Monday 9 October 2023
NEXT HOME GAME: Grimsby – Saturday 21 October, 3pm
NEXT AWAY GAME: Salford – Tuesday 10 October, 7.45pm
Dear County fans, Stopfordians, and any Donny Rovers supporters joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Monday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore, as Dave Challinor’s men start their week having won an impressive six consecutive games in League Two.
County left it late on Saturday, but we managed to do something we failed to do in last season’s home game, and break down a stubborn Doncaster side. Jack Street from The Beavers and Steve Jones from the Doncaster Free Press take a look back at Saturday’s game, with Tanto’s header lifting County up to second.
Today’s edition is sponsored by Crown Point Glass. A big thank you to Phil and Chris.
Finally, I’m starting my charity walk in the next few days, walking every street in Stockport to raise money for men’s mental health charity Mentell. If you’d like to make a donation to help me reach my target, please click here.
Further information on the walk can be found by clicking here.
Des Junior
Saturday’s match in one word:
Jack – Tense.
Steve – Frustrating.
Pre-match thoughts:
Jack – I was hoping for a win, but worried about Donny's recent form. Even though our form had been good, I felt we had eased up a bit in the last two games so not as fluent as we could be.
Steve – I thought it'd be a hard game for Doncaster and would have taken a point.
Post-match thoughts:
Jack – Relieved with a win. The sort of game which could have had all three results, and one which we probably wouldn't have got last season. Big three points for us and hopefully gives us the confidence to keep going when it looks like we might not get over the line.
Steve – Rovers nearly carried out their gameplan, hence the frustration, but again came up a little short against one of the division's big-hitters. I still think there were positive aspects to their performance.
Verdict on County:
Jack – I felt County kept pushing and trying, and kept trying to play, but felt we were starting to run out of ideas. The subs worked a treat, especially Madden and Wootton, but Camps did well too in midfield, as I felt Collar looked a bit knackered the longer the game went on. A really solid performance though.
Steve – County looked like a good team fit for a promotion push and clearly have strength in depth, particularly in attack.
Verdict on Doncaster:
Jack – Donny press really hard, don't let you settle on the ball. They look really fit, and have some very useful players, who can play the ball well in tight spots. I know they are down the wrong end but don't think they will be there for much longer. I think if they can keep up that form then they will find themselves in upper mid-table, perhaps flirting with the play-offs.
Steve – It was for large parts a very good away performance, the sort we need to see more of from them. But, again, they came up short with some poor defending for the goal. I did like their bravery on the ball in central midfield and they weren't scared of County, which is encouraging and bodes well for future fixtures.
Top Hatter:
Jack – Best player for me was Tony Sarce. The guy is just having a great season. I was expecting him to be really good last season but he looked off the pace; I heard a comment from someone in the club a while back along the lines of "good to see him fit this season", which suggests he was perhaps carrying an injury last year? He's been immense though and looked a cut above again on Saturday.
Steve – The goalscorer, Tanto Olaofe.
Top Rover:
Jack – I thought Close was their pick. Really solid performance, was everywhere in midfield, and made them tick.
Steve – Tough one between goalkeeper Louis Jones and Ben Close in central midfield.
Atmosphere:
Jack – Atmosphere was a bit lively in the Together Stand. We're right near their fans. I'm not quite sure what was going on but they seemed to be fighting amongst themselves a little bit. They decided to try and liven it up a bit with us which made it spicy, and it was good fun for a while, especially when we scored; but there were a few donuts sat near us who seemed to be taking it a little bit too far, particularly at full-time when they tried to confront some of the Donny fans. One of the Donny fans didn't like that so decided to lob a full drink into our end, and I lost it a bit at that point myself – it’s a family stand, for fuck's sake. Just cos a couple of lads give you some grief, give it a rest. There were a couple of social media posts about our fans later on Saturday – let me tell you lads, if the family stand are winding you up, perhaps have a day off.
Steve – At times, very loud and buoyant. But Doncaster kept them quiet for large periods and frustrated them, giving the away fans plenty to cheer about.
Hopes for the rest of the season:
Jack – We've got to be looking at promotion. I thought our poor start may have scuppered that but we're flying at the moment and that's even with us missing some pretty key players. Keep the momentum going, and try to handle the big games when they come along, and we'll be alright.
Steve – I think Doncaster can compete at the top end of League Two but I worry they may just be a shade off some of the division's best-backed teams. Still, I see encouraging signs for more improvement in results in the coming weeks and months.
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 home to Doncaster Rovers on Saturday 7 October 2023, as told from his County-related WhatsApp groups…
2.00pm: Wootton on the bench. Happy days.
3.49pm: Is the lack of comments during the first half consistent with how poor it was?
3.51pm: It’s been a fairly even game. County have had some good chances but Donny have had a couple too. Noticeable how tight they are defensively down their right-hand side. Barry switched flanks in the last 10 and we had a lot more joy. Collar doesn’t look at it either.
3.55pm: Not many chances, but they're not a bad side at all.
3.58pm: Has 1-0 written all over it. Just hope it's to us.
4.11pm: What a pair of saves from Ben.
4.17pm: Pye’s injured.
4.19pm: Who isn’t to be honest?
4.22pm: He’s come back on. But it didn’t look good for a bit.
4.25pm: Paddy and Wootton coming on…
4.42pm: Tantooooo! 1-0.
4.43pm: Get in! I told you he was good.
4.44pm: I’ve actually been saying Tanto is good from the day we signed him and have never wavered. Glad others are getting on board.
4.53pm: Andy Cannon came on for Wrexham in the 60th minute. He was sent off in the 66th. He’s not particularly popular in North Wales.
4.57pm: Huge result that. Keeps the run going, three points and a clean sheet when we’re not at our best. One point off the top. Quality.
4.58pm: To think, a month ago there was talk that Challinor was about to be replaced.
5.00pm: Gillingham third with a negative goal difference is impressive.
6.01pm: Louie Barry needs to be told to go to bed tonight and not get up until next Friday. He looked really tired at times today. No lack of effort and he still caused them problems, but I thought he was missing that edge today. Tanto deserved to be MotM for his workrate as much as his goal, but I thought Croasdale was mostly excellent, as per. As others have said, that is a big three points, because I expect them to cause most teams problems this season and whilst the first half was fairly even, we largely imposed ourselves after the break. Apart from the chance from the backpass and that header at the end, I don't really recall them creating anything. At the other end, some of our passing and movement at times was excellent. Great to see Wootton back as well. On the downside, he won the only free-kick he'll be awarded all season, so we may as well get used to that now.
6.48pm: Thought Challinor got the substitutions totally right today. We didn't need Croasdale as a defensive midfielder, dropping Sarce back there and putting Madden behind Wootton and Tanto worked.
8.04pm:
8.07pm: Seriously? Has he looked at his own trying to fight each other? Or the fat twat who looked like he was going to suffer an aneurysm with every decision that went against them?
8.14pm: And, as someone pointed out, letting off a smoke bomb at 1-0 down with about five minutes to go.
10.19pm: Pleased to pick up notifications about another County win, and see us move up to second in the league from it, whilst on a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon this morning!
10.20pm: It’s a tough life, eh?
10.35pm: Helicopter? Tory bastard.
Today’s sponsor: Crown Point Glass
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Today in SK
🥙 Food and drink
Kebabs are just £3 all day at Fishers of Cheshire (SK2).
Med Monday at TRUNK (SK7) between 12pm and 9pm. Enjoy three tapas dishes for £15. T&Cs apply. 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
Acoustica at Bask (SK1). Line-up includes Chris Turner, The Small Fortunes and Sophia Veraz. Free entry.
❓Quiz night
The George & Dragon (SK7). 7.30pm.
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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