More post-match reaction from County’s first pre-season friendly

James Read and Dave Philbin share their thoughts on Saturday’s five-goal encounter

Jul 08, 2024

Monday 8 July 2024

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STOCKPORT COUNTY PREDICTION GAME 2024-25: Predict County’s top scorer, final league position, cup performances etc. £10 to enter. 40% of the pot to the winner, 30% to second, 20% to third, and 10% to Mentell. If you’d like to enter, drop us a message or an email.

Dear County fans, Stopfordians, Chester supporters, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, grab a cup of tea or coffee and sit down with Monday’s edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.

Yesterday, I penned my first 727 words of the new season after seeing County win 3-2 at the Deva Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Today, we’ve got even more post-match reaction for you, as Chester fan James Read and home and away Hatter Dave Philbin share their thoughts.

Today’s edition is sponsored by Forever Home Dog Training. A big thank you to Gareth.

Thanks also to Beckers Mechanical, who sponsor our Chester 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: 158.42 miles

Total steps so far: 254,782

Total raised so far: £1,909

Total completed streets so far: 347 (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

✍️ Saturday’s match in one word

James: Workout.

Dave: Friendly.

🤔 Pre-match thoughts

James: In all honesty, I hadn’t had much of an opportunity to focus on this game in the days leading up to it, with the election and the Euros grabbing most of my attention! Nonetheless, I was looking forward to seeing the Blues in action again for the first time in a couple of months, and to get my first glimpses of a team whose complexion has changed a fair bit over the summer. Much of the discussion among our supporters over the last few weeks has centred around what formation we’ll be playing in the coming season, so I was also hoping to get some answers on that front.

Dave: Wasn't bothered about the result naturally. I was just excited to get back watching County, see the new signings in action, and catch up with some fans I haven't seen since the promotion party.

🧐 Post-match thoughts

James: It’s difficult to come to many conclusions after what was essentially just a fitness exercise, but I was pleased to see a couple of great goals and to see both sides trying to play a decent brand of football – neither of which tend to be particular hallmarks of early pre-season games. Fans’ suspicions that a change of formation might be on the cards seem to have been proven right, as we lined up in a 3-5-2, which always appeared the most likely system to employ in light of the signings we’ve made.

Dave: The new signings all looked good, although we can’t look too much into performances, good or bad, as that game was purely about getting minutes into legs. Devastated that I was in the same stadium as my mate Pete Mellor and didn't manage to see or hear him. In the first half I looked at our second half team warming up and thought "that looks like Jordan Keane – don't be stupid" and there he was! I'm not for one second saying we should sign him before anyone pipes up, but he didn't look out of place in our side! Was great to see him back in a County shirt regardless of the occasion.

🔵 Verdict on Chester

James: Obviously, I’m not going to get ahead of myself at this very early stage, but I think the signs from this game can only be seen as positive as far as we’re concerned. We already look quite comfortable playing 3-5-2, our new signings generally looked promising, and the academy lads we had on the pitch were by no means outclassed. I don’t think it’s any great embarrassment that we were overrun in the first half, considering the calibre of players in your line-up, but the attacking football we played in the second half was very encouraging to see – we scored more goals in those 45 minutes than we did in our last six home games of last season, and we even had a golden chance to get an unlikely equaliser right at the death!

Dave: Recovered well after a poor 15-20 minutes in the first half. I thought their play for the disallowed goal was excellent. Just like we won't care that we won, they won't care that they lost. I hope they can have a good season and get back up to the National League.

🟣 Verdict on County

James: As I expected, really – I’m sure you’ll be looking a lot sharper this time next month, but even at this early stage, it was clear to see that you’ve got some very good footballers, who ought to be no pushovers in League One. You absolutely dominated the first half, barely allowing us a touch beyond the halfway line, and this was reflected by your 3-0 lead at the break; after the interval, you seemed to bring on a number of younger and fringe players, and allowed us back into the game to a much greater extent, though you still managed to create some decent chances and could perhaps feel hard done by to have ‘lost’ the second half.

Dave: First half we saw glimpses of what we can expect this season and looked frightening at times. Again, can't read too much into a pre-season against a side a few leagues below, but Jack Diamond and Lewis Bate stood out. That's two crackers we've scored in the last two years in our friendlies at the Deva!

🦭 Top Seal

James: As mentioned above, I was pleased with the performances of most of our new signings – particularly goalkeeper Cam Mason, who looked assured between the posts and made a couple of great saves, and forward Dan Turner, who gave us a far greater impetus up top after coming off the bench. I’ll probably have to give my man of the match to central defender Matty Williams, though, simply due to his incredible strike which must surely rank as the best goal he’s ever scored. I certainly won’t be complaining if he bangs a few of those in during the season!

Dave: Couldn’t tell you.

🎩 Top Hatter

James: Again, it’s difficult to talk about individual performances in a game played at such a low tempo and in which the players were never likely to be at their best or sharpest, but I was particularly impressed with how your midfield controlled the game in its early stages. Lewis Bate looks like he could be a great addition to your squad. I also feel obliged to give a mention to former Chester youth product Sam Hughes. I wouldn’t say he particularly stood out on the day, but it was great to see him back at the Deva, and I’m confident he’ll prove to be another good signing for you.

Dave: Bate.

👂 Atmosphere

James: About as flat as you’d expect from a pre-season game. There were sporadic attempts to get a few chants going from both sets of supporters, but it was never exactly going to be like Galatasaray vs Fenerbahçe in the stands. There were a few young County fans in the north-west corner of the ground, closest to the terrace, who made some half-hearted attempts to goad the Chester fans, but it seemed to mostly be in a jokey manner rather than a genuinely aggressive one. An attendance of over 1,200 was a pleasant surprise, and should help boost our coffers a bit, thanks in no small part to a sizeable travelling contingent.

Dave: Tom Lowe gave it his best efforts but as expected for a pre-season game.

🙏 Hopes for the new season

James: We have to be looking to bounce back and re-establish ourselves as one of the top sides in the league, after a disappointing 10th placed finish last time out. A play-off place should probably be the minimum expectation, and if we play our cards right, we could even find ourselves challenging for the title in what looks to be a very open division. After a poor end to last season, with fans growing frustrated at both results and a rather defensive style of play, there’ll be pressure on us to get off to a strong start in August – something for which we’re not renowned – and to improve our record in front of goal, which might require one or two more additions in the transfer market.

Dave: Win the league after that first half! Nah, top 10? Play-off push? Don't know really, it's hard to call.

😀 Best part of the day

James: It feels like it’d be cheating to mention anything to do with England, so I’ll keep discussion within the realms of this game. I suppose simply being back inside the Deva, and seeing a few mates, for the first time in a little while was reason enough to be happy.

Dave: Ivan Toney's no-look penalty.

😡 Worst part of the day

James: Our stadium announcer choosing not to shamelessly blare out “Things Can Only Get Better” over the PA. Also, getting out of the car park after full-time is still just as much of a pain as ever. It shouldn’t have taken me twice as long to get home as it did to get there, and that’s with a gate significantly lower than we get for competitive games!

Dave: Somebody split up my 6-year-old and her 6-year-old friend because they were sat in their seats.

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 3-2 victory at Chester on Saturday 6 July, as told from his County-related WhatsApp groups…

1.27pm: We’ve scored. Che Gardner apparently.

1.28pm: Champions again…

1.40pm: 2-0 County. Wootton.

1.43pm: 3-0. Screamer from Bate.

2.24pm: Chester have pulled one back, by the way.

2.39pm: And another one…

4.21pm: I’m not looking forward to my commute home tonight. Dodging people at an electronic music gig in Finsbury Park and then worrying about pissed up England fans as well. Hoping that it will be late enough after the final whistle for most to have staggered home.

5.07pm: Decent spot for the footy:

7.43pm: Tried to bring on Lewis Hamilton for an interview just before the penalties. He got booed off!

7.45pm: ROGER FEDERER, CELINE DION, ARMY KNIVES, YODLERS, HOLEY CHEESE, YOUR BOYS TOOK ONE HELL OF A BEATING!

8.03pm: International football just scratches the itch in between County seasons.

9.20pm: Watching the shootout in a pub in Cardiff was fun. Half the pub cheering for each penalty.

2.10am: Managed to get a brick from The Bamboo!

Join Gareth this Sunday for his masterclass

Sunday July 14: Canine body language masterclass

This Sunday, Gareth from Forever Home Dog Training is hosting a canine body language masterclass. This is ideal for dog owners who want to know more about how their dog communicates and displays when they are happy, stressed, worried or over aroused. Gareth will help you understand what different types of body language mean in different breeds and why it happens – not just looking to see if the dog’s tail is wagging.

Sunday’s masterclass, on Brook Street in Hazel Grove, runs from 10am until 2pm, priced at £70.

Visit foreverhomedogtraining.com for further details.

Bits and bobs

An email from a subscriber: “I really admired your openness and candour talking about your mental health experiences in your recent ‘That’s a wrap!’ article. I'm sure you're helping so many people (men especially) to also feel ready to open up and consider maybe getting help; it's so invaluable how you are talking on the subject. In a small but significant way it has definitely helped me. I wouldn't say I've had major struggles but definitely some smaller ones so just reading what you've had to say makes me feel more like this stuff is just normal and nothing to shy away from dealing with/talking about.” A big thank you to the subscriber in question for sending in those kind words. It’s a cause I’m very passionate about, and I’m always here to offer help/advice/support to anyone who needs it. My door/inbox is open to any readers who need a helping hand. Don’t suffer in silence. 💙
The Leopard. A pub in Chester. Saturday. England v Switzerland on the big screen. A County fan (who’s off his tits to be fair) is lying on the floor, while using his phone which is charging. Bouncer tells County fan to get up. County fan refuses. Bouncer drags County fan to his feet. Fight breaks out between bouncer and County fan, in front of the big screen. Entire pub boos. Fight careers into the doorway of the toilets, before bouncer and other bouncers drag County fan outside. As County fan is being dragged kicking and screaming from one end of the pub to the other, some of the pub’s patrons launch beer at him, while one lands a sneaky punch from the side. County fan ends up getting arrested. In the final moments of the chaos, Switzerland score, which most people inside the pub are absolutely oblivious to for a few seconds.
Kelvin Briggs, who kindly supports The Scarf My Father Wore as a paid subscriber (click on the subscribe button to join him!), sent us a few photos from his trip to Chester at the weekend.

Not your average garage…

Beckers Mechanical, based in Chester, are not your average garage. Established in 2017 by Peter McDaid and Scott Dewar, they combine skills, knowledge and experience rarely found in an independent garage. Their customers come to quickly rely on their diagnostic skills and the speed with which work is completed getting their cars back on the road in the shortest time possible. All parts and labour are covered by the Servicesure National Warranty Scheme and they also offer Servicesure’s “Brakes for Life” scheme.

Visit beckersmechanical.com for further details.

Photo of the day

Somewhere in Stockport… but where?!

If you missed yesterday’s edition, we’ve teamed up with LM Stone Creative to bring you an exciting competition this month. All you have to do to enter is find this brand new sign (which is located somewhere in Stockport) and take a selfie/photo with it while wearing a Stockport County or Stockport Town hat or shirt, before tagging both The Scarf My Father Wore and LM Stone Creative on social media. At least one lucky winner will win a custom 300mm by 400mm by 30mm thick Quartz chopping board.

Josh Greenbank and his family were the first to enter the competition yesterday, with this absolute cracker! Shirts and hats galore in this one.

Today in SK

🎬 Cinema

One film at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) today. Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 (15) at 6.30pm. Click here for tickets.

🍻 Food and drink

Treat yourself to lunch at The Dog & Partridge (SK2). One course for £7, two courses for £11. 12pm - 2pm.

10% discount on food for NHS card holders at The Shady Oak (SK7).

Bitter £2.30 a pint all day at The Cross Keys (SK8). Plus, discounts on certain lagers between 12pm and 6pm.

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 Armoury (SK3), Reddish Working Men’s Club (SK5), The Crown Inn (SK6), The Marple Tavern (SK6), The Railway (SK6), The Steelworks (SK6), The Three Tunnes (SK7), The Railway (SK9), Flute & Firkin (SK12) or The Friendship (SK13).

🎶 Free jukebox

The Nelson Tavern (SK1). From 6.30pm.

🎤 Live music

Open mic session at Bask (SK1). Hosted by Will Edgar. If you’d like to perform, sign up at 7pm.

100 random grounds that County have played at

#59 – Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, Ramsbottom

Last visit: We’ve only visited the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium once. Back in December 2014, we went to Ramsbottom United in the first round of the FA Trophy. Goals from Scott Spencer (pen), Danny Gregson and Jordan Lazenbury sent Alan Lord’s men into round two in front of a crowd of 907.