County 2 Forest Green 1

Extra time needed to beat our non-league opponents, but we’re safely through to round two of the FA Cup

Nov 04, 2024

Monday 4 November 2024

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Dear County fans, Stopfordians, Forest Green 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.

Nick Lee (of SK3 TV fame) and Phil Butterworth kick off this week’s content with a look back at Saturday’s FA Cup first round tie.

Today’s edition is sponsored by Adam Edwards Photo and SDS Aerials. A big thank you to Adam and Dylan.

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: £2,027

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

Nick: Turgid.

Phil: Competitive.

🤔 Pre-match thoughts

Nick: “I hope this whole day isn't as much of a fiasco as I think it's going to be.”

Phil: A good opportunity to test ourselves against a very capable team two divisions higher up the pyramid. Nothing to lose as the league is our priority. Good pricing by County.

🧐 Post-match thoughts

Nick: “Well that was a fiasco.”

Phil: An entertaining game with some good football from both sides, although more enjoyable for the away fans it seemed.

🔵 Verdict on County

Nick: It was fine. We got through which is what we expected, but we didn't half make hard work of it.

Phil: You avoided a banana skin. The stats flattered you but you deserved the win… just!

🟣 Verdict on Forest Green

Nick: They were fine. A lot of people seemed to be expecting the Forest Green of last season, and that was never going to be the case. In an ideal world they'd have earned a televised replay.

Phil: We took the game seriously and deserved to take the game to extra time. The manager and all the players deserve the credit.

🎩 Top Hatter

Nick: It's between Hughes and Horsfall for me. The latter shades it though due to his goal.

Phil: Onyango.

🟣 Top Rover

Nick: It’s difficult to single anyone out really. They were rigid and solid, and produced a good defensive performance. I'd be tempted to go for Tozer even though he didn't finish the game. He could easily have been affected by what happened last time he played at EP but he was solid, fair play to him.

Phil: Tom Knowles.

👂 Atmosphere

Nick: Just terrible for a variety of reasons. The club basically treating it like a Cheshire Cup game didn't help, then there was some stewarding that veered from over-zealous to gormless. Nothing in between.

Phil: Forest Green fans were loud and proud. A great day out.

🙏 Hopes for the rest of the season

Nick: I still think we'll finish top six. As for the cup, we've got one of the best draws we could have had, so if we're not in the hat for the third round proper then something has gone awry.

Phil: Definitely promotion, ideally champions.

😀 Best part of the day

Nick: The pre-match pints in County HQ, Blackbird. Obviously.

Phil: The equaliser from Doidge and hearing compliments from County fans after the game.

😡 Worst part of the day

Nick: I hate using the phrase “matchday experience”, but the matchday experience. Just truly torrid.

Phil: The journey up on the M6 and waiting for 25 minutes to be released from the car park after the game.

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 2-1 victory at home to Forest Green Rovers on Saturday 2 November, as told from his County-related WhatsApp groups…

12.11pm: No sign of life at The Armoury. Not open yet.

12.17pm: We’re in now.

2.06pm: Great to see Macca and Rydel on the bench.

2.59pm: It’s an absolute morgue in here.

3.08pm: Apparently it's unreserved seating here now. Absolute joke.

3.12pm: And just like that people storm into the upper tier and we now have something closer to an atmosphere.

3.20pm: It’s scary how badly we cock things up still! They opened the upper tiers, then 60 seconds later the stewards are pushing people back blocking it off.

3.21pm: It's alarming how much time was dedicated to trying to get the hundreds of people up here to go back down to the lower tier.

3.31pm: Mellon injured. Bate on.

3.57pm: Sounds very flat and bland despite JK's efforts to make us sound like Barcelona. No atmosphere at all. Don't want to be negative but it looks like extra time and pens if it doesn't improve.

4.21pm: 1-0. What a goal from Horsfall!

4.40pm: 1-1. Fucking about at the back.

4.52pm: At least we don’t have to go to Forest Green on a Tuesday night.

5.09pm: Wootton makes it 2-1.

5 questions with Adam Edwards

What was the best moment with your business in October?

Shooting a band called GOAT, a Swedish psych group which put on an insane live show. October was quite an interesting month, with four jobs on one day: a wedding, a gig, a PR event and a burlesque show. Sadly for me the burlesque show fell through last minute!

What’s your plans for the business in November?

It's a slightly quieter month for me so it's catching up with admin and planning marketing for next year – all that fun stuff that I'm rubbish at. Although I am shooting two gigs this month that my teenage self would have killed for: Jimmy Eat World and Alien Ant Farm. Very millennial.

What would you like to promote to our readers in November?

I’m starting to fill my diary for weddings in 2025, so if anyone is looking for an experienced yet laid-back photographer for their big day, now is definitely the time to give me a shout.

What’s your favourite thing about Bonfire Night?

I've got two kids that are still of the age when fireworks are DEAD EXCITING, so I'd have to say living vicariously through them. That and watching people kick off on Facebook all week about their neighbours setting fireworks off in their garden.

County travel to Burton this month, a town known for its many breweries. What’s your favourite beer (or any other alcoholic beverage)?

I'm in my late 30s now and packed in the booze this year due to hangovers becoming absolutely hellish. So right now it's Guinness Zero which, happily for me, they've recently started stocking at Edgeley Park.

Check out adamedwardsfoto.com to have a look at some of Adam’s work.

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Photo of the day

Edgeley Park, Stockport

A great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of our writers Will Howells, who you can also catch hosting SK3 TV on Monday nights. Here’s Will after the play-off semi-final second leg against Salford back in May 2023. Click here to relive that memorable afternoon.

Today in SK

🎬 Cinema

Two films at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) today. The Apprentice (15) at 5.45pm, followed by The Room Next Door (12A) at 8.15pm. 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 The Crown (SK2), The Dog & Partridge (SK2), The Alexandra (SK3), The Crown Inn (SK6) or The Three Tunnes (SK7).

🎶 Free jukebox

The Nelson Tavern (SK1). From 6.30pm.

Random photos of County players at other clubs

#40 – Martin Gritton, Torquay

Martin Gritton played across the South West for Plymouth, Yeovil and Truro but it’s Torquay where he was most prolific, scoring 26 goals in the early 2000s, with the club winning automatic promotion to the third tier in 2003-04. Gritton spent some time in the north during his career as well, including 11 appearances for County in our first season in the Conference.