Colchester 0 County 1
A first win in Colchester since 1990 keeps the automatic promotion hopes alive
Monday 13 March 2023
Dear County fans, Stopfordians, and any Colchester supporters joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Monday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.
Colchester haven’t scored a goal for well over eight hours now, but I’m delighted to report that Kyle Wootton has brought our own mini goal drought to an end. With Stevenage and Carlisle also winning on Saturday, it’s a huge goal, which keeps our automatic promotion hopes alive. Bob Carey reflects on County’s first victory at Colchester since Danny Bergara was in charge, with Max Harrington giving us the U’s view on a miserable first day at the office for new manager Ben Garner.
Congratulations to Hannah Brown, who’s won a special Mother’s Day gift set in today’s prize giveaway! Every single subscriber will win a prize at some point, so if you’ve not yet subscribed, make sure you do and you’ll receive a free gift in the post.
Finally, a huge thank you to Kingsway Carpets for sponsoring today’s edition. They’ve currently got clearance stock available in store, so if you need a new carpet at the moment, it’s definitely worth having a look.
Enjoy today’s issue.
Des Junior
Saturday’s match in one word:
Max - Dreadful.
Bob - Relief.
Pre-match thoughts:
Max - I was looking forward to the game with it being Garner’s first in charge. Hoping to see an improvement in the style of play.
Bob - I thought we’d win this one 2-0. Sarce nearly made this happen but the crossbar spoilt it. I did have a slight worry about Colchester’s 'new manager syndrome' but we were due some luck.
I was also focused on pre-match food. Me and Brun live nearby each other, myself on the edge of Essex, so we drove and found a pub. Turned out it was a 'bistro pub' whatever that is. Good beer and fancy wraps. Owner was Italian and supported AC Milan rather than Colchester. Wise man.
Post-match thoughts:
Max - Garner has a lot of work to do. We’re not safe yet, the gap has shortened to six points and we don’t look good enough at the moment.
Bob - Phew. We needed that. Not hugely convincing but we were solid.
Remember Frank Mulhern’s wonder goal at Dover a few years back? I missed it as I was queuing for a hot dog. Well I missed Wootton's winner on Saturday as I went for a pee. If I hadn't washed my hands I would have seen it. I'm taking hand sanitiser next time.
Verdict on Colchester:
Max - I thought we were awful, could have played all night and not scored. Zero service up front and attacking players didn’t perform yet again. We passed the ball OK at times but it’s not hard to see why we are where we are.
Bob - Credit to them, they had a decent game. Ben Garner will get them a win soon. They need more vocal home support though and a few more fans turning up.
Verdict on County:
Max - I thought you looked solid, but I could also see why you’ve struggled for goals. You look a well organised team that know how to get the job done.
Bob - We deserved the win but gave the ball away far too much. Lots more joy on the left wing throughout the game. Defensively we played well and the stats don't lie - no shots on target for Colchester.
Gutted to see Horsfall limp off 25 minutes in but Johnson stepped up and took a yellow card for the team late on when Colchester looked like they might finally break through.
Top U:
Max - Our best player was Kelleher at the back, he made some great tackles and blocks.
Bob - Sorry but no one particularly caught my eye. Can I say every one of the team was a winner? Even though they lost…
Top Hatter:
Max - I was impressed with Croasdale, thought he played well and controlled the midfield.
Bob - For me, probably Kyle Knoyle. Olaofe was on for nearly half an hour. He is a joy to watch. Such passion and built like a brick shithouse.
Atmosphere:
Max - Atmosphere was hopeful at first but as the game went on it got worse and worse. There were even a few boos at the end.
Bob - Great as ever. The drum always whips up the singing and atmosphere. I love seeing so many families with children at away games. A reminder as to how much football has changed over the last 40 years. We were miles away from the very quiet Colchester fans so no banter there.
A very cold day but the Bovril was top notch. Not the best day to have shaved my head (pictures above) really.
Not a great ground. Middle of nowhere. It’s like someone plonked four huge Subbuteo stands there and thought “that should do it”. Bring back Layer Road.
Hopes for the rest of the season:
Max - I’m extremely worried. The gap is only six points and we can’t score a goal to save our lives. We need to get our act together and fast!
Bob - I predicted 7th place when asked around the start of the year. I'll stick with that and pray I’m wrong by at least four places.
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 1-0 victory at Colchester United on Saturday 11 March 2023, as told from his three County-related WhatsApp groups…
10.38am: I've always liked Alex Scott but she's gone further up in my estimations now she's pulled out of Football Focus. The BBC couldn't have got this more wrong could they?
10.41am: Not if they tried.
3.38pm: 1-0 Wootton.
3.40pm: Monkey Hangers one up against Northampton.
3.46pm: I wonder if the final day is setting up for the Monkey Hangers to scupper promotion for us rather than us sending them down?
4.58pm: Full-time. County win.
4.59pm: Rejoice!
5.00pm: That sounded like hard work.
It’s time to get a new carpet
One of our sponsors is Kingsway Carpets. Established in 1985, the family-run business have a huge selection of carpets to suit all budgets and there’s no hidden extras – the price quoted is the price you pay. They also have a team of experienced fitters who will expertly lay your brand new carpet perfectly. If you’re in need of a new carpet, give them a call and they’ll have you sorted out in no time.
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For Mother’s Day, or any other presents you need to buy this month, check out our March gift guide
It’s Mother’s Day this Sunday, so make sure you buy something nice for your mum. Here at The Scarf My Father Wore, we’ve curated a fantastic gift guide for you, featuring perfect ideas such as an aromatherapy gift box, a tin of luxury shortbread, or a handmade Mother’s Day flower.
If you’ve not bought anything for your mum yet, how about this special Mother’s Day gift set from Willerton Waxes?
Willerton Waxes offer high quality long lasting eco soy wax melts at an affordable price, as well as baby shower gifts, and bespoke wedding favours tailored to your colour scheme and preference of scent from over 300 in stock. They’re based down the road in Stalybridge and are happy to tailor their service to you needs. They currently have special offers for Mother’s Day and Easter, with gift boxes priced from just £6.
Visit mademe.co.uk/shop/willerton-waxes for further details.
Click here to view all the items in our March gift guide.
Photo of the day
Bootham Crescent
Ian Helliwell in action for York, where he started his Football League career, a few years before signing for County.
Never mind Google or Yell.com, we’ve got you covered
STOP! That got your attention, didn’t it? Just a quick one… I’d hazard a guess that at some point in March, all of our readers will use Google or Yell.com at some point looking for a particular product or service. But before you do, please have a quick look at our own directory to see if we have what you’re looking for. A number of great businesses support The Scarf My Father Wore, allowing us to publish fresh content every day, so let’s send a few enquiries their way in return.
Click here to have a look at all the businesses in our directory.
Today in SK
🎤 Acoustica at Bask. Featuring Robin Mukherjee, Nico Harmony, Tom Favell, plus a very, very special guest! 7.30pm. Free entry.
🥙 A delicious doner kebab from Fishers of Cheshire (461 Buxton Road, SK2 7HE) costs just £3 all day on a Monday.