Monday 1 January 2024
NEXT HOME GAME: Mansfield – Today, 3pm
NEXT AWAY GAME: Notts County – Saturday 20 January, 3pm
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.
Happy New Year everybody! 🥳
How’s your hangover? I’m sure many Hatters and Stags will be feeling sleepy and sluggish at Edgeley Park this afternoon. That’s not a luxury afforded to the 22 players, however. As my ex-girlfriend once said* to me: “This is a big one.”
Let’s get straight down to business. Ian Brown and Andrew Barlow join us for our first match preview of 2024, and we’ve also got contributions from Mansfield fans Sam Binch and Craig Priest, who both seem like they’d be fairly happy to take a point back to Nottinghamshire this afternoon. Unbeaten over Christmas, I don’t think a point would be a bad result for County today in terms of the automatic promotion race. Win, however, and I really believe we can start to dream of seeing Stockport County clinch a Football League championship for the first time since 1966-67.
Yesterday, I wondered if James Farrar would be the final County fan to sign up as a paid subscriber in 2023, after he clicked the button shortly after the final whistle at Valley Parade on Friday night. The answer to that question, is no! Before the year came to an end, we managed to secure a few bob off a Bob – Bob Carey that is, a County fan born in Bramhall but now exiled in Loughton in Essex.
Bob’s already answered loads of County questions for us, as part of our ‘Meet the Subscribers’ series, which you can read again by clicking on the link below. But I’ve asked him another three questions to find out why he decided to upgrade his subscription from free to paid.
Why did you decide to become a paid subscriber?
I regularly read it so it seems fair to contribute to what is such a fun read. It’s like buying a football magazine but about a team I love and those other teams playing at our level, not dull Premier League drivel.
Favourite thing about The Scarf My Father Wore?
I like the post-match summaries which include the perspective from our opponents. Getting normal fans involved like this is great. Living in Essex I also get a much better feel for who is playing well and what our problems are at any one time.
I love some of the big articles, too. That chap from Uganda, that was an incredible story. Also, taking time to reflect on the passing of County fans is kind and makes for an inclusive family of Hatters.
Why should other County fans become paid subscribers too?
To keep The Scarf My Father Wore going! Such a lot of work goes into it, that not paying for it seems a bit cheeky to me.
Today’s edition is sponsored by Colourtone. As always, a big thank you to Paul.
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: 46.68 miles
Total steps so far: 83,302
Total raised so far: £1,037
Total completed streets so far: 24 (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
*after I bought her a kebab from Mustaph’s
Des Junior loves writing about County. But he can never be arsed doing match previews. They’re a bit dull, aren’t they? Paddy Madden’s out for two games with an ingrown toenail…blah blah blah…tomorrow’s referee has handed out more cards than Moonpig…blah blah blah…County haven’t won at Birmingham since 1672.
Fortunately, he has a number of fellow County content creators to call upon. Here’s their thoughts, general chit-chat and score predictions, as County take on the only side in League Two who could currently go above us by winning their games in hand.
Ian Brown, hedgegrower
County 2 Mansfield 1
Best and worst memories from previous games against the Stags?
County had a fantastic team in 1996-97, promoted at the end of the season, unlucky to go down in the League Cup semi-final to Middlesbrough and still going strong in the FA Cup after Christmas.
We drew Mansfield in round two at Field Mill, and many County fans had the FA Cup way down their list of priorities, preferring County to concentrate on promotion and the League Cup. We’d sneaked through the first round but no travelling supporter wanted anything other than County to progress in the nation’s premier cup competition and a decent following turned out to support the team.
Fog warnings put the game in doubt, but it went ahead with less than half the playing surface visible to the away support. County scored (we were told it was an own goal) and we had to take the informant’s word for it as the action was unseen by County fans in the dense fog.
Kieron Durkan added two more in the second half, which we got a slightly better view of, to give us a 3-0 win. A frustrating win, yes! But there was something in the air (in addition to fog) that season, namely a growing belief and fascination in this County team as it overcame challenge after challenge in a season of glorious memories.
I only have to look back to earlier this season for the worst experience against Mansfield, although there have been a fair few over the years!
The day itself was a total nightmare as the Flyer made it to Field Mill just in time for us to seek shelter in Dunelm just as the rain started. We were cooped up for ages pending news as to whether the match would start, which it eventually did with the travelling County fans suitably wound up.
Matters on the pitch were no better either as County managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of what early on looked like being a famous victory. Louie Barry opened proceedings with a neat goal, before the excellent George Maris equalised as our defence opened up obligingly for him.
A header from Fraser Horsfall sent County in at half-time 2-1 up, but we then folded in an untidy heap thereafter as Davis Keillor-Dunn nicked two and sent us back to SK3 very unhappy bunnies indeed.
We had not been that great defensively that day but we were largely undone by the pace and accuracy of Mansfield’s attacks. I expect the same today; plan accordingly will be DC’s approach this time, and although I expect a barrel load of trouble from our New Year’s Day visitors, I’m going for a 2-1 County win!
Andrew Barlow, Hatters Matters
County 1 Mansfield 1
What do you think County’s top priority should be in the January transfer window?
This is a really difficult one as January throws up a couple of problems for an already depleted squad with Odin Bailey scheduled to return back to his parent club following his loan spell and Ibou Touray heading off to the African Cup of Nations.
Bailey is going to be a massive loss for us as he’s been one of our star performers this season and the fans at Edgeley Park have certainly taken to him. Touray’s departure is now being covered by the loan signing of Ethan Bristow but that is of course reliant on him getting international clearance so hopefully that is sorted by the time Ibou links up with his Gambian teammates.
For me, we need to strengthen in central midfield, especially if a deal can’t be struck with Salford to sign Bailey on a permanent deal. With the Ammies recently sacking manager Neil Wood you don’t know if a new manager will come in and want Bailey to stay at Salford for the remainder of his contract as they look to claw themselves away from the relegation zone – Bailey has certainly proven over the last few months at County what a cracking little player he is in this division. You can tell from his body language and interviews that Odin would love to stay at County long-term but Salford hold all the cards on any possible deal.
We’re already missing Will Collar and Antoni Sarcevic to long-term injuries so we need to sign someone who is ready to step into their shoes as we have looked a little weak in midfield recently with players out of form and others not able to string a run of games together because of injuries.
I know there are a lot of points to play for but the Mansfield game falls into a “must not lose” category if we have any ambitions to secure the League Two title. I thought that six points from the four games over Christmas would be a good haul and I still believe that as it would mean that we haven’t dropped any points against any of our promotion rivals. I think it will be a cagey affair at Edgeley Park with both teams playing out a 1-1 draw but I would be absolutely ecstatic if we pulled off a win to start 2024 with a bang.
Sam Binch, Mansfield Musings
County 1 Mansfield 1
Mansfield have drawn 10 of their 23 games in League Two this season. Are you coming for a point this afternoon or are you after all three?
We’ll be coming to win. I’ve not seen us play for a draw all season so I can’t see why we’d start now. We did look tired on Friday night, but I’m predicting a draw today. 1-1.
Craig Priest, Mansfield Matters
County 3 Mansfield 3
Can Mansfield win League Two this season?
If Mansfield won League Two it would be a massive achievement, but one that wouldn’t be based on this season alone – one that’s been brewing for the last three seasons. We’ve put ourselves in a great position this season by becoming tough to beat, difficult to break down and patient.
At the start of the campaign, 14 teams had the potential to fight for the four promotion spots, so it was all about keeping the pace and ensuring that the squad would be strong enough to cope with injury and suspension. I still think this is true with maybe 10-12 teams looking for promotion, so at the halfway point, it’s a matter of doing the same.
Teams will undoubtedly add quality in the window. For us we already have it; it’s more about holding our nerve and not adding for the sake of it, whilst at the same time not losing any of our key players.
Can we win League Two? Yes. Will we win it? Now that’s an answer for my dreams, not a County website!
Give your car a lick of paint
Granted, Stockport used to be a little rough around the edges. But the town’s getting a good old lick of paint these days, with fancy new offices, apartments, bars and restaurants springing up. You can’t be driving up and down the A6 in a tatty car with chipped paintwork, so give your car a nice lick of paint too. Colourtone is your go-to company for that. They’ve been servicing the automotive and industrial markets in Cheshire and Greater Manchester for decades, and carry an extensive range of car paint and industrial paints.
Visit colourtone.com for further details.
Photo of the day
Valley Parade, Bradford
We had a County fan behind enemy lines in West Yorkshire on Friday night, but he managed to take this cracking picture. A Friday night over Christmas, on a wet and windy evening. Almost 2,500 away fans. Some club. 💙🎩
Today in SK
Start the New Year in style with a breakfast and a beer at Bask (SK1)!
Random County fan of the day #1 – Fletch!
One final thing before you go… if you’re looking to learn to drive in January, or lose a few pounds after Christmas, or even get some work done at home, please contact our fantastic advertisers!
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