Rotherham 1 County 1

Simon Holt was in South Yorkshire for County’s final game of 2024

Jan 02, 2025

Thursday 2 January 2024

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, Rotherham supporters, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Thursday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.

We’ve had two 1-1 draws over the past few days, one of which was rather frustrating, the other rather fantastic. We’ll start with the frustrating one, as County let their lead slip at Rotherham on Sunday before frustratingly failing to find a winner in the second half. Simon Holt was in the away end at the New York Stadium.

Today’s edition is sponsored by Colourtone. A big thank you to Paul.

Thanks also to Rotherham Building Plastics who sponsor our Rotherham United 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: 192.73 miles

Total steps so far: 311,804

Total raised so far: £2,192

Total completed streets so far: 474 (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

✍️ Sunday’s match in one word

Ruined.

🤔 Pre-match thoughts

Opportunity to visit a new ground for me. Thinking we should win as they’re struggling but a Steve Evans team will always be niggly, well organised and physical so expecting a tough game.

🧐 Post-match thoughts

Should have won but didn’t do anywhere near enough to convert our possession into clear cut chances. Rotherham were as I expected: big, ugly and dirty. The ref totally lost control of what was happening and I feel his failure to get to grips with their heavy tackling early on contributed to Horsfall’s injury.

🔴 Verdict on Rotherham

They got the point they came for.

🟡 Verdict on County

Plenty of opportunities but our final ball wasn’t good enough from either flank.

🔴 Top Miller

Clarke-Harris is always a handful.

🎩 Top Hatter

I thought Jack Diamond was excellent when he came on. Really hope he gets a run in the team now Barry’s going back to Villa.

👂 Atmosphere

Their new ground is good as new grounds go – but it’s still a new ground and I wouldn’t want to go there every week as it’s a bit soulless! I was in the safe standing and I thought we created quite a bit of noise. The Rotherham fans seemed very subdued.

🙏 Hopes for the rest of the season

Hopes are play-offs. More realistically we’re a top half side – not clinical enough to be anything more at the moment.

😀 Best part of the day

I enjoyed being able to stand at the game and not have a steward tell me to sit down!

😡 Worst part of the day

The refereeing performance. Someone behind me said after 10 minutes, “Someone’s going to get hurt today”, because the ref didn’t clamp down on their heavy tackles at the outset. And so it transpired. Plus their goal was clearly offside – you could see from the replay on the big screen two of theirs were clearly interfering with play. That the ref isn’t allowed to look at said replay is baffling to me.

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 1-1 draw at Rotherham United on Sunday 29 December, as told from his County-related WhatsApp groups…

12.33pm: Fuck, I forgot Steve Evans was their manager. Looks very physical already. Suspect we’re going to miss Camps and Bate even more than we thought.

12.40pm: County fans in good voice. Loud and clear on Sky.

12.43pm: A Christmas cracker from Louie Barry!

12.44pm: Get your chequebook out Mr Stott.

12.49pm: 1-1. Not a corner, then not a goal. Atrocious officiating.

1.09pm: Why does Wootton always have his wrist bandaged?

1.11pm: We don't all make it through the teenage masturbation phase unscatheddoes Wootton always have his wrist bandaged?

1.20pm: I saw The Teenage Masturbation Phase at Manchester Punk Festival five years ago.

1.57pm: Horsfall leaving the pitch on a stretcher. Shittest news of the afternoon.

2.28pm: Pretty entertaining. Frustrating. Typical Evans team. Thought we grafted and passed well. Need a striker.

Give your car a lick of paint

Granted, Stockport used to be a little rough around the edges. But the town’s getting a good old lick of paint these days, with fancy new offices, apartments, bars and restaurants springing up. You can’t be driving up and down the A6 in a tatty car with chipped paintwork, so give your car a nice lick of paint too. Colourtone is your go-to company for that. They’ve been servicing the automotive and industrial markets in Cheshire and Greater Manchester for decades, and carry an extensive range of car paint and industrial paints.

➡️ Visit colourtone.com for further details.

A few words from Rotherham Building Plastics

At Rotherham Building Plastics Ltd, we pride ourselves on providing exceptional customer service, unparalleled product knowledge, and a commitment to family values. As a husband-and-wife team, Paul and Claire have been at the helm of our family-run business since the start of our journey, bringing a wealth of experience and dedication to every project we undertake.

Paul, our director, boasts over 30 years of experience in the building plastics industry, ensuring that our customers receive the highest level of expertise and guidance. His passion for the industry is evident in his meticulous attention to detail and unwavering commitment to quality.

Claire, co-owner, is the heart and soul of our company, ensuring that every customer interaction is warm, welcoming, and informative. Her genuine care for our customers is reflected in the countless positive reviews we've received over the years.

Our commitment to customer satisfaction, product knowledge, and family values is the foundation upon which we've built our reputation. We invite you to experience the difference that a family-run business can make.

➡️ For further details, visit rotherhambuildingplastics.co.uk.

Photo of the day

Edgeley Park, Stockport

A wet and windy afternoon at Edgeley Park on New Year’s Day.

Random photos of County players at other clubs

#85 – Lee Mair, St Mirren

Lee Mair only made 17 appearances for County, during the first half of the 2004-05 campaign. He moved back to Scotland after that, playing for Dundee United, Aberdeen, and then St Mirren, where he won the League Cup in 2012-13.