Morecambe v County
Bring us back a stick of rock with “three points” running through the middle of it please Chally!
Saturday 9 December 2023
NEXT HOME GAME: Aldershot – Wednesday 13 December, 7.45pm
NEXT AWAY GAME: Morecambe – Today, 3pm
Dear County fans, Stopfordians, and any Morecambe supporters joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Saturday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.
Ian Brown and Jonathan Baker offer their pre-match thoughts today, as County head to Morecambe’s new ground for only the second time (same as Wigan on Wednesday night). On our second trip to Wigan’s new place, we conceded the same number of goals as we did on our first visit; let’s hope that pattern isn’t repeated at Morecambe as we’ll be in for a bloody long afternoon if that happens…
Today’s edition is sponsored by Westfield Minibuses, joining The Scarf My Father Wore family for the first time! Cheers and thank you to the family-run business based on Stanley Street in Portwood, close to the town centre. Call 0161 483 4088 or email quotes@westfield-minibuses.co.uk with any minibus enquiries you might have.
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: 46.68 miles
Total steps so far: 83,302
Total raised so far: £1,027
Total completed streets so far: 24 (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? Paddy Madden’s out for two games with an ingrown toenail…blah blah blah…tomorrow’s referee has handed out more cards than Moonpig…blah blah blah…County haven’t won at Birmingham since 1672.
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 our first trip to Morecambe’s new place since that utterly miserable 5-0 defeat on a Tuesday night in November 2010.
Ian Brown, hedgegrower
Morecambe 0 County 3
Four games without a win. At what point would that run become a major concern?
Not winning games is always a concern and is one of the reasons I have pushed for us playing as strong a team as possible when we can. Injuries impair the ability of clubs to follow this pathway but in County’s case we have fielded substantially weaker sides than we would usually in two of the four recent winless games, with injuries impacting on us no more than at just about every other outfit in League Two.
Play your strongest available side at Aldershot last Sunday and in my view we would have won – we didn’t and even then might have nicked it with greater determination and effort, but instead we struggled and the mindset within the group perhaps shifts from “we’ll win this” to “can we avoid losing it?” The perception that we could be vulnerable shifts to the realisation that we are.
I always thought that if we were going to risk fielding a weak side it would be against Wigan and so we did. But we ended up playing most of our rested ‘stars’ anyway in the second half so we lost both ways – neither winning or resting our top players.
We need to win at Morecambe for sure; a defeat would start to worry me. Another one against Aldershot or Sutton would be a major concern, but you will know me as an incurable optimist and I think there is enough in the current squad and coaching staff to see this current blip (and pretty much all promotion pushes, even successful ones, have blips somewhere along the way) through to happier times.
Jonathan Baker aka Geordie Hatter, The County Away Day Show
Morecambe 1 County 2
As everyone knows, you’re The Scarf My Father Wore’s resident music guru. What song would you choose for your ring walk if you were facing Morecambe’s Tyson Fury for the heavyweight title?
“Night Boat to Cairo” by Madness. I just feel it's got a familiar and jaunty and also punchy cut to its jib, and I can imagine it whipping my supporters up into a pre-bout frenzy and supplying me with that all-important psychological edge.
Talking of psychological edges, our hosts come into tomorrow's fixture on the back of a run of defeats, and will be needing more than a rousing ditty over the Globe Arena tannoy to gee them up to the level of our table-topping Hatters. I see a close one though: 2-1 the away win; a victory on points as opposed to a knockout- but three points all the same!
Keep Westfield Minibuses in mind when you’re planning your next away day
Over an 11-day period, Northern Rail are providing a normal service on just two days. Trains to Morecambe are (hopefully) running today, but I know lots of County fans will be keeping a close eye on updates and timetables to ensure they’re at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium by 3pm.
During the second half of the season, there’s some lengthy journeys to the likes of Colchester, Crawley, Forest Green and Sutton. Sod the stress of the railways – allow Westfield to glide you down the motorways instead.
Booking a minibus with Westfield ensures hassle-free transportation for your entire group, allowing everyone to relax and enjoy the journey together. With ample space, comfort, and convenience, a Westfield minibus guarantees seamless logistics and fosters a sense of camaraderie, making your trip truly unforgettable.
Visit westfield-minibuses.co.uk to get a quick quote.
Photos of the day
A huge congratulations to County fan Nick Hughes who’s lost over six stone in five months. Some effort that! 💪
Today in SK
🎄 Christmas events
Kids Christmas party at The Dog & Partridge (SK2). 3pm - 4.30pm. £8 per child.
Breakfast with Santa at The Cheshire Line Tavern (SK8). Start your weekend with a delicious breakfast in the run-up to Christmas. Children also receive a fruit shoot drink and some personal time with Santa. £9 per person.
Christmas market at The Rock Tavern (SK22). A wide range of stalls offering handmade Christmas decorations, jewellery, toys, sweets, skin care and more. Carol singing and mulled wine as well, plus lots of food on offer. 4pm - 8pm.
🎶 DJ
Bask (SK1) have recently been granted an extended license, which means you can now party until 3am on a Saturday night! Last entry 1.30am.
🍟 Food and drink
Lite bite meal deal at The Friary (SK3). Cod or haddock, served with chips, and a side of peas, curry or gravy. Plus tea or coffee. £9.95. 11.30am - 6.30pm.
🎤 Karaoke
Lee at The Nelson Tavern (SK1). 8pm - 1am.
🎵 Live music
Amy Hannam at Puss in Boots (SK2). 9pm.
Vince Hughes at The Crown Inn (SK6). 9pm.
Christmas party night at Platform 5 (SK8) with Hustle. 8pm.
Christmas party night at Rainbow 88 (SK8). Sarah Barron will be performing songs from the theatre from 9pm, with karaoke until 1am.
Jess Jackman-Jones aka Triple J Music at The Chiverton Tap (SK8). 7.30pm.
The Scarf My Father Wore works closely with venues on a daily basis to bring you the most comprehensive guide to all of the best offers and events taking place across the whole SK region. Click on the links below for full details of everything taking place in your area over the next few weeks.
SK1 / SK2 / SK3 / SK4 / SK5 / SK6 / SK7 / SK8 / SK9 / SK10 / SK11 / SK12 / SK13 / SK14 / SK15 / SK16 / SK17 / SK22 / SK23
DJ Des
“And in the blue corner… Geordie Hatter!”
Would you like DJ Des to play a song for your favourite County player, or a friend or family member? Leave a comment or email thescarfmyfatherwore@substack.com with your requests/shoutouts!
We’ve got everything from Art & Gifts to Yoga
We might not have found a psychic from Poynton or a dominatrix from Davenport just yet, but we’ve pretty much got you covered for all other products and services you might need across Cheshire and Greater Manchester. Just take a look at this little lot…
Art & Gifts - Bookkeeping - Carpets & Flooring - Child Health - Cleaning - Coach Hire - Coatings - Dog Walking - Electrician - Financial Services - Fire Protection - Garage Doors - Gardening - Grout Refresh & Recolour - IT Services - Kitchen Appliances - Locksmith - Minibus Hire - Painter & Decorator - Party & Event Services - Plasterer - Publishing - Recruitment - Security Equipment - Solar Panels - Sports Coaching - Timber Supplies - Tutoring - Web Design - Women’s Fitness - Workwear - Yoga
On a serious note, our sponsors help us to keep The Scarf My Father Wore completely free of charge for everyone (rather than paying for a subscription, like most Substack websites) so if you do enjoy our daily offerings, please support them whenever you can. Make a mental note to yourself that whenever you need a cleaner, or a plumber, or a solicitor (or if you are looking for a dominatrix, send me a private message as I know a cracking lady in Heaton Moor…), check out our own directory before you head over to Google or Yell.com. Loads of the businesses we work with are County fans, and we’ve often got great offers for our readers as well.
Click here to have a look at all the businesses in our directory.
I mean old Tyson's doing his best to look all mean and 'handy' there, I'll give him that. But is he a match over twelve three-minute rounds for a fifty-something-year-old exiled Northeastener sporting a reversible sun-hat adorned with pin badges featuring Stockport County, Newcastle United, Madness, and the Socialist Worker Student Society? I think not!