County 4 Reading 1

That’s more like it

Nov 01, 2024

Friday 1 November 2024

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

Mozzer has the honour of reporting on County’s biggest win of the season so far, while Simeon Pickup from The Tilehurst End provides the Reading reaction.

Today’s edition is sponsored by BGM Decorators and Beespoke Cleaning. A big thank you to Ben and Vicky.

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

✍️ Tuesday’s match in one word

Mozzer: Fun.

Simeon: Capitulation.

🤔 Pre-match thoughts

Mozzer: That we probably needed a win, one way or another, to stem the unnecessary rising panic that had clearly started after the Lincoln defeat. Yes, we could have been better in that and a few previous games and yes, we’ve not won enough league games since the first three of the season. But we’ve generally been playing OK. I think expectations remain too high amongst some. We need to improve and to continue to improve over the season, but we’ve not been so bad that we needed some of the talk we heard after Lincoln. Bizarrely, a crap performance and three points would probably have helped more than a really good performance and a point against a side that was on a decent run.

Simeon: Not knowing a lot about County it was a hard game to predict, but I found it interesting that some County fans were predicting a home win and others an away win. From a Reading perspective, I just wanted us to continue a bit of our momentum from the previous three games and at least come away with something to show from the game. I would have gladly taken a point.

🧐 Post-match thoughts

Mozzer: That the really good performance and three points covered all relevant bases. It’s obviously not ‘job done’ after one game but hopefully some of those impatient for us to be as good in League One as we were last season in the division below, will acknowledge we’ve got the basis of a good side here, but it’s one that needs to evolve. Give the players and Challinor (and his staff) time to get there. We’ll have some good days (like this one) and some bad days (like Lincoln) but at the moment I think it’s about the general trajectory.

Simeon: I’ve not felt too down about the defeat, truth be told. We’re not that great on the road so results like this are never that far away, and we’ve plenty to hang onto with our excellent home form. It still feels like a missed opportunity to at least put up a convincing fight though; we’d won three on the bounce coming into this game, so being taken apart in the fourth means that form ends in a damp squib.

🔵 Verdict on County

Mozzer: That was much more how I think a lot of us believe we can play. Possession and passing football is fine but we’ve lacked a sharpness at times and a desire/ability to cut through teams. I thought we started with intent on Tuesday and once we got our noses in front for a second time, we grew in confidence and looked to play good, positive football which caused Reading all sorts of problems at times. Importantly, we also gave very little away at the back. I also thought we kept up that approach throughout the game, even after the subs were made, and we possibly could have gone on to score more.

Simeon: Free-flowing, sharp and confident going forward. You weren’t troubled all that much defensively, but there were some snippets in the first half of us being able to disrupt you higher up the pitch, and it was frustrating that we couldn’t do that more often. Some teams would have been more cautious than you in the second half, but to your credit you kept pushing forward and were good value for the 4-1 win.

🔴 Verdict on Reading

Mozzer: I was pleasingly disappointed! I expected more from them, given the run they were on. In fairness, I think up until our second goal it was a fairly even game, although I felt we had more energy about us and possibly carried a greater threat. But their goal came from some excellent football and I didn’t think there was much we could do about it. At that point I was worried about how the evening would pan out, but our second, which was similar to the equaliser we conceded the previous week, seemed to knock the stuffing out of them a bit. They rallied for 10 minutes or so after the break but I genuinely can’t remember Addai having to make a save worthy of the name in the second half. After that initial burst they never really looked like troubling us, even before we got the fourth.

Simeon: We simply didn’t make you work hard enough for the points. The defending was slack, leaving you far too much space to exploit from open play and dead balls, and (bar an excellent equaliser) we barely got going as an attacking force. Injuries at the back and to main centre-forward Sam Smith were contributory factors, but I still expected more from those who did play.

🎩 Top Hatter

Mozzer: Onyango. I was undecided on the night because I couldn’t fault anyone out there and I reckon you could easily make a case for Collar bringing the necessary drive and quality to make us a more effective attacking force, or Bate for doing all the dirty work in midfield that often gets you something out of the game. But I’m going for the right-back because I love right-backs! Onyango won almost everything against his man all night, sometimes with some excellent football, and he looked to drive forward when he got the chance in a way that really worried them, including that run which led to the opener. Best right-back performance against Reading on a Tuesday night since 1998. (Sean Connelly. Ask your parents.)

Simeon: I’ll go for Louie Barry for his brace.

👑 Top Royal

Mozzer: As noted, I think that overall they were poor after a reasonable start to the game. Were they under par or did we snuff them out? It’s probably easier for a Reading fan to answer that, but either way no one really stood out for me. Their keeper made a couple of excellent saves though and he could do very little about any of the goals, so let’s give it to Pereira.

Simeon: It’s slim pickings to decide this one, and it’s more a case of who was the least bad, but I’ll go with Joel Pereira for his part in keeping the score down.

👂 Atmosphere

Mozzer: HAHAHAHA. What a cracking addition to proceedings that was. Fair play to Reading for their turnout on a Tuesday night all the way up in the barren, desolate northern wastelands. I was expecting about 400 and they brought more than double that. They also made a reasonable amount of noise up to our second goal as well. Just prior to that, their attempts to mock our lack of noise were initially missed due to the fact we were singing and after that goal most of their noise seemed to relate to bemoaning various decisions they felt went against them. Most of the time they were wrong, which made it more amusing the more it went on. As a result, there was a reasonable amount of back and forth across the Pop Side netting. Mostly with a point, but also without malice. As we noted at the time, they ended up schooled by the library. Also… Cheadle End: up your game.

Simeon: We brought up a good number of fans and they kept going pretty well throughout the game to be fair. I was convinced plenty would leave early, given the scoreline and performance, but most seemed to stick around, not only until full-time, but also to show their support for the players afterwards when they came over. Sometimes the mood gets a bit toxic after games like this one (we had that a number of times a year ago), but credit where it’s due, the away end didn’t lash out. After all, the effort was there – we just didn’t have enough quality.

🙏 Hopes for the rest of the season

Mozzer: I said, when I was asked this after Shrewsbury, that nothing this side of Christmas was going to dissuade me that (upper) mid-table, whilst showing progress on the pitch, will do us perfectly well for this season. We’re a few games on but still the same side of Christmas and I remain of the same view.

Simeon: Simply to stay up, and, in truth, that won’t be decided by games like Tuesday’s (difficult away matches). Matters off the pitch are more important though, so getting a good takeover done (not one involving some rogue businessperson) is paramount. All things being well that’ll be done by the end of the year, but then again, I said the same thing in autumn 2023… and then similar again at various points throughout 2024.

😀 Best part of the day

Mozzer: The second 45 minutes. Mainly due to the combination of the game becoming increasingly safe thanks to our performance whilst the away section became a highly, if inadvertent, entertaining background to events.

Simeon: Getting to tick off another ground on my list – something that I’m sure drove most of Reading’s away support to make the trek up on a Tuesday night. I do like stadiums which feel unique, and yours, with a huge stand at one end and a completely uncovered one at the other, fits that description. There’s also an outstanding ‘The Scarf My Father Wore’ mural on Mercian Way that I found really impressive.

😡 Worst part of the day

Mozzer: The rain on my ride into the office!

Simeon: My realisation midway through the second half that this was not only going to be another away day defeat, but that we were going down without a particularly convincing fight – even after a half-time regroup and some subs.

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 4-1 victory at home to Reading on Tuesday 29 October, as told from his County-related WhatsApp groups…

8.31pm: Onyango’s turned into Cafu.

8.42pm: Big difference in performance to recent games. We’re mixing up the play. Passing it around at the back a lot but also playing forward when the opportunity arises and lots of players running forward with the ball. Collar and Onyango superb. Bate controlling the midfield well, Diamond looking threatening. Not as one-dimensional as recent games.

8.43pm: I suspect Reading players will get a rocket at half-time. They have talented players who looked dangerous a couple of times but they have been very poor so far.

8.45pm: Would be a bit harsh given they're all about 12 and haven't been paid properly since 2017.

9.39pm: Well that was much, much better wasn’t it. Well in.

Leave the painting and decorating to the professionals

Don’t be like this random stranger Des Junior found on the internet. He thought he could decorate his living room himself. But now look at him, sat forlorn on his floor covered in a tin of Dulux. His wife’s left him, and his evenings are now occupied by microwave meals and old repeats of The Sweeney. You know what he should have done, don’t you? He should have called BGM Decorators.

BGM Decorators is a family business that has been in the trade since 1988. They’ve been built on hard work, honesty, and a high quality service that has consistently enhanced their reputation. They provide a painting and decorating service on a domestic and commercial basis across Stockport, Greater Manchester and Cheshire, as well as offering tenant turnover services and working alongside estate agencies and private landlords.

Give Ben a call on 07816 589989 or email bgm.decorators@yahoo.co.uk.

Beespoke Cleaning can provide a weekly, fortnightly or monthly service for you

Look how spotless this place is. I’m not saying your place isn’t, but it would be nice to get a bit of help with the cleaning, wouldn’t it? Especially for County fans, as they spend a lot of time away from home. There’s trips to Burton, Birmingham and Stevenage coming up before Christmas. Wouldn’t it be nice to get back to Stockport from your travels and find your home in immaculate condition.

Beespoke Cleaning can do exactly that for you, whether you’d like their services once a week, once a fortnight or even once a month. The business has been operating since 2010, with a long list of satisfied regular customers, as cleaning projects are completed in a timely manner and with the highest level of quality.

Visit beespokecleaning.com for further details.

Photo of the day

A house in Hyde

The daughter of one of our subscribers made this for Halloween. Pretty cool innit!

Today in SK

💿 DJs

Fright Night Weekend at AMP (SK1). Music throughout the night, along with a fancy dress competition and Halloween games! 7pm - 1am.

The Nelson Tavern (SK1) have their resident DJ playing on a Friday night, with Dicko (Ian Dickinson) on from 8pm till 1am.

Halloween disco at The Steelworks (SK6). Music by DJ Tommy Mac. Fancy dress optional. 7.30pm.

🍺 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!

Pop in for a pint at Heaton Hops (SK4), CAMRA Pub of the Year for Stockport and South Manchester.

Bitter £2.30 a pint all day at The Cross Keys (SK8).

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) or The Three Tunnes (SK7).

🎤 Karaoke

The Alexandra (SK3).

🎵 Live music

The Bridgebeats at The Crown (SK6). 9pm.

Random photos of County players at other clubs

#37 – Fraser Horsfall, Northampton

Fraser had two seasons at Northampton before joining County, and was named in the PFA Team of the Year for League Two in 2021-22 (which he also achieved with us last season).