Harrogate 1 County 3
Carlsberg don’t do away days, but if they did, they’d certainly include things like a first goal for Tanto, a club record for Ben, and three points to keep us in the play-offs
Sunday 12 February 2023
“Oh dear. Best answer them tomorrow as the answers may contain too many expletives.”
That was the email I received from Harrogate fan Jordan Ford a couple of hours after the final whistle at Wetherby Road yesterday. It’s never easy having to write stuff about your own team losing, especially for the website of the team that’s just ruined your weekend, but fair play to Jordan as by half nine this morning his match report was sitting in my inbox.
I guess I’m trying to say a big thank you to Jordan, as well as all of the other rival supporters who contribute to The Scarf My Father Wore. With these match reports we publish, I really enjoy having an opposing fan to speak to, as well as a Hatter. I like asking exactly the same questions to both, but then seeing the contrast in their responses, so I’m always grateful to those willing to share their thoughts and opinions.
I mention all of this today because sometimes it can be a pain in the arse trying to find a rival fan to speak to. I’m not entirely sure why I’m dredging this up today, but it still bugs me thinking back to last summer and the following email I received following a simple request to ask a few questions on Dover Athletic’s season, as I did with all of the other clubs as the National League campaign reached its conclusion.
“Hi Des. As stated I presented your questions to our Supporters Club Committee and the reaction was unanimous! It was felt that the questions were irrelevant and at a time when money was the undoubted difference between promotion and relegation some might say these questions were an insult to one's intelligence?! We wish you well with your promotion.”
With County pushing for promotion to League One, I really shouldn’t be irked by a mid-table team in the National League South, should I? But that email still irritates me to this day. Sod ‘em. With the alarming rate of coastal erosion they might not be here in a decade or two anyway. I think I need a lie down.
Thanks to our regular reporter Sandy McGregor as well for giving us the County view on yesterday’s three points in Yorkshire. Having put the request in to Sandy, the email I received back from him was a simple one.
“Sure.”
Straight down to business. A no-nonsense approach from our Scottish County correspondent. Although he did send me this as well…
“But don’t forget you still haven’t paid me my can of Irn-Bru and packet of Tunnock’s for the last match report I did ya wee bawbag.”
Now, Sandy didn’t really say that. I’m just trying to give you a little chuckle on this Sunday afternoon. Speaking of trying to make you chuckle (king of the segues, ladies and gentlemen!) I’ve just finished writing the questions for our quiz night at Bask on Thursday 23 February. We’ve got a cracking quiz. We’ve got great prizes. We’ve got Paul Jones joining us for the evening. We’ve even got a little bit of stand-up comedy as well. All that for a fiver. Click here to join us.
Finally, a big thank you to John and all the team at Soft Soap for sponsoring today’s edition. If you’re looking for any cleaning services at the moment, they currently have a fantastic offer for new customers. Full details below.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Unless you’re from Dover.
Des Junior
Yesterday’s match in one word:
Jordan - One-sided. (Is that one word or two?)
Sandy - Comfortable.
Pre-match thoughts:
Jordan - Going into the game I was optimistic given how we’ve been playing recently.
Sandy - Thought we needed a win and a performance. We have a big couple of weeks coming up so we needed to put a marker down.
Post-match thoughts:
Jordan - I thought we’d give it a better go than that.
Sandy - Job well done.
Verdict on Harrogate:
Jordan - Rubbish. No drive, no quality, no clue.
Sandy - In the first half they moved the ball around very nicely, very much like they did when they were in non-league. On the whole County kept them at arm's length. They seem low on confidence.
Verdict on County:
Jordan - Man for man County were the better team and deserved the win.
Sandy - Very good. Slightly disappointed that we let them back into the game in the second half but pleased that we had an extra gear to get into.
Top Sulphurite:
Jordan - Olaigbe. Making his debut and looked the only player capable of creating anything.
Sandy - Really hard to pick anyone out.
Top Hatter:
Jordan - Ben Hinchliffe for giving us a glimmer of hope!
Sandy - Hippolyte. Back to his best.
Atmosphere:
Jordan - As ever, County brought a great vocal following. We’re really struggling with the atmosphere at the moment, and it’s not helped with our performances on the pitch.
Sandy - A bit odd. Terracing was packed. Seemed way too many on there, not sure if that was because behind the goal was closed. Hard to get any real atmosphere going as the Harrogate fans are so quiet. The County faithful did make plenty of noise. I could have done without some of the chants about Simon Weaver. Strayed into areas we should not be going.
The food was top rate. The pie and mash went down very well. Gary, our driver, was waxing lyrical about the Bovril.
Hopes for the rest of the season:
Jordan - Avoiding relegation. It’s going to be a tough run-in, but hopefully there’s two worse teams than us. I’m still confident we’ll stay up.
Sandy - Still hoping for automatic but play-offs are more realistic. There are so many teams in the mix that there is little margin for error.
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 3-1 victory at Harrogate Town on Saturday 11 February 2023, as told from his three County-related WhatsApp groups…
2.02pm: Madden out with a calf injury. Ben breaks the goalkeeper appearance record today.
2.04pm: Opportunity for Tanto then. Hope you haven’t cursed us Des! [I’d started the day by referencing the fact County had scored at least one goal on all nine previous trips to Harrogate.]
3.21pm: Hippolyte 1-0. Started the move and scores the goal.
3.22pm: I am in love…
3.24pm: SCREW YOU! I ain’t no jinx. [That was from me.]
3.37pm: Get in! 2-0 Tanto. His first County goal should give him confidence.
3.40pm: Harrogate were poor at EP and their league position probably isn't unfair, so we should be coming here to at least win but boost our goal difference as well.
3.53pm: We’ve got a celebrity steward… Barry Chuckle!
3.54pm: Are you sure it's not Barry McGuigan? I'd check before you kick off about the overcrowded terrace...
3.57pm: Surely it’s Gary Glitter…
4.25pm: Goal for Harrogate. FFS.
4.31pm: Impossible to see on that replay but Flashscore has it down as a Hinchliffe own goal?
4.34pm: It was an own goal, but we’ve scored again! Collar header.
4.57pm: Great day for us! Orient, Stevenage, Carlisle, Northampton and Salford above us all drop points. As do Swindon, Barrow and Sutton just below us. Only unfortunate thing is Bradford winning. But we’re one of only four sides in the top 10 to win. Great day, all considered.
2.32am: Terribly pissed. Met a lovely 24-year-old nurse from Stepping Hill, on a well deserved night out in The Grapes. Enquired about Paddy's calf strain - four weeks if it’s only minor.
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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
Somewhere in Harrogate
Harrogate’s a rather pretty spa town, so it’s important to keep it that way by putting your litter in the bin. So The Scarf My Father Wore awards a shiny gold star to whichever Hatter did this yesterday for doing their bit for the environment.
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.