Blackpool 0 County 3

“We aren’t out of our depth at this level,” says Mozzer, and I’m sure the other 3,910 Hatters in the away end on Saturday would agree

Aug 20, 2024

Tuesday 20 August 2024

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Dear County fans, Stopfordians, Blackpool supporters, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Tuesday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.

Blackpool away was the first game of the season for Mozzer on Saturday. Not a bad one, eh! He’s provided a cracking write-up for us.

A big thank you to ASAP Clearances and Impact Pro Clean for sponsoring today’s edition.

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: £1,981

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

✍️ Saturday’s match in one word

Satisfying.

🤔 Pre-match thoughts

This was going to be the first time I’d seen the new look County, so I was mainly looking forward to getting back on it. Given the circumstances around it, I was ignoring Tuesday night’s result and hoping the positive things I’d heard about the Cambridge game would be carried through to this one. I went thinking a point would do me if the performance showed we weren’t out of our depth at this level.

🧐 Post-match thoughts

We aren’t out of our depth at this level.

🟠 Verdict on Blackpool

Not as bad as I’ve seen some of their fans saying. Their response to the goal would worry me as a Blackpool fan – there was barely any fight from them after that and Addai was untroubled even before we put the game to bed in the last ten minutes. Before that though, I thought they kept their shape and moved the ball around well enough. I’m crediting our midfield and defence with good work to ensure possession didn’t become good chances.

🔵 Verdict on County

Solid and then superb. I thought we started well enough, but Blackpool got the upper hand after about 15 minutes or so. Nevertheless, we remained sound defensively and whilst they had that penalty shout (which I’d have given from where I was, but other angles show might have been a bit ropey) we looked the more likely to score towards the end of the half. I thought the first half was absorbing without being great football. However, once we got their disallowed goal out of the way, we grew as the game went on and by the time Barry tickled that one in I thought we were on top again. After that, we almost strolled to victory – very pleasing stuff all round.

🏖 Top Seasider

I’ll confess that given this was my first look at us since Wrexham, I was more bothered about what we were up to. And I did spend some time giving Pennington some grief in the second half even before Barry make him look ridiculous. I was worried beforehand about Apter, given what he’s done against us in the past, but I thought he had a quiet game before being subbed. I think the one player that stood out for me who seemed to be making things happen for them was Coulson, so I’ll go for him!

🎩 Top Hatter

I like Wootton a lot – he does loads that often doesn’t get plaudits and which allows others to play the game in a way that does, and he did it again on Saturday. However, my first look at Bate tells me we’ve got some player there. Excellent work in that midfield helped us control the game at the back and helped us create things going forward – he got the assist for Fevrier’s goal, and it might have only been one pass midway in our own half in the move that led to Barry’s goal, but that pass put Touray in clear space with all of their midfield behind him. Bate edges MotM for me, but there were very good performances all over the park from us.

👂 Atmosphere

Great atmosphere inside the ground round us, as you’d expect with 4,000 County winning away at Blackpool in August! We were at the far end of the stand from the bulk of their noisier fans and the most noise we got out of those near us was some occasional booing of County players who’d been completely out of order in allowing themselves to be clattered. The ground has improved from the last time we were there and I know that away section gets some stick from some, but we’ve been in far, far worse away ends over the years. Seemed alright to me! However, the local plod seemed to want to make life difficult for County fans, sending us round three sides of the ground to get to our turnstiles and then making us walk in the wrong direction when we came out, for reasons that couldn’t be explained, especially when their unnecessarily lengthy alternative route brought us face to face with Blackpool fans walking in the opposition direction and with absolutely no coppers to be seen. Neither set of fans was interested in any bother, but the whole thing defied good sense.

🙏 Hopes for the rest of the season

Even as a natural born pessimist, my thought at the start of the season was that we could fairly comfortably hold our own in this division and start to build something exciting over the next two or three years. After Saturday’s excellent win took us top of the table with no goals conceded, er, I’m of the same mind – it’s far too early to get carried away. Mid-table will be fine.

😀 Best part of the day

Other than just being back at County enjoying the game with my mates? Barry’s goal. I was screaming at him to take on Pennington and get into the box. Which he did. After that, he was just laughing at them. Do I get an assist for the first bit of it though…?

😡 Worst part of the day

Having to keep my big, stupid mouth shut to avoid arguing with a member of the Lancashire constabulary about their weirdo behaviour.

The British Library receives a copy of every single book published in the UK. In the same fashion, Des Junior believes a detailed record of every County game should be preserved for the history books. So here’s the full story of our 3-0 victory at Blackpool on Saturday 17 August, as told from his County-related WhatsApp groups…

11.09am: Just seen a group of 10 County fans on the back of a horse singing County chants.

11.12am: How big’s the bloody horse?

12.01pm: We've been up the big wheel on the pier. The strangest of away days.

3.24pm: Horrible challenge on Collar in the air. Not even a free-kick.

4.30pm: Barry!!!

4.47pm: 2-0 Fevrier. Brilliant by Bate there.

4.57pm: Boom! Tanto’s still on fire.

5.00pm: We’re top of the league.

5.55pm: What a day. Fish and chips time now.

6.44pm: Blackpool fan friend said she’d never seen the away end so full.

6.53pm: Can’t stop watching replays of Barry’s goal. It’s the kind of thing you’d think about Gascoigne doing in his pomp. Villa must have some insane players if he can’t even get in their squad!

6.56pm: Cracking that. First half was even, reckon Blackpool edged it but we had the better chances. Second half first 15-20 minutes I was worried and felt it was slipping away from us but we started to turn it on just before Barry’s bit of magic put us in front. Once that goal went in they fell apart and we were rampant. Can’t believe how much they collapsed.

1.41am: What a result. I don't mean my doner meat and cheesy chips. I mean a fucking great 3-0 away at Blackpool.

3.21am: Good news, I'm home. Left home 20 hours ago for a game 45 miles away. Could be in Sydney by now. Glad I'm not because I would have missed one of the top 20 away performances of all time.

We’re looking for one Blackpool fan with a business to be featured as part of our Football Family section, and you’ll also have your logo, photos and editorial included alongside any Seasiders content we publish. It’s £45 for the year. If you’re interested, email thescarfmyfatherwore@substack.com for a chat.

Give ASAP Clearances a call if you’re having a clearout this summer

Some clearouts make you feel sad, such as County’s this summer with numerous title winners leaving the club. (Although I completely get the fact we’re now building a squad to take us to the Championship.)

Other clearouts will make you feel happy, though, such as getting rid of all that clutter from your house, or your garden, or even your office. ASAP Clearances are a fully licensed waste management company dealing in rubbish clearances, as well as removals for any type of property.

If you’ve got anything that needs shifting, call 07733 229957 or email asapclearances@yahoo.com.

For any exterior cleaning that needs doing, get in touch with Impact Pro Clean

Impact Pro Clean provide a full range of exterior cleaning services, from gutter cleaning and roof cleaning to jet washing and graffiti removal.

If the outside of your property needs sprucing up, get in touch for a free quote.

Call 07709 883239 or email impactprocleanltd@gmail.com.

Photo of the day

Bloomfield Road, Blackpool

No idea who took this, but it’s a belter! Those three hooligans stood on the railings at Bloomfield Road on Saturday are your editor and two of his mates. That second half was bloody fantastic, though.

Today in SK

🎬 Cinema

Two films at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) today. Despicable Me 4 (U) at 3.45pm, followed by Twisters (12A) at 6pm and 8.30pm. Click here for tickets.

🍺 Food and drink

Bitter £2.30 a pint all day at The Cross Keys (SK8). Plus, discounts on certain lagers between 12pm and 6pm.

If you’re simply in the mood for a couple of pints today, pop along to one of our featured venues such as Bask (SK1), The Nelson Tavern (SK1), The Crown (SK2), The Dog & Partridge (SK2), The Armoury (SK3), Reddish Working Men’s Club (SK5), The Steelworks (SK6), The Shady Oak (SK7) or The Three Tunnes (SK7).