County fans are on their way to Essex, but they end up going Tottenham instead

Another article featuring alternative arrangements for a Saturday football fix, after our game at Colchester gets rained off

Mar 04, 2024

Monday 4 March 2024

NEXT HOME GAME: Newport – Saturday 9 March, 3pm

NEXT AWAY GAME: Salford – Thursday 14 March, 8pm

If you’d like to write an article for The Scarf My Father Wore, share a few snippets or photos, or advertise your business, please email thescarfmyfatherwore@substack.com.

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

Back in January, after our game at Notts County was postponed, we published an article featuring different County fans who still managed to enjoy a Saturday afternoon game of football, from Stoke to Stockport Town.

From Stoke to Stockport Town, a number of County fans still managed to get their football fix on Saturday afternoon

The Scarf My Father Wore

January 21, 2024

Read full story

With Saturday’s game at Colchester falling victim to the weather, I thought we’d do a similar piece for you today. So here’s Paul Flanagan, Michael Shoard, John Hornsby, Dan Levy, Edward Keane and Bob Carey with their alternative arrangements from the weekend.

Our first live event of 2024 is taking place next month. ‘Flynny at the Finger’ – an evening with County legend Mike Flynn – is at The Fingerpost on Wednesday 17 April. Start time 7.30pm. Over half the tickets have already been sold. If you’d like to join us, please email thescarfmyfatherwore@substack.com. Tickets are £10 (or £5 for paid subscribers plus anyone who’s written an article for The Scarf My Father Wore). That includes a full colour souvenir programme, and even a little bit of stand-up comedy!

Today’s edition is sponsored by R ‘N’ B Window Cleaning. A big thank you to Pete and Tom. Call 07970 024933 if you’d like to book a slot, for your home or your business.

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: 113.33 miles

Total steps so far: 184,956

Total raised so far: £1,631

Total completed streets so far: 202 (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

Tottenham Hotspur 3 Crystal Palace 1

Paul Flanagan @ Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Where were you when you heard County had been called off?

On the 9.25 train to London. Literally five minutes into the journey!

What made you decide to go to Tottenham?

Our train tickets were non-refundable so we decided to go to London and have a day out. On the way we looked for various games to go to, Spurs being one of them. Of the six of us that went, three decided to go to Spurs and three to Hendon.

How was your journey?

Journey was great. Chris Wallwork had brought a suitcase of beer and snacks so we picnicked our way there, stored the suitcase, and then collected it for the journey back and finished it all off!

Thoughts on the game?

The game was surprisingly boring in the first half. Palace probably had the upper hand but a general lack of quality all round. The atmosphere was a bit quiet from the home fans. We were right above the Palace fans, who were in good voice. Second half much more entertaining especially with Palace scoring first. Three goals from Spurs made it 3-1 but still the home fans seemed to lack much atmosphere, which was surprising given they won.

Thoughts on the ground?

Amazing. Such a fantastic venue with amazing views all round. Easy to get to from Euston on the underground and then a short hop on the overground. Bar service was fairly quick, good selection of food which wasn’t horrendously priced. Moretti on tap, which was good! Overall, a top notch venue. Busy afterwards as you’d expect, with big queues at the stations, so we Uber’d back to Euston for £20 which seemed worth it.

Was it worth it?

Nothing can replace a County away day, but I think we made the most of it, and despite an anxious 30 minute wait from Seatsnet for the tickets, a great day was had. I’m fortunate to have such a great set of County mates. We have a great time no matter what.

Buxton 0 Scarborough Athletic 0

Michael Shoard @ Silverlands

Where were you when you heard County had been called off?

Sitting in Morrisons café in Rotherham waiting for confirmation that our game was off (we’d feared the worst but set off anyway).

What made you decide to go to Buxton?

We originally went to Huddersfield as their game against Leeds was kicking off at 12.30, but couldn't buy tickets as we were unable to prove we’d been to other Huddersfield matches (to deter Leeds fans from infiltrating the home end). Other County fans were turned away at the same time. Then went to Bradford, but decided against it at £25 a pop, which was a good thing as that got postponed too. We’d already lined up Buxton v Scarborough as our back-up option to see the legend that is Sam Minihan again, and also to see how Cody Johnson fared on his debut.

How was your journey?

Rather circuitous but fine. Enjoyed the snowy peaks. Made us laugh that three and a half hours after picking up my mate at Glossop station, we drove back past it, also having time to stop at my gaff in Hayfield so he could see my County shirt collection.

Thoughts on the game?

National League North standard. Some decent moves but some hoofball at times too. Scarborough rarely threatened (that’s four games without a goal now) and their keeper kept them in it a few times. Sam bust a gut as always but went off with a knock second half. Cody grew into the game and had some quality touches.

Thoughts on the ground?

Ground was decent enough, with a reasonable away following. Buxton fans were friendly and welcoming when they saw our County colours, speaking highly of Sam. It’s excellent they have a 4G pitch, otherwise they’d have a lot of postponements up there.

Was it worth it?

Ticket £15, pie and chips £5, coffee £1.50, programme (with free teamsheet) £2.50. I’d definitely do it again.

AFC Sudbury 1 Hitchin Town 0

John Hornsby @ MEL Group Stadium

Where were you when you heard County had been called off?

Doing a parkrun at Colchester Castle! (Well, actually I found out once I’d finished – the message came through while I was in the middle of it.) We'd been in Colchester since the Thursday, having a few days down there exploring the city. Had seen the rumours on Twitter on the Friday afternoon it might be off so were kind of expecting it.

What made you decide to go to AFC Sudbury?

Seeing as we were down there we wanted to see a game. Most of the local non-league games around Colchester were also called off, so it was between AFC Sudbury v Hitchin Town or Chelmsford City v Aveley. Hitchin had Stephen Gleeson in their midfield so that gave us a nice County connection which made our decision for us. Possibly the wrong decision, as there were four sent off at Chelmsford in a bit of a grudge derby match!

How was your journey?

It’s a long way to Colchester! Glad we didn't decide to drive there and back in a day.

Thoughts on the game?

It wasn't great. Both teams are struggling at the wrong end of the table. Sudbury were about 10 points adrift of safety and needed a win to give them any hope of staying up while Hitchin were only a couple of places above but on a bit of a winless run themselves. First half was quite end-to-end, with Sudbury edging it and grabbing a goal just before half-time. Second half got quite scrappy, not many chances and Sudbury were able to see it through. Unfortunately Gleeson wasn’t the player he was when he was at County (was it really 17 years ago he first came to EP?) and was poor. His set pieces in particular were rubbish.

Thoughts on the ground?

Standard non-league ground really, 4G pitch with a small seated stand and a nice bar. Not sure what the final crowd was, a few hundred maybe which included a small contingent of Hitchin fans.

Was it worth it?

Honestly, not really. We had hoped to knock off another Football League ground and see County win at Colchester. It’s a long way to go to not do that. Colchester itself isn't a particularly picturesque city, though there is a fair amount of Roman history which was quite interesting. The weather wasn't great for a lot of our trip so we spent a fair amount of time in pubs and coffee shops! I suppose it was better than being in work.

Oxford City 1 Aldershot Town 2

Dan Levy @ Marsh Lane

Where were you when you heard County had been called off?

Sitting at home having a nice cup of coffee, and waiting for my son to turn up on the bus from Cheltenham. He was nearly here.

What made you decide to go to Oxford City?

I live in Oxfordshire, it was that or doing something that wasn’t football, and I knew that Simon “Scarf” Holt was going there. He lives 10 minutes away from the stadium. We bumped into another County fan at the end who recognised us from the Pop Side.

How was your journey?

Short, thanks. Much nearer than Colchester. Or Edgeley Park.

Thoughts on the game?

It was rubbish. Oxford City are utterly hopeless, out of their depth at this level, and nailed on to go down. They were playing Aldershot, who weren’t much better. Main thoughts were: “Was it really this bad when we were in this division”; “Thank goodness we aren’t in this division any more”; and “How did we manage to let Aldershot beat us in the FA Cup”. My son enjoyed being rude to Josh Stokes, who was by far the best player on the pitch but had committed the sin of scoring at Edgeley Park.

Thoughts on the ground?

Still as non-league as it was when we played there, though I think the floodlights have been upgraded so you can actually see the ball when it isn’t sunny. Losing to them in the Conference North was the nadir of our stay in non-league. That was the one where Dicko returned and was both much larger and much smaller than he had been when he played in our promotion team. The one where fans left before the end by walking across the pitch. I rather like properly non-league grounds though – no segregation, a clubhouse where people can mingle and have a beer at half-time, and close enough to the players and managers to hear every word they say.

Was it worth it?

£18 each. No. But it costs a lot of money to run a professional football club, and I don’t begrudge them charging what they do.

Cheadle Town 2 Pilkington 0

Edward Keane @ Park Road

Where were you when you heard County had been called off?

Near Corley Services just south of Coventry on the M6.

What made you decide to go to Cheadle Town?

Looked at games local to Stockport I could get to. With train strikes making the journey to Buxton improbable it was that or Wythenshawe Amateurs. Fun fact: I originally set off for Wythenshawe Amateurs but that too was called off!

How was your journey?

Easy. Bus from the town centre where I live, then a swift walk back after finding out Wythenshawe was off while I was already on the bus.

Thoughts on the game?

Poor quality between two equally matched teams. Hard to be critical due to the level though, and the weather didn't help. Was reminiscent of the bad days of our early years in the sixth tier. One excellent goal, one OK goal. Was impressed by the 8-year-old Cheadle Town "Ultras" giving some loud support.

Thoughts on the ground?

Decent enough for the level. Been several times before with County, hence my wish to do Wythenshawe as a new ground. Do like the stand being quite steep with covered terracing above the seats. Excellent view of the game and the hills behind.

Was it worth it?

For six quid, yeah. Plus the ease of getting there and back (I was home the same time as I would be from EP). Would like less rain and a bit more heat next time though.

Dune: Part II (12A)

Bob Carey @ Genesis Cinema

Where were you when you heard County had been called off?

I was sitting on a sofa in my house in Loughton in Essex. I am told I don’t know how to sit on a sofa properly by my wife and that I make a mess of the cushions and the throw (a blanket in my view). That’s a bit rich. I have spent most of my adult years sitting on my arse and I think I’m very good at it.

What made you decide to go to the cinema?

The alternative was a day out in Colchester. Not appealing. Me, West Ham Mike and Brun had been out for drinks the other night and had all mentioned Dune: Part II. It’s a long one and we rarely go to the cinema so it worked well for us.

How was your journey?

Harrowing. My right ear pod lost sound 10 minutes in so I gave up on my music. An annoying woman was talking loudly on her mobile on the tube. Tube delays too, which are the norm at the moment. Still I got to the pub in Stepney Green in time and supped a pint before the film. That of course meant two toilet trips during the film. I’m 57 but my bladder is older I reckon.

Thoughts on the film?

I preferred Gillingham away to be honest. It was quite good but I’m easily confused with plot lines and it just seems like another Lord of the Rings leaving the story hanging at the end. Christopher Walken must be bloody old now and he did look it. Such a long film but went by quickly. I preferred the first Dune film. Not the old Sting one.

Thoughts on the cinema?

Really good and half the price of many London ones. Very cool bar that wasn’t mad prices for beer either. Beats those huge multiplex places. Not too handy for County fans though, except for me and Brun.

Was it worth it?

Missing out on Colchester v County was a right pisser but after the film we supped a few pints and then had a tasty bite at German Doner Kebab. Better still we got to discuss important questions… If you had to have one or the other, would you have an arm made out of cake that is self-replenishing or retractable hair? If you were a wrestler what would your theme music be? What would you do if you came home and found a penguin in your freezer. As you can see, we’re very good at discussing world problems like these, enhanced by alcohol. Roll on a wet Tuesday night in Colchester!

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5 questions with Pete from R ‘N’ B Window Cleaning

What was the best moment with your business in February?

Purchasing our fifth van and gaining a contract to provide a quarterly clean at McVitie’s.

What’s your plans for the business this month?

To get another 20,000 leaflets delivered and gain another 100-200 monthly customers.

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

We cover the whole of the Stockport borough so if any local The Scarf My Father Wore readers would like their windows professionally cleaned, please get in touch.

As it’s Easter at the end of this month, what’s your favourite chocolate?

Cadbury's Caramel.

Have you booked your summer holiday yet?

Not yet, but we’re looking at a couple of weeks in Spain hopefully.

Visit rnbwindowcleaning.co.uk for further details.

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Photo of the day

Some classic County programmes from our last Football League title-winning season.

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Today in SK

🎬 Cinema

One film at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) today. Dune: Part II (12A) at 7pm. Click here for tickets.

🍺 Food and drink

There’s a new craft stout at The Dog & Partridge (SK2) this month. Euphoria is a 4.5% ABV dark, easy drinking kegged stout with a subtle punch of coffee, chocolate and a deep, rich malt flavour.

Treat yourself to a delicious scone at All Things Nice (SK6), freshly baked each morning with love. Open till 4pm.