County v Tranmere
Fingers crossed the Railway End crossbar doesn’t suffer any PTSD this afternoon, as Tranmere return to SK3 for the first time since that infamous afternoon in 2010
Saturday 4 February 2023
Dear County fans, Stopfordians, and anyone else joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Saturday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore. It’s a quick one from me this morning, as I’m off to Edgeley Park for a corporate day, but I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of Jon, Jonathan and Ian for all your Tranmere build-up.
I’d also like to say a huge thank you to Paul and all the team at Colourtone for sponsoring today’s edition. See below for further details on what they have to offer.
Here’s to three points this afternoon.
Des Junior
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 providers to have a pre-match natter with. Here’s their thoughts, as well as their score predictions, as Tranmere pay us a visit for the first time in over a decade.
Jon Keighren, Stockport County
County 2 Tranmere 1
What do County need to do in February that they haven’t been doing in January?
I think most County fans would’ve taken this position at the start of the season, going into February just three points shy of the play-offs. Obviously there is a sense of disappointment in that we haven’t really got going since the turn of the year, and we should be higher up the league. However, we have a winnable run of fixtures to come this month and after a good transfer window there is plenty of scope for optimism. With the quality we have in our squad, I am confident that County will be comfortably in the top seven by the end of the month.
Jonathan Baker aka Geordie Hatter, The County Away Day Show
County 2 Tranmere 1
This feels like a simple question, but the answer doesn’t seem to be straightforward at the moment. How do County get that one good performance and victory that could really kickstart the second half of the season?
If I knew the answer to that one Des... then I'd probably be in the dugout! But if I was going to suggest a way forward/go on a hunch, then I'm actually glad the transfer window has come and gone, because maybe now the club can pause from this helter-skelter trading of footballers that we have been partaking in as if involved in some kind of speed dating/Monopoly challenge. Let’s get back to the sporting fundamentals of endeavouring to get the best tune out of the (actually pretty talented) players we've got. Key to which, I would venture to suggest, may be allowing those players some more licence to play instinctively in the moment and to their individual and collective strengths. On Tuesday in particular I felt that too often we looked to be operating to a long-ball-based 'playbook' that rendered us overly predictable and too easy to defend against. As we enter the second half of the season we can hopefully now field a more regular starting XI. I'd love to see us build on that platform by getting back to our more natural passing game (the one that brought us that one moment of pure joy at Gresty Road), and trusting ourselves to impose that game on the opposition. I'm quite sure we're good enough.
As for today, I do think a lot depends on how we approach the game. But I'll err on the side of sunny late-winter optimism, and say… 2-1.
Ian Brown, hedgegrower
County 1 Tranmere 1
What are your best and worst memories from previous meetings with Tranmere?
Well, the worst is a forlorn memory from 2003-04 when County went down 3-2 at their place.
I’m probably the only one around here who remembers Jack Rosenthal’s ITV drama Another Sunday and Sweet F.A. where the referee, tired of abuse from the players, rose in the 90th minute to head home from a corner, before promptly blowing for time and doing his own lap of honour to the bemusement of both teams.
Now, Mr Joe Ross didn’t quite manage that, but he did give Rovers two ridiculous penalties (both converted) and disallowed a perfectly good goal by County at 2-2 that would have won us a game we totally dominated from minute 1 to minute 90!
As for the best, look no further than 2016 when Jim Gannon’s return declared its first dividend for County who beat EFL side Tranmere Rovers 2-1 after extra time to win the prestigious Cheshire Senior Cup.
The best type of County goal, a last minute winner in extra time (scored by Obi Anoruo), did the trick for County on a windswept night at the Weaver Stadium. That’s a good memory!
I’ll go for a 1-1 draw today but with a bit more of the spark from the Hatters that we know is in there somewhere, although there’s every chance I could be wrong!
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.
Click here for contact details.
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
Saltergate, Chesterfield
I’d genuinely use the phrase “a thing of beauty” to describe the old bogs at Saltergate, which a few of our younger readers might struggle to understand. But I’m sure a few older ones will have fond memories of places like this (not necessarily the actual toilets), traditional old school football grounds packed in among the houses. And that’s before we even reminisce about that Monday night in April 1997…
Never mind Google or Yell.com, we’ve got you covered
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.
Myself and the Geordie Hatter often agree, it’s almost like we watch the same matches! This occasion is no different, so I’ll spare the echo.
The Saltergate wet room wall picture took me back! Something my memory had wiped completely but wow how times have changed! And sometimes it must be acknowledged, for the better…
Prematch excitement has gotten the better of me and I’m going to make a prediction, despite being wrong once before! A disco inferno goal for Byrne baby Byrne and a clean sheet isn’t too much to ask for now January has finally taken itself off to where the sun don’t shine. I O County!
County 1 - Tranmere 0