Birmingham v County

Plus! Fredrik Bryngelsson is the latest former Hatter to answer our festive questions

Dec 04, 2024

Wednesday 4 December 2024

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, Birmingham 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.

Ian Brown and Nick Lee join us today ahead of the big game at St Andrew’s later on, as does former County player Fredrik Bryngelsson, who’s hiding behind window number four on The County Advent Calendar.

Today’s edition is sponsored by SAW Contracts Ltd. A big thank you to Steve.

Thanks also to Two Fat Blokes who sponsor our Birmingham City content on the website.

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: 176.31 miles

Total steps so far: 284,130

Total raised so far: £2,027

Total completed streets so far: 399 (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

Des Junior loves writing about County. But he can never be arsed doing match previews. They’re a bit dull, aren’t they? Will Collar’s out for a month with diarrhoea… blah blah blah…tomorrow’s referee has handed out more cards than Moonpig…blah blah blah…County haven’t won at Birmingham for a thousand years.

Fortunately, he has a number of fellow County content creators to call upon. Here’s their thoughts, general chit-chat and score predictions, as County head to Birmingham for the first time since August 2001.

Ian Brown, All Things Stockport County

Birmingham 1 County 2

Fraser Horsfall’s suspended tonight. Would you slot Hughes or Touray into that back three?

The temptation is obvious. Touray had a good game against Brackley and that tackle to stop Connor Hall in his tracks when clean through on goal was a match saver deserving of every bit of post-match praise it received.

But we remember playing Ibby at centre-back previously, don’t we? It did not go well, so if we play Ibby at all it’s as wing-back in my view – where he is most effective!

For me it’s important that we stick to three at the back, all of whom are genuine centre-backs, and playing Sam Hughes between Callum Connolly and Ethan Pye meets this requirement, offering the least risk.

I’m not looking forward to tonight’s game, still burdened with memories of past excesses by stewards inside St Andrew’s, and wholesale robberies on the park as referees in general, along with their linesmen (they were still called that way back when!), lost the plot to County’s cost.

That said, in the very slightly paraphrased words of the Andrew Lloyd Webber / Glenn Slater song, I expect County to “Stick it to Them”!

➡️ Ian follows County home and away, producing detailed match reports every week, along with lots of other great content. Head over to hedgegrower.blogspot.com.

Nick Lee, SK3 TV

Birmingham 0 County 0

Palace away in the cup. Happy with that?

I'm a bit “meh” about it to be honest. It's a ground I've been to and hated, so I'm not in a rush to go again, particularly right after Christmas. That said, I can see why people will be buzzing with it. We've got a lot of younger fans whose County journey will have started in National League North so I'm buzzing for them getting to go to a top-flight ground. It's eminently winnable as well; they'll be squarely focused on survival so you'd expect a heavy amount of rotation. Stranger things have happened.

➡️ Nick’s one of the co-hosts of SK3 TV, a new podcast for the 2024-25 season, with live episodes every Monday at 8pm. Click here for links.

Tonight’s other prediction

The Scarf Bergara Wore: Birmingham 2 County 2

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➡️ Visit sawcontractsltd.co.uk for further details.

A cracking gift idea for Birmingham and County fans this Christmas!

If you’re looking for a special gift for the Birmingham or County fan in your life this Christmas, how about one of these classic road signs from Two Fat Blokes.

The 50cm x 11cm road signs are made of 3mm metal composite, printed in high resolution directly onto the face for indoor and outdoor use.

You can also personalise the signs by replacing the road name, post code and chant with your choice of text.

There’s lots of other teams featured on the website too, from City and United to Liverpool and Everton.

➡️ Click here to purchase the Birmingham road sign.

➡️ Click here to purchase the County road sign.

The County Advent Calendar: Day 4 – Fredrik Bryngelsson

Fredrik Bryngelsson was one of County’s Scandinavian signings at the turn of the century. Signed by Andy Kilner, he made his debut in the 3-1 win at Gillingham on the opening day of the 2000-01 season.

First of all, Mr Bryngelsson, I’ve got a special hotline to Father Christmas. He’s asked me if you’ve been naughty or nice this year?

I’ve tried my best to be nice this year. I hope the big man agrees!

What was the best thing about being a footballer at Christmas?

The festive atmosphere in the stadiums, fans in high spirits, and it just feels special.

And the worst?

Missing out on some family time due to matches and training.

What does a typical Christmas Day look like in your house?

A relaxed morning, big lunch with family, then maybe a Christmas film in the evening.

What’s your favourite Christmas film?

Home Alone. A classic I never get tired of.

What would be the best Christmas present underneath the tree for you this year?

Something thoughtful, maybe a surprise I didn’t even know I wanted.

County have got Huddersfield away, Rotherham away and Birmingham at home over the festive period. How many points are we getting?

Let’s be optimistic – seven points from those three.

Where do you get your Christmas tree from?

Always a real one, usually from a local farm or market.

What’s your best Christmas cracker joke?

Why was the turkey at the Christmas party?

Because it was stuffed.

Are you organised when it comes to Christmas shopping or are you a Christmas Eve petrol station sort of guy?

I aim to be organised, but sometimes it’s a last-minute dash!

Photo of the day

Here’s a photograph from the same year as County’s last win at Birmingham.

A mere 110 years ago.

Today in SK

🎬 Cinema

Two films at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) today. Small Things Like These (12A) at 2.30pm, followed by The Outrun (15) at 5.45pm.

➡️ Click here for tickets.

🍹 Food and drink

Happy Hour at Covent Garden Café (SK1) between 1.30pm and 2.30pm. If you spend £20 or more you get to roll the dice, and if you roll a 6 your bill is half price!

The Nelson Tavern (SK1) have a great range of offers throughout the week, including £5.50 for drinks off the Doubles Bar, a comprehensive range of shots for £1.50, and 3 for £7 on Jägerbombs.

Enjoy a coffee and a cake for only £6 at The Dog & Partridge (SK2). 12pm - 4pm.

Pop in for a pint at Heaton Hops (SK4), CAMRA Pub of the Year for Stockport and South Manchester.

Bitter £2.30 a pint all day at The Cross Keys (SK8).

Cocktails are 2 for £12 at Flute & Firkin (SK12) from 3pm till 7pm.

A number of venues are featured on The Scarf My Father Wore such as AMP (SK1), The Crown (SK2), The Alexandra (SK3), The Crown Inn (SK6), The Steelworks (SK6), The Three Tunnes (SK7) and The Ram’s Head (SK12). Support them this festive season by popping in for a few drinks.

Random photos of County players at other clubs

#63 – Gary McSheffrey, Birmingham

Gary McSheffrey only made five appearances for County, but he did score at Burnley, so he should really be in our Hall of Fame somewhere. The Coventry City man was on loan at Edgeley Park halfway through our 2001-02 relegation season. He later moved to Birmingham in a £4m deal, twice winning promotion to the Premier League with the Blues.