Notts County 2 (C)ounty 5

It’s Day 1 of CHAMPIONS FORTNIGHT on The Scarf My Father Wore!

Apr 18, 2024

Thursday 18 April 2024 – CHAMPIONS FORTNIGHT!

NEXT HOME GAME: Accrington – Saturday 20 April, 3pm

NEXT AWAY GAME: Wrexham – Saturday 27 April, 3pm

If you’d like to write an article for The Scarf My Father Wore, share a few snippets or photos, or advertise your business, please email thescarfmyfatherwore@substack.com.

Dear County fans, Stopfordians, Notts County supporters, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, a very warm welcome to CHAMPIONS FORTNIGHT on The Scarf My Father Wore.

It’s not every day Stockport County win a Football League title – in fact, the last time it happened was 57 years ago – so we’re shouting our success from the rooftops, with 14 champion-flavoured articles over 14 days. Today, we’re reliving the night County clinched top spot at Meadow Lane, with Tom from Notts County Talk and home and away Hatter Dave Philbin.

Today’s edition is sponsored by Guerrilla Chicken Spirits, joining The Scarf My Father Wore family for the first time! A big thank you to Paul, a top bloke who’s a home and away Wycombe fan, so we’ll be seeing him a couple of times in League One next season!

Paul’s only been in business for a year or so, but he’s kindly signed up as one of our sponsors for 12 months. Let’s put a few sales through his website over the next year. Whether it’s for a birthday, an anniversary, a BBQ or any special occasion like Christmas, if you need a nice bottle of rum, vodka or gin, head to guerrilla-chicken.com. If you make a purchase before the end of May, you’ll receive a 10% discount with the code Scarf10.

Also, a big thank you to Crafty Crow, who sponsor our Notts County content on the website. I’ve actually been in there before. It’s a cracking city centre bar right opposite Nottingham Castle. If any of our readers are in Nottingham this week, pop in for a pint or two!

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: 136.36 miles

Total steps so far: 217,174

Total raised so far: £1,666

Total completed streets so far: 271 (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

✍️ Tuesday’s match in one word

Tom: Embarrassing.

Dave: Special.

🤔 Pre-match thoughts

Tom: With us picking up a couple of wins I thought we may sneak a result.

Dave: Just get it done. I was sure we would win, but there's always a slight niggle of doubt with County. I felt if we didn't win, the pressure piles on to do it on Saturday – no one wanted to go to Wrexham needing anything!

🧐 Post-match thoughts

Tom: It shows that we are absolutely miles off what it takes to get automatic promotion in this division.

Dave: Total euphoria. The game itself had everything. Paddy Madden did Paddy Madden things securing a 14-minute hat-trick. He’s dragged this team to the title in the last few weeks and I really hope he stays to try and get his League One record. At 4-0 the game was over; at 4-2 you’re thinking the worst, especially against a free scoring team like Notts. But we did it… champions!

⚫️ Verdict on Notts County

Tom: Basically our season in a nutshell. Control a lot of the ball and then make errors and give away penalties.

Dave: It must be so frustrating being a Notts fan. Clearly one of the best attacking sides in the league, but if you can't keep it out at the other end then it counts for nothing. I counted four players I'd have in our squad on Tuesday night, it’s just the defending that lets them down. Their second goal was a brilliant strike.

🔵 Verdict on (C)ounty

Tom: Stockport were very organised and were definitely the best team on the night. They are probably the second best side I've seen at Meadow Lane behind Mansfield.

Dave: Given the occasion and the expectation, it was one of the best performances of the season. From back to front nobody had a bad game. Madden will rightly take all of the plaudits but Connor Evans was unbelievable – can someone let Jones out of his pocket? Wootton did the gritty side unbelievably well, Powell saw passes no one else did (again), it was just a proper champions performance. Let them back in slightly in the second half but Croasdale came on and calmed the midfield down – that was a great sub from Challinor. Sarce the pick of our goals, great ball and even better touch and finish. Over the moon for Pye to get on the scoresheet as well. Only dampener was Barry didn't convert his penalty. It would have been great to celebrate his return with a goal.

🦅 Top Magpie

Tom: Probably Dan Crowley. Only him, Langstaff and Jones looked remotely bothered.

Dave: I’d say Dan Crowley.

🎩 Top Hatter

Tom: Easily Madden.

Dave: Madden for the goals, Evans for the performance.

👂 Atmosphere

Tom: Very negative amongst Notts fans once the first goal went in. Stockport fans were great and in very good voice.

Dave: Where do you start with that? From the first minute, to getting back to Stockport, the singing never stopped. It was an incredibly special night. It didn't really sink in just how special it was until I woke up on Wednesday morning and watched all the videos, read the tweets, saw the photos. To be able to share that moment with so many other fans, the players and staff was something that I won't forget in a hurry. For Challinor to go and get George Thompson's flag just sums up everything great about our football club.

🙏 Hopes for next season

Tom: Automatic promotion if we can get the recruitment spot on, but we have to be making the play-offs.

Dave: Safety the first objective, mid-table finish the next. Although I'm sure Mark Stott, Dave Challinor and everyone else at the club will have other ideas. Bring it on! My other hope is that we get Blackpool away on a nice warm Saturday afternoon. So see you there on a Tuesday night in December.

😀 Best part of the day

Tom: The full-time whistle.

Dave: The celebrations after the game will stay with me for a long, long time. Ben Hinchliffe getting his moment at the end as well was fantastic. There's only one Hollywood story in this league, and that's a lorry driver who played part-time football before going on to become a three-time champion and a League One player. Give him the keys to the town, a contract for however long he wants, and name a stand after him. The word “legend” is used a lot – he is one.

😡 Worst part of the day

Tom: Our local pub allowing a ridiculous number of away fans in (nothing against Stockport). They've been awful for it in recent weeks.

Dave: The players going off the pitch at the end.

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 5-2 victory at Notts County on Tuesday 16 April 2024, as told from his County-related WhatsApp groups…

8.13pm: Madden 1-0! I could watch that goal all night.

8.18pm: Penalty to us…

8.19pm: 2-0!

8.26pm: There’s Madden’s hat-trick!

8.32pm: I think we might be champions, boys and girls.

8.35pm: This is the most un-County thing I've ever seen.

8.37pm: Well there it is lads. Finest performance in Nottingham by a County team since that game for the fans’ team at WorldNET against West Brom when we lined up in that 9-0-1 formation.

8.55pm: Sarce makes it 4-0.

9.05pm: Goal for Notts. You knew they had it in them.

9.09pm: Christ, another one back…

9.29pm: Pye! 5-2.

9.31pm: We’re going up as champions in the Football League for the first time in nearly 60 years. Drink it in!

9.54pm: Fookin love you boys. Champions!

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5 questions with Paul from Guerrilla Chicken Spirits

What was the most interesting moment with your business in March?

March was fairly quiet really, with a couple of markets and just getting out and about talking with some lovely folk. I was back into full bottling mode, getting ready for what I hope to be a busy spring and summer in my first full year of selling.

What’s your plans for the business this month?

I’m on the road with markets and building up for a busy summer. The website is being updated as well. If you stand still, you’re falling behind, as the old cliché goes. I’m also engaging with a band to see about a collaboration – early days, but could be a lot of fun. I’ll be at the Bakewell Food Festival on the 27th and 28th of April and it would be great to meet some of your readers. Come and say hello and you can enjoy some samples of our rum, gin and vodka!

What would you like to promote to our readers in April?

Enough with the rain and the cold, let’s get in the mood for a warm spring and summer! Our Guerrilla Chicken flasks are great for taking out and about whether to a picnic, party or BBQ. Put the flask in the fridge and the drink stays cold. Perfect for long drinks and mixers – the vodka mixed with prosecco is ace! The recyclable pouches are very transportable too! To kickstart spring I’m running a 10% discount for The Scarf My Father Wore readers. Simply use the code Scarf10 at checkout. This will be active until the end of May.

County have been crowned champions of League Two this month. What’s the best prize you’ve ever won?

They say timing is everything… I’ve literally just won a Bronze Medal for Guerrilla Chicken Vodka and a Silver Medal for the gin! I can’t really remember winning much else!

It’s St George’s Day this month. What’s your favourite place in England?

I love our four shores and have many great memories of places and the people who I meet there, whether travelling with football or plying the Guerrilla Chicken trade at markets and events. However, my favourite place in England is hands down my home with my wife and the lads.

Visit guerrilla-chicken.com to see the full range of drinks and gifts, and don’t forget to use the code Scarf10 for a 10% discount!

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Photo Video of the day

Edgeley Park, Stockport

Regular readers will know I upload a photo each day. Today, I thought I’d go with a video instead, as FA Cup replays (such as this unforgettable night at Edgeley Park in 2021-22) look to be a thing of the past following today’s disgraceful statement from The FA and the Premier League.

You don’t often see Football League clubs making a statement like this against The FA, but Tranmere Rovers have published the following this afternoon:

Tranmere Rovers condemn the disgraceful decision taken by The FA and the Premier League to change the format of the FA Cup, including the scrapping of replays.

There was no consultation with Football League clubs, National League clubs or grassroots clubs to whom the competition represents not only their best opportunity to create lifelong memories for supporters but also a hugely important source of income. We also understand that FA Council members were not consulted about the changes.

The decision, and the way it was taken, demonstrates a total lack of respect for the football pyramid and its fans. Football belongs to all of us and decisions should not be taken in back room deals in which only the very wealthiest clubs are allowed to participate. It is yet another eloquent example of the 19th century governance that means that football simply cannot regulate itself and needs the Independent Football Regulator to have real teeth.

We condemn the changes wholeheartedly and urge The FA to suspend them immediately until all stakeholders in the game are properly consulted.

My tweet earlier today was a little less eloquent, I admit, but I fully stand by it. The arrogance and entitlement of an elite few at the very top of the football pyramid, who think they have the right to make a decision like this, is disgusting. Hopefully something changes.

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Today in SK

🎬 Cinema

Two films at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) today. Back To Black (15) at 5.45pm, followed by Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (12A) at 8.15pm. Click here for tickets.

🍺 Food and drink

If you’re in Stockport today, pop into The Petersgate Tap (SK1) for a couple of pints. Open till 11pm.

Pie Meal Deal at The Friary (SK3). Any pie or pudding and chips with peas, curry or gravy. Plus tea or coffee. £7.95. (Greenhalgh’s Pies £1 extra.)