Mansfield v County

Come on you Stags! (Maybe a bit of reverse psychology will work ahead of a trip to a ground we’ve not won at in the league since 1983.)

Aug 31, 2024

Saturday 31 August 2024

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Dear County fans, Stopfordians, Mansfield 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.

Ian Brown, Nick Lee and Jonathan Baker join us for a chat this morning, as August comes to an end with a trip to Mansfield.

Today’s edition is sponsored by Not Just Travel and Slimming World Reddish & Bredbury. A big thank you to Paul and Tracy, and also to Shlean.

Thanks also to RIAN Construction, who sponsor our Mansfield Town content on the website.

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: £1,981

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

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, as the League One leaders head to Nottinghamshire.

Ian Brown, All Things Stockport County

Mansfield 1 County 2

We’re currently top of the league, and although it’s early days, we seem to have had a better transfer window than today’s opponents. Is this the year we finally break our Field Mill hoodoo.

The first thing to say is that there is no hoodoo! Obviously our record at Field Mill makes for grim reading, but today’s another day.

Last season we were given a comprehensive lesson in the basics of football, deservedly losing on both occasions we tipped up against them, but I see us keeping the back door more secure this time around, setting us up to continue our excellent early season form with a win against Nigel Clough’s outfit.

I saw Clough talking about injuries, and a raft of players not quite ready to risk against us. That is gratifying to hear, but it may be that Nigel’s gaslighting us. We’ll see later today. Anyway, my view is that our form is such that the lucky 1,700 making the trip to Field Mill will be rewarded with a County win. 2-1.

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.

Nick Lee, SK3 TV

Mansfield 0 County 3

If Bate, Norwood and Camps are all fit today, which one misses out?

It's genuinely a question for the ages. Philosophers could spend centuries trying to come up with an answer and eventually give it up as a bad job. I'd be tempted to leave things as they are and give Bate a bit of an extended rest, but whichever combination we go for will be too much for most sides in League One.

Nick’s one of the co-hosts of SK3 TV, a new podcast for the 2024-25 season, with live episodes every Monday at 8pm. Click here for links.

Jonathan Baker, The County Away Day Show

Mansfield 2 County 1

You’re the one with the radio show, so you get the Oasis question. Thoughts on the reunion?

I liked them first time round as much as the next man (and it's one of my musical regrets that I turned down a ticket for their famed Maine Road gig at the height of Britpop Mania, which I could have walked to from my then-Fallowfield digs). And I still love quite a few of those Definitely Maybe numbers; the songs as well as the tasteful interior decor on the LP's cover have admirably stood the test of time in my view.

Will I be joining the digital queue for a golden ticket, though? I'm going to say not. I just can't get excited about a reunion rumoured to be inspired by the need for one of them (I forget which) to cover their divorce costs, so while I hope everyone involved has a hell of a night, I'll happily be staying in by the telly like the ageing indiepopster I am.

Prediction for today: Clough's men always seem especially motivated to get one over us, and they'll have had a rocket fired up them on the back of last week's heavy reverse, I'm sure. I can actually see our 100% record coming a cropper, and am going for a narrow defeat. 2-1.

Jonathan, aka Geordie Hatter, hosts The County Away Day Show on selected Saturday mornings during the season, when the Hatters are on the road (the latest one is on air right now). All episodes can be found at the-geordie-hatter.mixlr.com.

Today’s other prediction

Hatters Matters: Mansfield 0 County 3

The Scarf Bergara Wore: Mansfield 1 County 3

If you’re looking to book a late holiday this summer get in touch with Paul and Tracy Franklin

As a team, Paul and Tracy Franklin are dedicated to delivering for their customers. They recognise that holidays are often the biggest outlay for people and so their top priority is finding them the perfect getaway. Whether you know exactly what you want or are looking for some ideas and inspiration, they can help!

With in excess of 450 suppliers they can find your dream trip. They have a number of key trade partners which allow them to organise anything from city breaks and fly and flops to cruises, weddings, honeymoons and sporting events across every corner of the globe. From high street names such as TUI, Jet2 and Easyjet to bespoke travel arrangements they can meet your requirements. They pride themselves on exceptional, personable service and for peace of mind all bookings are ABTA and ATOL protected.

Using Paul and Tracy as your personal travel consultants means that they can take all the legwork of finding and planning your trips. They can also deal with any bumps in the road should there be any. There are so many variables to a trip and so many places to look most of their customers are so relieved to have someone do that for them! Others are just glad to be able to support a smaller business that delivers a personal touch, as opposed to some of the travel giants out there. Whatever an enquiry looks like they are always keen to get their teeth stuck in, adding value where they can and learning along the way – the world is a big place!

Visit paulandtracyfranklin.notjusttravel.com for further details.

Lose weight and manage your diabetes with Slimming World

Slimming World have helped thousands of members lose weight and manage their diabetes. Now, they’re partnering with Diabetes UK to make that support even stronger.

“We’ve always directed our members living with diabetes to Diabetes UK for support outside of weight management, so we’re delighted to be working more closely with them,” said Lisa Salmon, Slimming World’s managing director.

“We’ll be collaborating on resources, producing co-branded recipes, increasing our knowledge, and sharing our expertise.”

Through this partnership, Slimming World aim to further deepen their understanding of the challenges and misconceptions people living with diabetes face. They’re committed to supporting their members with the latest and most effective information in diabetes care, and to reaching even more people living with diabetes or at risk of type 2 diabetes with inspiration and advice.

How Slimming World supports members with diabetes

Type 1 diabetes: Taking insulin or other medication doesn’t need to be a barrier to losing weight. Many Slimming World members with type 1 diabetes lose weight and steadily become fitter and healthier.

Type 2 diabetes: Slimming World have advice on managing blood glucose levels, including a five-day low-carbohydrate eating plan.

Pre-diabetes: If you’ve been told that you’re at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, making positive and lasting lifestyle changes can help you avoid or delay a diagnosis in the future.Slimming World’s latest evaluation found that more than half of members with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes surveyed, who had lost at least 10% of their body weight, said they had put the condition into remission. (The study polled 268 Slimming World members with diabetes in May 2020 and was published in the Archives of Diabetes & Obesity in 2021.)

Dreen, a member of Shlean's group at Houldsworth Working Men’s Club in Reddish, has reversed her type 2 diabetes losing 1st 2lbs.

Shlean runs groups on Mondays at Bredbury St Marks Cricket Club and Tuesdays at Houldsworth Working Men’s Club in Reddish.

For more information give Shlean a call on 07725 088549 or email shlean@sky.com.

Photo of the day

Hot Water Comedy Club, Liverpool

Oasis tickets for Heaton Park next summer will set you back around £150 this morning.

If you can’t afford that, don’t worry, this lad’s gonna be doing five nights in Brinnington Park for £2.50*.

(*VIP tickets £3.50 and he’ll sing Champagne Supernova for you as well.)

For any repairs or renovations in Nottinghamshire, give RIAN Construction a call

RIAN Construction is a local family run joinery business, based in Mansfield, with over 17 years worth of experience. When carrying out any task, be it big or small, they strive for the highest of standards to bring an excellent service to you, the customer.

Whether you need a major repair or a renovation, they can deliver professional skills at a fair price. It’s their highest priority to get the job done right the first time on every assignment.

RIAN Construction will provide a full consultation to explain available options so that you can choose the service that’s right for your home or business. They strive to meet your project’s needs and save you the time.

Visit rianconstruction.co.uk for further details.

Today in SK

🎬 Cinema

National Cinema Day at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) with tickets available for just £4. Despicable Me 4 (U) at 11.45am, Borderlands (12A) at 2pm, and Alien: Romulus (15) at 4.15pm. Click here for tickets.

💿 DJs

Clint Boon at AMP (SK1). 9pm. Free entry.

Stockport’s biggest party at the weekend is at Bask (SK1), with DJ Gareth Brooks playing till 3am. Last entry 1.30am.

🍺 Food and drink

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 The Crown (SK2), The Dog & Partridge (SK2), The Armoury (SK3), Reddish Working Men’s Club (SK5), The Steelworks (SK6), The Shady Oak (SK7) or The Three Tunnes (SK7).

🎵 Karaoke

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

🎸 Live music

The Baltimore Switch at The Crown (SK6). 9pm.

100 random grounds that County have played at

#96 – The Hive, Barnet

Last visit: January 2022. A thumping 5-0 win on our way to the National League title. Will Collar opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before Dave Challinor’s men ran riot in the second half, with Ryan Johnson (2), Liam Hogan and Connor Jennings all on target.