County 3 Tranmere 2
The highest-scoring game at EP since the opening day sees County enter the play-off places for the first time this season
Tuesday 7 February 2023
The last four match previews I’ve written all mentioned the fact County could end the day in the play-offs. A failure to beat Bradford, Wimbledon or Crewe meant a failure to climb into the top seven, but at the fourth time of asking, Dave Challinor’s men have now passed that dotted line above them. Just got to stay there now. Or… with three of our next four games against 20th, 21st and 24th, do we start thinking Carlisle in 3rd aren’t that far away? A nine-point gap but with a game in hand doesn’t seem insurmountable. Regardless of where we end up, it’s exciting to simply be in the mix in our first season back in the Football League, and for me, we can still sit back and enjoy the ride, as there’s no real pressure or expectation this year.
Our main feature today is a look back at Saturday’s game, our first victory at home to Tranmere in the league since August 1999. Your post-match analysis comes from Ian Brown, of hedgegrower fame, and Paul Harper from This Is Tranmere.
Today’s edition of The Scarf My Father Wore is sponsored by Radial Fire And Security. A big thank you to Dan. See below for further details.
Des Junior
Saturday’s match in one word:
Ian - Thrilling!
Paul - Frustrating.
Pre-match thoughts:
Ian - I was expecting a close game, probably a draw, but the feeling lingered that if County could just dig a little deeper than of late, something better might be on the cards. For me, if selected, wing-backs Knoyle and Rydel would be key and Hippolyte should start.
Paul - Hoped we could carry on where we left off with the win against table-toppers Leyton Orient, with a couple of new exciting additions too which would hopefully help us kick on further.
Post-match thoughts:
Ian - That was another important win for County, against a Rovers team who came for three points, scored twice and but for Hinchliffe’s continued brilliance would have nicked more goals. It was particularly gratifying to see us shrug off the negative influence of referee Chris Pollard and the yellow-flagged liner; not being distracted from and concentrating on our game plan was crucial to County’s win.
Paul - Disappointed. Can’t help but feel we gifted a couple of the goals through comical defending. We didn’t play anywhere near as well as we did against Orient which was the frustrating part.
Verdict on County:
Ian - It was the kind of gritty performance we will need going forward in the battle to attain League One status. No one let us down. I looked in vain for Rydel wide left but Saturday’s width came from Hussey who had a fine game supplementing solid defence with some dangerous crosses. I loved the alertly opportunist nature of our second and third goals which took full advantage of defensive errors by Tranmere and it was particularly good to see Tanto weigh in with a hefty assist for our third. I can see him and Wootton shaping up well together if given the chance.
Paul - County were decent and look a fair bet for the play-offs.
Verdict on Tranmere:
Ian - It was a bit of a curate’s egg really. They always looked skilful and purposeful when in possession and almost snatched a draw at the death, but they were undermined by crucial errors at the back at vital times and they oh so need a keeper like Hinchliffe!
Paul - As above really. Disappointing and the story of our season really, not being able to put a sustained run of good form and performances together.
Top Hatter:
Ian - I thought Hussey was terrific, but then so was Wootton so I would share it between these two, with a special mention for Hinchliffe.
Paul - Chris Hussey was strong at the back and kept our attacking players quieter than we’d have liked.
Top Rover:
Ian - I reckon that was Kieron Morris, scorer of Rovers’ second goal and lively throughout going forward.
Paul - Kieron Morris kept going and scored a nice goal but there weren’t too many who did themselves justice.
Atmosphere:
Ian - The atmosphere in LT3 was as positive as I have known it for a while - most just wanting to see County back to their best. Large crowds do not necessarily translate into good atmospheres but on Saturday it certainly did; both sets of fans gave their respective teams good support throughout.
Paul - We took a big following but it was a frustrating atmosphere as the expectations are always high and sadly the team failed to deliver. Always enjoy trips to Edgeley Park though and it was nice to be back after a long time.
Hopes for the rest of the season:
Ian - We’re up to 7th so the play-offs look a strong possibility given the playing resources at our disposal. The last of the automatic promotion spots is more of a long shot but not impossible, so we keep aiming for that and with a similar response from the team to what we managed last season we have a chance. Do I expect us to win promotion? Not necessarily but I do expect us to try our best to attain it!
Paul - We always live in hope, and the play-offs would be nice. I do feel we have a squad capable of that but they’ve been too inconsistent so far this campaign. You never know though.
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 home to Tranmere Rovers on Saturday 4 February 2023, as told from his three County-related WhatsApp groups…
3.21pm: 1-0 up. Knoyle header. Lovely stuff.
3.41pm: Fucking unbelievable. Liner flags offside. They go through. Get penalty. Liner puts flag down.
3.46pm: 2-1. Wootton. Comedy.
3.47pm: Ha ha ha. Have that you plastic Scouse tossers.
4.10pm: The Pop Side have concluded their appraisal of the linesman's first-half performance. He's currently sobbing quietly by the corner flag.
4.38pm: 3-1 Collar. More comedy.
4.39pm: Excellent stuff. Tranmere are a bit poo.
4.40pm: Tranmere had the third best defensive record in the division at kick-off. Don’t see how.
4.44pm: Me neither. They’re bloody rubbish! This has been a really professional performance from County though.
4.45pm. Hold that thought FFS. It’s 3-2.
4.57pm: Phew. I jinxed that by saying how professional we’d been. Nervy at the end but a worthy victory. Into seventh, highest position of the season. Also nine points adrift of Carlisle in third, with a game in hand. Incredible how quickly the complexion of the table changes this season.
Here’s something you should definitely do in February
Buy tickets for The County Comedy Quiz at Bask!
The Scarf My Father Wore editor, Des Junior, absolutely loves a County quiz. He’s alright at compiling County quizzes as well. Rightly or wrongly, he also fancies himself as a bit of a comedian. On that note, The Scarf My Father Wore are delighted to team up with Bask to bring you The Comedy County Quiz. It’s a proper County quiz, with some fantastic prizes on offer, but our aim is to crack you up with some of the questions along the way.
We’ve also got special guest Paul Jones joining us. The former County defender, and Bolton Wanderers legend, will be speaking on the night, as well as handing out the prizes to the winners!
Click here for our full list of things you should definitely do in February!
Photo of the day
The Railway End, May 2010
Revenge is sweet.
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STOP! That got your attention, didn’t it? Just a quick one… I’d hazard a guess that at some point in February, 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.
Get in touch with Radial Fire And Security
As you know, we like to have a laugh and a joke at The Scarf My Father Wore, but something like fire protection is a serious matter, so we’ll get straight down to business. Radial Fire And Security are a leading commercial fire safety company with over 20 years’ experience, operating throughout the UK, specialising in the supply and service of a variety of different ranges of fire protection equipment. If you’re looking for cover, or simply to obtain some further information, give Dan a call today.