Avocado for breakfast, taking your nephew on the pitch, and sore nipples… it’s Tranmere away!
Plus! 22 photos from Gillingham on a Tuesday night
Wednesday 21 February 2024
NEXT HOME GAME: Swindon – Saturday 24 February, 3pm
NEXT AWAY GAME: Colchester – Saturday 2 March, 3pm
If you’d like to write an article for The Scarf My Father Wore, share a few snippets or photos, or advertise your business, please email thescarfmyfatherwore@substack.com.
Dear County fans, Stopfordians, Tranmere supporters, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Wednesday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.
This little bit of waffle from me at the top of the page is usually the final thing I write each day, which is also the case for today’s edition. Cashy the groundsman dropped me off in Stockport this afternoon, and I’ve spent the last couple of hours in Bask doing a bit of work. If you don’t believe me, here I am!
We’ll take a look at the Gillingham game tomorrow, but today it’s Tranmere away, as Damon Carroll, Des Junior and Liam Cash share three tales from Birkenhead.
Today’s edition is sponsored by Colourtone. As always, a big thank you to Paul.
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: 97.67 miles
Total steps so far: 160,432
Total raised so far: £1,561
Total completed streets so far: 156 (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
🎶 “We go to all the away matches, by bus, by train, by car….. And we get so pissed before the game, we don’t know where we are!” 🎶
A lyric from a classic County song gave Des Junior a little bit of inspiration for this regular feature – why have one away day review when you can have three! So when County are playing away from home (well, unless it’s like Plymouth on a Tuesday night), The Scarf My Father Wore will be sending three intrepid reporters out into the unknown to share their tales from motorways and train stations across the country.
Damon Carroll was on Crofter Coaches for the trip to Birkenhead, Des Junior enjoyed a lie-in, living in Chester, and Liam Cash took his nephew in the car to his old stomping ground.
⏰ Up
Damon: Too early.
Des: Can’t actually remember. After having to set pretty early alarm clocks for Doncaster and Grimsby, it was nice to not have to do that and just wake up naturally. Tranmere’s almost a home game for me at the moment in Chester, just a short hop on the Merseyrail.
Liam: 7.30am. Up early watching Tom & Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory downstairs with my two-year-old.
🍳 Breakfast
Damon: Avocado, bacon and poached eggs on toast from Annie's on Edgeley. Brilliant food done with passion. Seriously, try the place out.
Des: Beans on toast.
Liam: Three Weetabix with lashings of sugar, washed down with a coffee.
⬅️ Before
Damon: Ironed my gear and played with my dog (not like that) before catching the bus into Stockport. Walked to the Crofter and waited for the coach.
Des: Finished off Saturday’s edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.
Liam: Tom & Jerry turned into Paw Patrol, which then turned into my cue to jump in the shower.
👕 Clobber
Damon: Clothes. (Although I am known for wearing very little.)
Des: Usual shite.
Liam: Jeans, jumper and a coat.
🛫 Outbound
Damon: A positive journey. I’m always confident County can get a result regardless of what happened the game before.
Des: Merseyrail from Chester to Liverpool Central. Only takes about 40 minutes, it’s a very good service (unlike the majority of rail operators in this country).
Liam: My nephew Jacob got dropped off at my house and then it was a familiar drive to Birkenhead for me having worked at Tranmere for 18 months or so.
🍺 Pre-match
Damon: We went to a pub about 15 minutes from the ground. Really decent place, and they welcomed us with open arms. Upstairs they had a Glasgow Rangers lounge which was mint.
Des: Met some of the Stockport Sippers Society in The Central, a proper Scouse boozer right opposite Liverpool Central train station. Then back on the Merseyrail to Birkenhead Central as I wanted to get to Prenton Park a little bit earlier to take some photos. All week I’d been desperate to capture an image of some horse shit outside Tranmere’s home end.
Liam: Arrived at 12pm. It was nice meeting up with some former colleagues, as well as having a walk on the pitch with Jacob, who wants to be a groundsman when he’s older. Afterwards, I had a pint in The Mersey Clipper with another old mate from Tranmere.
🏙 Destination
Damon: Didn’t really see much of the place. The ground’s better than most in League Two. Like County, they should be in a higher division.
Des: Birkenhead doesn’t seem as bad as a lot of people make out. Is that a nice enough review for TripAdvisor?
Liam: I’ve never really had a proper look round Birkenhead as I’ve always driven straight to the ground and back.
🏟 Visitors
Damon: Away end’s pretty decent.
Des: I love the Cowshed at Tranmere. You’re right on top of the action and it carries the noise well. Over 2,000 County cows in the shed, but nothing to moo about as the team produced an udderly terrible display.
Liam: It’s a great away end – one of the main attractions for doing Tranmere away.
1️⃣ First
Damon: Watched the game and digested the performance. I was annoyed with a few fans slating players, especially as we were only a goal down at half-time.
Des: Surprised I didn’t vomit after witnessing our defending for their first goal.
Liam: Missed their goal when I went for a wee, but heard that horrible noise of home fans celebrating when you’re in the toilets.
🍿 Interval
Damon: Went for a piss.
Des: Took a photo of Simon Dawson. That was another of my must-have snaps, after the horse shit.
Liam: Checked the scores.
2️⃣ Second
Damon: It wasn’t what I did; it was the fact I was in shock.
Des: Truly believed the game was far from over at 1-0. HA HA HA HA HA!
Liam: Stood and watched quietly.
🔵 Us
Damon: To begin with it was decent, but the atmosphere died a touch as the goals started flying in, which is to be expected.
Des: Fantastic noise, fantastic numbers, but a real shame to hear a few tossers giving Connor Jennings a load of shit. He’s a lovely lad who fought back from cancer to win the National League with us.
Liam: A great following, loud as always.
⚪️ Them
Damon: Not really arsed about the Tranmere fans. We beat them at home, they beat us at their place.
Des: Quiet first half if I’m honest. Loud and excitable in the second half, not surprising when we laid out the red carpet for them to walk the ball into the net.
Liam: A good bunch. Tranmere’s a proper club.
🍻 Post-match
Damon: Got straight back on the coach. And just to top the day off, it was raining.
Des: Went to The King John in Liverpool. Gaz Eccleston was up dancing, and then came up from behind me and squeezed my nipples extremely hard. They were still hurting when I had a shower the following day.
Liam: Left a few minutes before the end. Straight to the car.
🛬 Inbound
Damon: Quick.
Des: Another Merseyrail back to Chester. Nice and easy.
Liam: TalkSport on the radio. Quick journey home.
➡️ After
Damon: A relaxing Saturday night at home, much needed after watching that capitulation.
Des: Wasn’t in the mood to do owt else. Straight home for some telly.
Liam: Netflix and a takeaway.
🛏 Bed
Damon: About 11.
Des: About 11. (Just to confirm, I wasn’t having a threesome with Damon and Liam.)
Liam: About 11.
💷 Cost
Damon: Probably about £60 all in.
Des: Cheap one for me. Ticket was only a bit over £20 wasn’t it. £5.95 for an all day ticket on the Merseyrail. £3 for a Tranmere fanzine. Probably not much over £30 with a couple of orange juices.
Liam: £40-£50.
🏅 Rating
Damon: Before 3pm, 10/10. After 3pm, 2/10. A couple of points for the fact we stayed top of the league despite the defeat.
Des: Decent day, horrendous game. Down the middle. 5/10.
Liam: 6/10. Would have been 2/10 but it was nice to take Jacob on the pitch, and it’s always good catching up with the Tranmere lot.
So there you have it folks, three tales from Tranmere away, and it’s a victory for… THE CAR!
Are you going to Colchester next weekend? If you’d be happy to answer a few questions about your away day, please email thescarfmyfatherwore@substack.com.
Give your car a lick of paint
Granted, Stockport used to be a little rough around the edges. But the town’s getting a good old lick of paint these days, with fancy new offices, apartments, bars and restaurants springing up. You can’t be driving up and down the A6 in a tatty car with chipped paintwork, so give your car a nice lick of paint too. Colourtone is your go-to company for that. They’ve been servicing the automotive and industrial markets in Cheshire and Greater Manchester for decades, and carry an extensive range of car paint and industrial paints.
Visit colourtone.com for further details.
Gillingham on a Tuesday night!
Photo of the day
The back of Stockport station
Stockport Council begin work on a brand new walkway for pedestrians, linking the town with Australia.
Bits and bobs
📧 An email from Grimsby fan Phillip Rix: “I just wanted to get in touch to highlight the fantastic County fans who stopped in Brigg on the way to the match at Grimsby. We met a number of County fans, and to a person they were friendly, knowledgeable and up for a laugh. We had a couple of pints and a good chat about our respective obsession with our clubs. So much mutual respect and “Simon” was like a “brother from another mother”. Just a shame Town gave you a 3-0 headstart and didn't show up! Good luck for the rest of the season; you deserve to be promoted.”
Today in SK
🍺 Food and drink
The Nelson Tavern (SK1) have a great range of offers throughout the week, including £4.50 for drinks off the Doubles Bar, a comprehensive range of shots for £2, and 3 for £6 on Jägerbombs. Open till 11pm.
Enjoy a delicious meal at The Dog & Partridge (SK2). You’ll also receive 20% off your bill. Just mention the discount at the till when paying!
❓ Quiz night
Flying Coach (SK7). 9pm. (Chicken wings available for just 25p before the quiz!)
Bunch of fives
5️⃣ lorries we drove past on the way home from Gillingham this afternoon
1) Nuttall
2) Dale Brothers
3) Parcel Force
4) Dreams
5) Eddie Stobart
5️⃣ things County didn’t do in Gillingham last night
1) Win
2) Lose
3) Score
4) Concede
5) Wear a blue kit
5️⃣ sizes of paper
1) A1
2) A2
3) A3
4) A4
5) A5
Random County fan of the day #52 – Rebecca Fitzpatrick!
One final thing before you go… if you’re looking for a birthday present this month, how about a painting, or a cake, or a bottle of gin, or anything else from our fantastic sponsors!
🎨 Art & Gifts: Kate O’Brien Art
💈 Barber: STUDIO26 Haircare
🪟 Blinds & Shutters: Bauhaus Blinds & Shutters
📚 Bookkeeping: Eleven Accounts Services Ltd
🍰 Cake Maker: Claire Green Bespoke Cakes and Catering
🧽 Car Valeting: Rub A Dubz Detailing Ltd
🧼 Carpet Cleaning: Pro Clean Carpet Services
🏠 Carpets & Flooring: Kingsway Carpets & Rugs Ltd
🐈⬛ Cat Sitting: The Crazy Cat Ladies Cheshire
📓 Celebrant: Elliot Dodd – Independent Celebrant
👶 Child Health: The Sleep Nanny
🤹♀️ Children’s Entertainment: Stockport Hero Hire
🧹 Cleaning: Beespoke Cleaning
🚙 Coatings: Colourtone Ltd
🦮 Dog Training: Paws High Peak Dog Training
🚘 Driving School: CFN School of Motoring
💷 Financial Services: The Mortgage Mill
🔥 Fire Protection: Radial Fire And Security Limited
🍸 Gin: Hatters Gin
🛁 Grout Refresh & Recolour: GroutGleam Stockport
💇♀️ Hairdressing: C West Hairstylist
🛠 Home Improvements: Menzies Develop & Build
💻 IT Services: Bridge Computer Services
🪚 Joinery: SAW Contracts Ltd
👨🍳 Kitchen Appliances: SW Appliances
🔑 Locksmith: APL Locksmiths Ltd
🚐 Minibus Hire: Westfield Minibuses
🧤 Oven Cleaning: That Oven Girl
🖌 Painter & Decorator: BGM Decorators
🧱 Plasterer: Tate Plastering Services
🚰 Plumber: GTG Gary the Gasman
📕 Publishing: Victor Publishing
🛖 Roofing: ADM Roofing Services Ltd
☀️ Solar Panels: Malbern Solar Ltd
⚽️ Sports Coaching: UK Sports Coaching Ltd
🖊 Tattooist: Heatons Tattoo Club
🪵 Timber Supplies: Portwood Timber Division of Illingworth Ingham (Manchester) Ltd
☀️ Travel Agent: PTF Travel Ltd
👨💻 Web Design: SITEZO
⚖️ Weight Loss: Slimming World Reddish & Bredbury with Shlean
🪟 Window Cleaner: R ‘N’ B Window Cleaning
🏋️♀️ Women’s Fitness: Sophie Pavey Fitness
🧘♀️ Yoga: Greenshoots Yoga