of the walk, but it’s off and into my bag by the time I make my descent into the town centre. When I arrive, I’m greeted by a billboard advertising ‘Food, Poo And You’. And just a few steps further up the hill, with impeccable comedy timing, someone’s written ‘I Shit Myself’ on a lamppost. I mean, that’s probably just a coincidence, with the author likely to be a teenage scally, but I do like to imagine a comic genius leaving mischievous graffiti across the town – who’s probably called Wanksy if he’s from Stockport.”
7: “The 1.30pm kick-off doesn’t help, but I think we will still be looking at pushing 20,000”
Tuesday 23 May 2023
Lewis Ridley
“We’re heading down on Saturday, so we’ll be up and about early doors and making our way to The Green Man. It should be a really good atmosphere with two brilliant sets of supporters who have a fair amount of respect for each other; I really can’t wait to get amongst it.”
6: AFC Wimbledon 1 County 0
Sunday 29 January 2023
Ray Armfield and Jamie Summers
“Shithouse team that got themselves a scruffy victory. I’m not just being bitter, because we can’t complain at them getting the win. They didn’t have a lot of technical ability about them, but they were physical, didn’t ever let the game flow with scrappy fouls and dark arts, and generally did a job on us. We didn’t wise up to them playing the margins and that let them keep control, especially in the second half. Not a fun side to play against, but they did what they do well. Fair’s fair.”
5: It’s sunny in Wrexham once again
Thursday 4 May 2023
Des Hinks Junior
“Another club very much on the up is Wrexham, finally ending their 15 years in the non-league wilderness, despite another County coming almighty close to making them cry again. I wasn’t going to talk about Wrexham today, but armed police have just burst through my front door, pinned me to the ground, and have informed me in no uncertain terms that in 2023 it’s actually illegal to publish any form of article on the internet without mentioning Ryan Reynolds or Rob McElhenney. So I’m going to do as I’m told.”
4: Letter from America
Friday 24 February 2023
Britton Barthold
“The County community on social media and other platforms welcomed me with open arms. Matchday, with kick-off usually taking place around 9am in America for me, was a special occasion in my weekly schedule. County results had an effect on my day and mood, setting the tone for the rest of the hours I was awake. The shots of Edgeley Park, the passionate commentary of Jon Keighren on the broadcasts and the eruption of the crowd in the Cheadle End… my goodness, it made me realise what was so beautiful about the beautiful game.”
3: “The away end is functional and basic and you’ll have an unobstructed view that includes an imposing brick wall which reminds many of 1950s Eastern Europe”
Ray Armfield
Thursday 26 January 2023
“Attendances at Plough Lane shot up 74% last season despite relegation and a 26-game winless run and we are averaging over 7,500. We’ve had several 8,000 crowds and while Saturday may not quite be a record – as we’ve slightly reduced the capacity of the away end – it won’t be far off a full house. Great ain’t it?! And if being hemmed in by 600 apartments has one plus, it’s that it tends to hold in the noise.”
2: The race for League One
Friday 28 April 2023
Mat Roper, Brendan Walsh, Darren Jones, Mike Wilson, Lewis Ridley, Lewis Marsh, Mike Harrison and Craig Priest
“Fourth seems about right, if a bit flattering. We've dropped some points where a form team would have expected wins. Challinor seems to have struggled to find the right combination.”
1: Whoa, we’re halfway there
Saturday 21 January 2023
Loads of bloggers, vloggers and podcasters from across League Two
“Des Junior’s expert opinion: I said we’d win the league after winning at Altrincham last January (I have witnesses). This January, after beating Northampton, I’m saying we’ll finish 3rd. As things stand, that would mean trips to Huddersfield, Blackpool and Wigan next season. Ooo, I’m moist already…”
Get in touch with Radial Fire and Security
As you know, we like to have a laugh and a joke at The Scarf My Father Wore, but something like fire protection is a serious matter, so we’ll get straight down to business. Radial Fire and Security are a leading commercial fire safety company with over 20 years’ experience, operating throughout the UK, specialising in the supply and service of a variety of different ranges of fire protection equipment. If you’re looking for cover, or simply to obtain some further information, give Dan a call today.
Visit radialfire.co.uk for further details.
Photo of the day
The Recreation Ground, Aldershot
County’s trip to Aldershot next month will be the first time we’ve ever faced the Shots in a cup competition. Our last visit was during the National League title-winning season, with goals from Ollie Crankshaw and Will Collar securing a 2-0 victory in front of the BT Sport cameras.
Today in SK
🍔 Food and drink
Lunch deal at The Dog & Partridge (SK2). One course for £7 or two courses for £11. 12pm till 2pm.
Med Monday at TRUNK (SK7) between 12pm and 9pm. Enjoy three tapas dishes for £15. T&Cs apply. Call 0161 222 9260 to book a table, and mention “The Scarf My Father Wore” to receive a 15% discount off the normal tapas menu.
🎤 Live music
Acoustica at Bask (SK1). Free entry.
❓Quiz night
The George & Dragon (SK7). 7.30pm.
The Scarf My Father Wore works closely with venues on a daily basis to bring you the most comprehensive guide to all of the best offers and events taking place across the whole SK region. Click on the links below for full details of everything taking place in your area over the next few weeks.
SK1 / SK2 / SK3 / SK4 / SK5 / SK6 / SK7 / SK8 / SK9 / SK10 / SK11 / SK12 / SK13 / SK14 / SK15 / SK16 / SK17 / SK22 / SK23
We’ve got everything from Art & Gifts to Yoga
We might not have found a psychic from Poynton or a dominatrix from Davenport just yet, but we’ve pretty much got you covered for all other products and services you might need across Cheshire and Greater Manchester. Just take a look at this little lot…
Art & Gifts - Builder - Carpets & Flooring - Chartered Accountants - Cleaning - Coach Hire - Coatings - Dog Walking - Financial Services - Fire Protection - Football Prints - Gardening - Glazier - Ironing - IT Services - Kitchen Appliances - Locksmith - Osteopath - Painter & Decorator - Party & Event Services - Personal Trainer - Physiotherapist - Plasterer - Plumber - Recruitment - Removals - Security Equipment - Shoe Repairs - Sports Coaching - Timber Supplies - Tutor - Vintage Clothing - Web Design - Window Cleaner - Women’s Fitness - Workwear - Yoga
On a serious note, our sponsors help us to keep The Scarf My Father Wore completely free of charge for everyone (rather than paying for a subscription, like most Substack websites) so if you do enjoy our daily offerings, please support them whenever you can. Make a mental note to yourself that whenever you need a cleaner, or a plumber, or a solicitor (or if you are looking for a dominatrix, send me a private message as I know a cracking lady in Heaton Moor…), check out our own directory before you head over to Google or Yell.com. Loads of the businesses we work with are County fans, and we’ve often got great offers for our readers as well.
Click here to have a look at all the businesses in our directory.
Happy Birthday to you Des and to all who've been part of 'The Scarf' these past 365 days! It's been an absolute blast and I am massively looking forward to another year in such fine company. In the meantime- I've already altered my Monday morning plans and will be off to the Spar shop at 11AM for a coffee and a jam slice. Hurrah!
All the best everyone, and thank you for making it possible for us all Des- Jonathan/GH