County 0 Charlton 0

A stinker of a game in Saturday’s early kick-off, which might turn out to be a dress rehearsal for the play-offs

Mar 10, 2025

Monday 10 March 2025

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NEXT HOME GAME: Burton Albion – Saturday 29 March, 12.30pm

NEXT AWAY GAME: Bolton Wanderers – Saturday 15 March, 12.30pm

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

I usually touch base with Steve Charnock from Charlton fanzine My Only Desire when I’m after anything on the Addicks, but he wasn’t at the game on Saturday. I wasn’t sure who to draft in as Steve’s replacement, having first stumbled upon this…

and then this…

but then I came across this…

Strong The Scarf My Father Wore vibes from Emma Harknett, so she got the nod (after she’d finished whacking on the aftersun). When you’re done reading today’s edition, go and check out Emma’s podcast, The Charlton Chronicles.

Jack Street provides the County view from Saturday. When he’s not writing about goalless draws at Edgeley Park, Jack can be found on stage with The Beavers, the North West’s favourite rock and pop covers band. They’re at Woodford Live in July. Click here for tickets.

Today’s edition is sponsored by LM Stone Creative. A big thank you to Chris, who’s currently offering The Scarf My Father Wore readers a free matching chopping board and free templating on all full kitchen worktop orders.

All you have to do is quote “County Scarf” when you place an enquiry with Chris. Give him a call on 0161 312 6864 or email info@lmstonecreative.com.

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: 216.74 miles

Total steps so far: 353,516

Total raised so far: £2,270

Total completed streets so far: 474 (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

Jack: Mundane.

Emma: Battle!

🤔 Pre-match thoughts

Jack: I was looking forward to a clash with a club who are up there with us in the league. It's always nice to look forward to games like this after playing clubs from places you've never heard of since 2011. I thought it would be tough and a good test but we were playing what looked to be an attacking line-up and have done well against some of the "bigger" clubs at home recently.

Emma: I thought if we scored first we’d go on to win the game as we have such a strong defensive unit. I was concerned about the tiredness of the squad as we’ve had a lot of games, and have been starting the same 11 for some time. I knew it would be a tough game, and would’ve taken a draw but was hoping for a 2-1 win!

🧐 Post-match thoughts

Jack: Gah. What a dull game. Both sides cancelled each other out and it became a real slog to watch it. A point is a point though.

Emma: A real tough battle. You nullified our side threats (Small and Campbell). At times it felt like you had two or three extra players on the pitch. As soon as our wide men got the ball, there were two or three players on them straight away. Homework well done by the County coaching team.

🔵 Verdict on County

Jack: I thought County looked the more likely to win it, but only slightly shaded it - their keeper made a good save in the second half and we hit the bar. But we really didn't do enough to win it, so a draw was a fair result. What looked like an attacking line-up left us without any width; our two full-backs really needed a third centre-half behind them so that they could bomb on.

Emma: I thought County were nasty and aggressive, which is exactly what you need in this league. Didn’t look like a team experiencing their first season in League One. Few naughty challenges I believe you got away with, but Challinor has set you up as an excellent unit.

🟡 Verdict on Charlton

Jack: I thought Charlton had come for a draw, and got it. They pressed us really well and never let us settle on the ball or get any fluency. They relied on hitting us on the break a bit, and caused a couple of problems, so they could have snatched it - but that would have been grossly unfair.

Emma: I thought Charlton’s defensive performance was outstanding yet again. Our 16th clean sheet of the season, compared to six the whole of last year! We lost the battle in midfield and we couldn’t create anything up top. Not massively disappointed, as we’ve had a tough schedule. I would, however, have liked to have seen us be a bit more aggressive, as we lost the ball in key areas.

🎩 Top Hatter

Jack: Brad Hills. He got man of the match from the sponsors and we all said he should get it before they announced it, so well done to all involved.

Emma: Brad Hills had an unbelievable game. Had Miles Leaburn in his pocket - and that’s not easy with Miles being 6 foot 7! Also dealt well with Chuks Aneke coming on, who is a very powerful player.

🟡 Top Addick

Jack: I thought their 16, Edwards, did really well. Never let Macca get forward.

Emma: Lloyd Jones, and probably the back three in general were outstanding. Lloyd is highly rated as one of the best centre-backs in this league, and it’s no shock we’ve kept so many clean sheets with him in the team.

👂 Atmosphere

Jack: Atmosphere was OK. We're currently under watch from the Pop Side stewards so any standing is quickly stamped out. We even had stewards saying "alright, sit down now" just as a corner petered out to nothing. It is affecting the atmosphere in there. Charlton fans came in numbers and we could hear them now and again but nothing to write home about. These 12.30 kick-offs are shite, aren't they?

Emma: I found the away end to be very flat surprisingly. Not one of our best efforts. Saying that, however, it’s very hard to generate an atmosphere with no roof. Great noise coming from the County fans behind the goal. Never heard another team singing the Pompey chimes.

🙏 Hopes for the rest of the season

Jack: Still hoping we can make the play-offs. God knows what will happen when we get there, though.

Emma: I still think we’ll finish in the play-offs. I predicted 6th before the season, but I think we’ll be more 4th or 5th. I’d just like to see us be a bit more clinical up front.

😀 Best part of the day

Jack: Seeing that they had finally opened six turnstiles to the Pop Side, which meant we didn't have to queue back to Lancashire Hill to get in. We complained to the club this week, and got told "we can't open them because the ambulance is there, you idiots, and we need that for our safety certificate". Got to the ground and the ambulance was in the car park outside, with all six turnstiles open. God, we're so thick, us.

Emma: I’d say the best part of the day was getting to be in a new stand (I came to the FA Cup game and we were on the side). I must add, we went out on the Friday night and met some really friendly County fans in the pub and had a good bit of banter and chat with them. Proper supporters. And we had a lovely curry at Mister Ali’s.

😡 Worst part of the day

Jack: Still getting hassle off the stewards, despite us doing everything the club has asked us to do to refrain from "persistent" standing. Give us a break, lads.

Emma: Worst part was probably how hot it was. With no shelter and being a ginger I had a bit of a red face yesterday! Enjoyed the day out overall, though. Top fans. You’ll definitely be up there, and we may see you in May…

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 0-0 draw at home to Charlton Athletic on Saturday 8 March, as told from his County-related WhatsApp groups…

11.35am: Bloody hell, that’s an attacking line-up! Two centre-backs and two wing-backs. Bring it on.

11.36am: I like it. In the away fixture we were too passive and it almost cost us. Good to see us going for it.

12.36pm: Collar brought down in the box. We’ve all seen those given in the past.

12.37pm: Sky being quite complimentary about County so far.

1.16pm: Half-time. I can get some excitement emptying the dishwasher.

2.26pm: Better side after the break. Just not clinical enough. Two points dropped for me.

6.27pm: Said in the summer that I was confident we'd finish in the play-offs but that it would ultimately be a season too soon. Said for months that it feels more like the season before we go up.

6.33pm: I am very much “too much too soon”. But I also think that you have to take the chances when you have them. Who knows who will be in our league next season and what our squad will look like.

1.26am: God I’m pissed.

1.28am: Snap.

1.30am: She was fit as fuck. I feel terriblely pissed.

1.32am: Finally home after a 0-0 draw with Charlton.

2.07am: God she is fit.

LM Stone Creative: Revolutionising Stone Surfaces with Laser Templating Technology

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Photo(s) of the day

In the build-up to the recent home game with Blackpool, I spent all week sharing the 55 photos I’d snapped at the seaside earlier in the season - our best away day of 2024-25 so far. With Bolton coming up on Saturday, I’ve decided to do the same again, as our 5-0 victory at home to the Trotters is certainly the EP highlight of the campaign to date. I took 20 photos on that memorable November afternoon, so there’s four each day for you.

Today in SK

🎬 Cinema

Two films at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) today. A Real Pain (15) at 6pm, followed by Anora (18) at 8.15pm.

➡️ 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!

Enjoy a coffee and a cake for just £6 at The Dog & Partridge (SK2). The perfect excuse for a catch-up! 12pm - 4pm.

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

A number of venues are featured on The Scarf My Father Wore such as The Crown (SK2), The Alexandra (SK3), The Crown Inn (SK6), The Steelworks (SK6), The Three Tunnes (SK7), Flute & Firkin (SK12) and The Ram’s Head (SK12). Support them this month by popping in for a few drinks or a bite to eat.

🎶 Free jukebox

The Nelson Tavern (SK1). From 6.30pm.

Random snippets from old County programmes

#15 - County v Crystal Palace, 3 January 2000

County make the short trip to Bolton this weekend - a place we haven’t lost since 1993, which means we’ve never tasted defeat at their new place (which opened in 97). Two wins and two draws so far. Our last victory in BL6 - when it was the Reebok Stadium - was in December 1999. County’s assistant manager Dave Moss talked about the victory in his programme notes for the Palace game.

Courtesy of printing deadlines I am writing this column just after our victory at the Reebok Stadium. It is a pleasure to be able to comment upon another great all round team performance.

I think it is fair to say that the only people who expected us to get a result at Bolton are those who work for the club. We feel we can go anywhere and give a good account of ourselves because of the work rate, discipline and attitude of our players.

Once again Laurent D’Jaffo failed a late fitness test and so we started with the pace, industry and ability of Ian Moore and Alan Bailey.

The highlight of the first half was a magnificent one-handed save by Carlo Nash and although it may have appeared at times as though we were under pressure, some magnificent defending from Mike Flynn and Jim Gannon in particular restricted Bolton to very few scoring opportunities.

In the second half I thought we came out with a little more purpose and went on to create three or four scoring opportunities, culminating in Tony Dinning’s magnificent strike from outside the box.

We also had what looked to be a blatant penalty turned down after a trip on Kevin Cooper and although the home side tried to put us under pressure late on, I always felt that we had enough to either score again or at least hold on to what we had. It was a tremendous result and I was particularly pleased for the gaffer who has such strong connections with Bolton - not that you would have noticed on the day.