Friday 21 July 2023
NEXT HOME GAME: Huddersfield – Saturday 22 July, 3pm
NEXT AWAY GAME: Sheffield Wednesday – Tuesday 8 August, 7.45pm
Dear County fans, Stopfordians, and anyone else joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Friday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.
Rio Doherty and Dave Philbin join us today for a look back at County’s 3-2 victory at Chester on Tuesday night – our final pre-season away game before the forthcoming trio of tests against Championship opposition at Edgeley Park.
A big thank you to Adam from Beeline VIP Coaches for sponsoring today’s edition. In conjunction with the club, Beeline will be running supporter coaches to certain away games this season. We’ll bring you all the details as and when trips are confirmed.
Enjoy today’s issue.
Des Junior
Tuesday’s match in one word:
Rio – Entertaining.
Dave – Decent!
Pre-match thoughts:
Rio – I was expecting a difficult game, because you’re one of the favourites to get promoted to League One, and you brought a strong squad to the Deva. We drew 1-1 against Bolton on Saturday, so although I wasn’t expecting us to win, I was hopeful that we would make life difficult for you by giving you a competitive match.
Dave – I wasn't really too bothered about the game itself. I was just looking forward to be going back to a County game as it was my first one since Wembley. Excited to see the new signings play, how we'd set up, and just the general buzz of a game.
Post-match thoughts:
Rio – We were unfortunate to lose as we gave a great account of ourselves. You came out of the blocks quicker than we did, breaking the deadlock after just two minutes. However, we did well to respond as Charlie Caton capitalised on a mix-up at the back to put us on level terms. Former Seal Antoni Sarcevic scored an unbelievable goal for you just before half-time, which even caused some of our supporters to applaud his finish. I thought that in the second half we remained solid in defence, and we created some decent openings, with Caton smashing a shot against the woodwork. Paddy Madden slotted in to make it 3-1 to you moments after coming on, but we made the scoreline look respectable, as Declan Weeks fired home a penalty to halve the deficit. All in all, it was a good workout for us with plenty of positives to take.
Dave – First of all, that Sarcevic goal is up there as one of the best goals I’ve ever seen live. The pass, the touch and finish were right from the top drawer. You can see the class of Powell – he's always aware and often looking at things two or three steps ahead. Touray also impressed and you can see why Ashton Mee is highly regarded.
Verdict on Chester:
Rio – We played some nice football, and were very solid in defence. Goalkeeper Wyll Stanway made some excellent saves and blocks to keep us in it, while Joel Taylor at left-back had the freedom to do his best by bombing up and down the pitch. Both Iwan Murray and Declan Weeks covered every blade of grass, while they were very creative and effective on the ball. The former won our penalty, with the latter dispatching it home.
Dave – I thought they were really good. Their manager has got them playing good football and you can see why reached the play-offs last season. They weren't scared of pushing forward, especially in the first half, but they were understandably tired in the second half after chasing the ball for lots of the game.
Verdict on County:
Rio – You passed the ball around nicely and made us work very hard. I can certainly see why you’re a top League Two side. Going forward you were dangerous and effective, although at the back you were a little bit shaky, particularly in the build-up to our first goal.
Dave – Started quickly, going 1-0 up after a minute or two through Evans, and but for a few errors at the back we played OK in the first half. Second half we went for it and it was great to see Paddy on the scoresheet again with a tidy finish.
Top Seal:
Rio – Wyll Stanway.
Dave – Adam Thomas cause he's the only name I know! Special shoutout to the young 5ft lad who did well, and their keeper who had a stormer.
Top Hatter:
Rio – Antoni Sarcevic.
Dave – Sarce can have it just for his goal.
Atmosphere:
Rio – With it being a friendly the atmosphere was unsurprisingly rather flat, but to get almost 1,000 on a Tuesday night was decent. I was stood in the middle of the Harry Mac behind the goal, which was fairly busy.
Dave – Just as you'd expect for a pre-season midweek away! I've always liked going to Chester though; every trip has a story with it. Whether it's players biting each other, getting marched around the pitch before a late abandonment, or a 6-0 drubbing.
Hopes for the season ahead:
Rio – To go one better than last season and finally get promoted back to the National League.
Dave – Has to be promotion. We've strengthened where required with top quality signings and I think we can do it. Bring it on!
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 3-2 victory at Chester on Tuesday 18 July 2023, as told from his County-related WhatsApp groups…
10.09pm: Only pre-season but what a goal that was from Sarce. Definite Dennis Bergkamp vibe there.
10.10pm: Fancy wasting that tonight.
10.13pm: Loving Sarce’s pre-season form.
10.20pm: He had plenty of rest last season but looked great in the play-offs so should be raring to go now.
10.33pm: We could do with Sarcevic carrying his play-off and pre-season form through the better part of next season. His quality when on form, and his experience of getting promotion multiple times (including out of the fourth tier), could be particularly valuable given we sometimes struggled to break teams down. Genuinely think that our National League midfield trio could be capable of League Two if they had a proper run at it. We've also now got Powell, who will create and score for as long as he stays fit.
10.42pm: We just need 100 points, that’ll do.
An interview with Adam Bradshaw from Beeline VIP Coaches
You’ve been working with County since 2019. How did it all come about?
I was approached by a mutual friend to cover County’s away game at York in the FA Cup in October 2019. I had a meeting with the great man himself Jim Gannon when I was invited to pop over to Edgeley Park to show the club our main first-team coach. County were so impressed with our services, I was asked to tender for the following season; I did, and the rest is history!
What’s involved on a matchday when you're driving County to an away game?
The work starts the day before, doing a full safety check, sorting out the water tanks, and generally ensuring the vehicle is in tip top condition for the team. Once we arrive at Carrington we load the coach up with all the kit, the food, and the most important thing of all, the players! The lads know me as “De Niro” - a nickname given to me by some of the players! We get on really well and they all know me by first name too which is nice, and we often stay in touch outside of work; I’ve had many messages from players and managers with jokes and the odd catch-up.
After the match, the driver gets the food ready for the players to eat when they’ve finished playing. This means the driver will usually miss the second half of County’s game, as they have to get the ovens fired up and make sure the food is hot, but we do have a link to all the matches through the TV on the coach so we never miss a kick.
What are the County players like to work with?
Honestly, County are the best club we deal with. The players and management are great, funny, seriously polite at all times, and really helpful in loading and unloading. They’ve made myself and my drivers feel so at home within the club, we’re now season ticket holders, attending nearly all the home games. We’ve also brought lots of our visiting teams to Edgeley Park. We share the highs and the lows with the fans.
Do you work with any other football clubs?
I’ve worked with many local clubs including Salford, Rochdale, City and United’s youth teams, as well as a few clubs from outside the area when they need travel, such as Millwall, West Ham, Newcastle, PSG and PSV Eindhoven. We’ve also provided transport for lots of amateur teams arriving in the UK from USA, South Africa, Australia and Brazil.
Give us a brief history of your business.
I started the business after years in the industry working for many other companies in the area. I had roles ranging from driver through to operations and finally on to sales manager. I then realised there was a gap in the market to provide first class transport for football teams, and VIP travel for everyone.
What's your favourite radio station when you're on the road?
To be honest, I much prefer a good playlist on the bluetooth speakers.
What's your favourite service station?
It’s got to be Norton Canes on the M6 Toll, but to be honest we don’t really use them when the players are on as they just want to get home.
What's your favourite motorway?
M60, as it’s near the base! The best part of a long journey is when you know you’re nearly home.
Visit beelinevipcoaches.co.uk for further details.
Today in SK
🎶 DJ
The Nelson Tavern (SK1) have their resident DJ playing on a Friday night, with Dicko (Ian Dickinson) on from 8pm till 1am.
🍟 Food and drink
Lite bite meal deal at The Friary (SK3). Cod or haddock, served with chips, and a side of peas, curry or gravy. Plus tea or coffee. £9.95. 11.30am - 7.30pm.
Friday Fiesta at TRUNK (SK7). Live music from Daniel Lowery starting at 7.30pm. Great company, tasty tapas and flowing drinks – what more could you want? 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
Sim Mattis at The Dog and Partridge (SK2). 8pm.
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.
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Photo of the day
Stumbled across this the other day. A list of the players who made the most appearances during the first six seasons of the Premier League, and at number one is a future County keeper. Carlton’s on the list too.
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