It’s Fixture Eve!
Ahead of the 2023-24 fixtures being published tomorrow, Des Junior takes a trip down memory lane, looking back at some opening day games of yore
Wednesday 21 June 2023
NEXT HOME GAME: Huddersfield - Saturday 22 July, 3pm
NEXT AWAY GAME: Lincoln (in Spain!) - Friday 7 July, 4pm (Click here for our away day guide)
What would you like to eat on the opening day of the season? Fish and chips at Morecambe? A veggie burger at Forest Green? Or do you fancy sharing a bit of Welsh rarebit with our old friends at the Racecourse? You’ll be able to choose something from the menu tomorrow, as the fixtures are released at 9am.
County have never commenced at Crawley or started at Swindon, but they have kicked off a new season against 14 of the teams in League Two’s latest line-up. I thought I’d take a trip down memory lane today, looking back at the last time we met those aforementioned 14 clubs on the opening day of the campaign.
Finally, a big thank you to Mark at Bridge Computer Services for sponsoring today’s edition.
Enjoy today’s issue.
Des Junior
County 2 Barrow 3
2022-23
Stockholm syndrome is a condition in which hostages develop a psychological bond with their captors. As County found themselves 3-0 down just after the half hour mark on the opening day of last season, I feared that after 11 years in non-league, the players might have formed an emotional attachment with the fifth tier and were desperate to return. Fortunately we got a little bit better after the break, and a lot better over the course of our first season back in the Football League.
Forest Green 1 County 1
2011-12
Our first ever game in the Conference was on the telly. Fair play to the 464 County fans who travelled down to The New Lawn, but a Friday night in Gloucestershire seemed like a pain in the arse for most, with Premier Sports in the pub a more preferable option. A dozen of us watched the game at The Plough in Heaton Moor, and had to watch County go a goal down, before Nick Chadwick rescued a point late on in Dietmar Hamann’s first game in charge.
County 2 Mansfield 2
2005-06
Carlton Palmer returned to Edgeley Park on the opening day of the 2005-06 season as player-manager of Mansfield. Obviously, he named himself in the starting line-up, and obviously, we were 2-0 down at half-time. County fought back in the second half, though, as Jermaine Easter scored twice to rescue a point, in our first game in the fourth tier since 1990-91. After the game, I came within a whisker (or should that be gnasher…) of a police dog taking a chunk out of my bottom at The Bamford Arms, but that’s a story for another day…
Colchester 1 County 0
2002-03
Welcome to Division Two. Just five months after beating Manchester City at Edgeley Park, we found ourselves in the ramshackle away end at Layer Road as County returned to the third tier. Fraser McLachlan was sent off before Colchester scored the only goal of the game.
Gillingham 1 County 3
2000-01
A beautiful sunny day in Kent for Gillingham’s first ever game in the second tier. Guy Butters gave the home side the lead after just two minutes, but Andy Kilner’s men took control after that. Ian Moore and Layton Maxwell (currently doing an eight-year stretch for dealing cocaine) put us in front before the break, with Moore adding his second and County’s third late on. I was sporting a lovely new pair of white Henri Lloyd jeans for the game, which featured a couple of alterations by the time I was on the train home – blood and a ripped knee. The old terraced away end at Priestfield wasn’t the best. Worth it though.
Grimsby 0 County 1
1999-00
Andy Kilner’s first game as County boss, and three points thanks to David Smith’s 51st minute winner.
Bradford 1 County 2
1998-99
“Toddy, is a County fan!” Did our former left-back deliberately flatten Brett Angell in the 87th minute at Valley Parade to give us a penalty to win the game? I’ll let you make your own minds up. Tony Dinning took full advantage, though, as he smashed home the winner right in front of the away end.
Crewe 1 County 0
1996-97
Our greatest ever season started with a defeat, as Francis Tierney scored an 89th minute winner at Gresty Road.
Walsall 0 County 2
1995-96
A comfortable opening day win as Ian Helliwell scored both goals in the first half.
Newport 0 County 1
1976-77
County had already played two games at the start of the 1976-77 season. Workington were our opponents in the first round of the League Cup, with both legs finishing 0-0. (We’d later beat them 2-0 on neutral territory at Deepdale to progress to round two. Imagine the fixture moaners these days, needing THREE games to settle a League Cup first round tie!) Our first game of the Fourth Division campaign took us to Newport, where Alan Thompson scored the winner.
Doncaster 2 County 1
1974-75
Allan Gilliver gave us an early lead at Belle Vue, but we went on to lose 2-1.
Tranmere 3 County 0
1969-70
County’s relegation season kicked off with a 3-0 defeat at Prenton Park. It would be another 22 years until we started a campaign in Division Three again.
County 3 Accrington 0
1933-34
A crowd of 7,301 at Edgeley Park saw County kick off the Third Division North season with a 3-0 win, courtesy of Ned Vincent and two goals from Alf Lythgoe.
Wrexham 1 County 1
1929-30
Horace Fielding on target for County as the points were shared in front of 10,768 at the Racecourse on the opening day of the Third Division North season.
Who do you fancy on the opening day of the season? Leave your comments below.
Give Mark a call with any computer problems
If you’re willing County to get a juicy trip to Bradford or Wrexham on the opening day of the season, you might be angry if you find out we’re kicking off at Crawley or Colchester when the fixtures are released tomorrow morning. You might even take a hammer to your computer like this fictional cartoon character.
If your computer is knackered, give Mark a call at Bridge Computer Services. Based in Romiley, the business provides computer workshop and callout services to residential and business customers across Stockport. Their callout and workshop engineers are trained to fix computers, laptops and servers on site (where possible) as well as setting up new computers and wireless networks, plus maintaining existing networks and removing viruses.
Visit bridgecomputerservices.co.uk for further details.
Photo of the day
If you’re watching any Glastonbury highlights over the next few days, see if you can spot this bad boy.
Today in SK
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For those on a gluten-free diet, finding a nice portion of fish and chips to tuck into can be quite difficult. But on a Wednesday at Fishers of Cheshire (SK2), gluten-free meals are available. Open till 9.30pm.
Wine Wednesday at TRUNK (SK7) from 5pm. 50% off all bottles of wine from 7pm.
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