“If I came home to find him sleeping in my bed, I’d go downstairs and use the last of the bacon to make him a sandwich”

Gary Hutchinson speaks fondly of Lincoln’s chairman and their recent rise from the National League to League One, and Ian Brown also shares his thoughts ahead of this afternoon’s game

Oct 26, 2024

Saturday 26 October 2024

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

Gary Hutchinson from The Stacey West joins us today, ahead of County’s first trip to Lincoln since a 3-3 draw in October 2012, a few months before we dropped into the sixth tier. (If you fancy reading more from Gary, check out his personal website garyhutchinson.co.uk.)

Ian Brown is also with us ahead of County’s trip to Lincolnshire.

Today’s edition is sponsored by Lynx Taxis. A big thank you to Ehsan.

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

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How’s your season been so far?

Enjoyable. We started well and up until this time last week had only lost once. We’ve got a decent squad, and while we’ve had injuries, we’ve been able to cover those. There’s a lot at stake over the next two matches, a double header of home games that we really need to see points from if we’re going to stay in touching distance of the top six.

Aside from Fanny Hands Lane, where's the best place to live in Lincolnshire?

Claxby Pluckacre is nice around this time of year, as is Mavis Enderby. I quite enjoy living where I do, miles of fields in every direction and nobody bothering you one week to the next. The only issue is I’m closer to Grimsby than Lincoln, so the occasional smell of rotting fish drifts over on the wind.

Your journey has been similar to ours, dropping out of the league and having an existential crisis before making it back again with happier times and bigger crowds. It’s six years in League One now for Lincoln. What’s the secret to success?

Cup runs. If you get a cup run, and some money, that’s the platform to build on. I suppose the answer should be money but it feels crass to say that, because the likes of Forest Green show you money doesn’t buy class (on the field, or off it). Our secret has been a good owner, and those cup runs in 2016-17 (FA Cup quarter-finals) and 2017-18 (EFL Trophy winners). It also helps when you’re a proper club like us, Stockport and (one day) York. Teams with pedigree, with the potential to hit 9,000 fans every week. Sure, they don’t come when you play North Ferriby, but at least they’re out there, unlike Fleetwood and Forest Green.

Lincoln became the first non-league side to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals for 103 years in 2016-17, with a 1-0 win at Premier League Burnley

You just mentioned having a good owner. Clive Nates has been at the helm for a number of years now. Thoughts?

If I came home to find him sleeping in my bed, I’d go downstairs and use the last of the bacon to make him a sandwich, use the last of the milk to make him a brew, and spoon him when he’d finished.

Clive Nates (Photo credit: Lincoln City FC)

What’s the fan culture like at Lincoln these days?

It’s good. We have some hardcore fans, the 617, who grab headlines, but there’s a good feeling across the fanbase. I like to travel to away games on Andy’s Bus – a group of supporters who like a beer and a laugh, and there’s plenty of other groups like that across the fanbase. Sure, there’s the toxic minority who moan on social media after every defeat, but that’s life now, isn’t it?

What’s your thoughts on Stockport County - A) the club B) the fans C) the manager?

A) As a club, I’m pleased you’re back in the Football League. I have this thing about so-called proper clubs who survive hard times and come back. You, us, Luton, clubs like that. It’s endearing, and it builds your fanbase I feel. Struggling every season and surviving is fine, but when you’ve scraped the bottom, and lost in the FA Trophy to teams with made-up names, it binds you. I have a respect for any side that has done that, and for the fans.

B) I don’t really like or dislike your supporters, because it’s been a decade since we’ve crossed paths. Ask me again on Sunday!

C) He seems like he’s doing a good job. You’ve got a decent budget though, likely more than ours, but as I’ve already said, having money and using it properly are two different things, so fair play to him for using it wisely.

Best pubs in Lincoln?

I like The Treaty of Commerce and Gwynne’s on a matchday. The Strugglers up the hill is a cracking pub if you’re doing the whole tourist thing around the castle and cathedral.

Give us a brief history of your podcast.

We started in 2018 just as a bit of fun, and we’re now well over 300 episodes. We’ve done specials with every manager since, including live shows with Michael Appleton and Mark Kennedy – the latter in front of 200 people. It was originally me and Ben, but we’re now four people strong and putting out two episodes a week.

You had Stockport lad Simon Yeo on the pod recently. What’s your favourite Yeo memory?

Lovely bloke. His inability to get through six lines of speech without swearing is amazing. His goal against Torquay to send us into the play-offs in 2002-03 will always be my favourite memory, even overshadowing the brace he got against Scunthorpe a week later.

Prediction for today?

I predict a couple of pints in Gwynne’s before the game as I’m getting the bus in, and then lots afterwards as I’m going to a Halloween fancy dress party as Jason Voorhees. On the field? I’m hoping for a Camp Crystal Lake style massacre, rather than a Blair Witch style snoozefest.

Lincoln are known as the Imps. What’s the most impish thing you’ve ever done?

I was the Imp mascot for 16 years, so actually being an Imp is probably the most impish thing I’ve ever done. I did empty a load of water bottles over the seats in the away dugout when Brian Laws and Scunthorpe visited in 2003-04, and left a little envelope with a picture I’d taken at the Millennium Stadium in there as well (we’d beaten them in the play-off semi-finals). I wouldn’t get away with it now, but I also took penalties against a blow-up sheep with “Mrs Trundle” written on it in front of Swansea fans around the same time. Lee Trundle, obviously, played for them at the time. Oddly, they loved it.

Download the app for Lynx Taxis

Lynx Taxis is South Manchester and Cheshire’s largest private hire and taxi operator, with over 600 drivers completing over 2 million trips a year. A few of those will be around 8 o’clock tonight when all the various County coaches get back to Stockport.

Avoid any hassle trying to get a taxi tonight, and download the Lynx Taxis app now.

Visit lynxtaxis.co.uk for further details.

Lincoln v County

Des Junior loves writing about County. But he can never be arsed doing match previews. They’re a bit dull, aren’t they? Will Collar’s out for a month with diarrhoea… blah blah blah…tomorrow’s referee has handed out more cards than Moonpig…blah blah blah…County haven’t won at Birmingham for a thousand years.

Fortunately, he has a number of fellow County content creators to call upon. Here’s their thoughts, general chit-chat and score predictions, ahead of a tricky trip to Lincoln.

Ian Brown, All Things Stockport County

Lincoln 1 County 1

Only one win in eight after another draw on Tuesday night. What’s changed since our top-of-the-league winning run at the start of the season?

The short answer is that we’re now locked into a seemingly endless run of draws when the season started with us putting together some excellent wins – very probably fuelled by adrenaline as much as coaching genius.

Also, although the division is a tough arena in which to operate, to a large extent we were an unknown quantity to established League One sides when the season opened. Now we’ve been sussed out to some extent making each game much more difficult for County to control.

The effect on County has been that our ability to produce goals of real quality has diminished, possibly by our opponents upping their game as much as any conscious decision by ourselves to operate differently.

We clearly need to break this sequence of draws and the predilection for just one more pass across or backwards instead of playing to our strengths, which for me are the pace and power of Fevrier on the right flank, Louie Barry and Tanto at the sharp end, Lewis Bate in midfield and our excellent defence.

It looks like we’re about to see the best of Nick Powell based on his recent performances which can only be good news. I also note that young Jid Okeke has been recalled from his loan – he looked good to me before going out to South Shields – and he could be the answer to our right-back problem.

It’s “nil desperandum” for me. Keep taking the tablets, there’s a win just around the corner… but maybe not at Sincil Bank!

Ian follows County home and away, producing detailed match reports every week, along with lots of other great content. Head over to hedgegrower.blogspot.com.

Photo of the day

This gaggle of County fans won’t be at Lincoln this afternoon. They’re in Belgium for Charleroi v OHL! That’s the random game that came out of the box from Mystery Away Days for Shaun Collins’ 50th birthday. Have a great weekend chaps!

Today in SK

🎬 Cinema

Two films at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) today. The Wild Robot (U) at 12.15pm and 2.30pm, followed by The Critic (15) at 5pm. Click here for tickets.

🍺 Food and drink

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

All pints £2.50 at The Cross Keys (SK8) from 6pm till 9pm.

If you’re simply in the mood for a couple of pints today, pop along to one of our featured venues such as AMP (SK1), The Crown (SK2), The Alexandra (SK3), The Steelworks (SK6) or The Three Tunnes (SK7).

🎵 Karaoke

The Nelson Tavern (SK1) with Lee. From 8pm.

🎙 Live music

Reserved at The Dog & Partridge (SK2). 8pm.

Victor Michael at The Crown (SK6). 9.30pm.

Random photos of County players at other clubs

#33 – Shane Nicholson, Derby

Shane Nicholson started his career at Lincoln, before moving to Derby for £100,000 in 1991-92. Spells with West Brom and Chesterfield followed before arriving at Edgeley Park in the summer of 1999. Nicholson made 83 appearances under Andy Kilner (scoring three goals) before moving to Sheffield United.