The conclusion of John Snellgrove’s series looking back at County in the 1960s

Another brilliant article, but spoiler alert, County’s time in Division Three doesn’t last long…

Tuesday 23 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, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Tuesday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.

John Snellgrove has penned the final chapter of his 1960s County memories for us today, as we round off the series with the 1968-69 and 1969-70 seasons. John’s heading to America in this one, but County, sadly, are heading back to Division Four. If you’ve not read John’s previous articles yet, here’s the links.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6

Today’s edition is sponsored by Parkers Solicitors Ltd. A big thank you to Adam and all the team. If you’ve been injured in an accident and would like to discuss the matter further, call 0161 477 9451 or email info@parkers-solicitors.co.uk.

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: £1,956

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

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1968, August, another season dawned. Times were changing – no longer would we see steam engines in the engine sheds at the Railway End. They had, for the most part, been consigned to the scrapheap. On the football front would County manage to improve their away form and challenge for promotion, and personally would I manage to get through my second teaching practice in a small primary school in Ramsbottom?

Not the most promising of starts with a home draw against Reading, in front of just 6,463 fans, which was to be a harbinger of the future. Three draws and a defeat wasn’t the best start to the season, but three wins in the next four improved matters.

Towards the end of September, a first home defeat of the season to Plymouth on a Friday night led to a depressing evening in The Red Bull on Hillgate bemoaning our luck.

The sale of Jim Fryatt to Blackburn in October was disappointing but four goals from Freddie Goodwin against Orient seemed to allay any worries. Regular readers won’t need too many guesses as to who we lost 5-0 to away in our next game. Nine letters, begins with S, ends with T, and they’re from the seaside.

Six wins and two draws really boosted promotion hopes, as did the marquee signing of “The Golden Vision” otherwise known as former Everton player Alex Young.

Young was a star player. My uncle, who was really a Widnes rugby league supporter, had given me a break from watching the Chemics and took me to watch Everton against the double-winning Spurs team. Everton won 3-0 with Young scoring. However, the one thing I remember is ladies in costume walking round the ground throwing Everton mints into the crowd! No worries about health and safety in those days.

Over 13,000 came to watch Young’s debut. I remember standing at the Railway End in a sort of disbelief that a player of his quality was actually playing for County. However, injuries were to mar his future for County and crowds didn’t really reach the level that the club hoped.

Still, at the halfway stage, County had reached 31 points and were well placed for promotion. But sadly that was as good as it got.

At the end of January I made the trip from college to watch County play Rotherham. A gloomy day at Millmoor, a 4-1 defeat, and far longer time spent at Rotherham station having misread the timetable.

The wheels were beginning to come off. Still, undeterred I went to watch County at Oldham. Freezing as always, but surely a chance to get back on track against the team bottom of the table. County improved from the previous visit, scoring two, but sadly conceding five. The second half of the season had gone downhill.

I even wrote to the Stockport Express. One of my favourite players was Albert Harley, a midfielder who I felt was much underrated. A letter appeared in the paper criticising him, or so I thought. I put pen to paper and here’s my letter along with the reply. I blame it on youthful know it all and arrogance and if any of Mr A. Booth’s family are reading this my apologies.

Things were not right. The chairman Vic Bernard – who had done so much to revive County – resigned blaming poor attendances. Bill Atkins was transferred to Portsmouth and the manager Jimmy Meadows was sacked to be replaced by Walter Galbraith. The last 23 games accumulated 15 points to leave County in a respectable 9th place but the second half of the season was relegation form, and so it was to prove.

Luckily I missed the start of the 1969-70 season. I had joined BUNAC (British Universities North America Club) and paid £60 for a return flight to New York to stay with my aunt and uncle in Sturbridge, Massachusetts for just under three months. At 19 it was my first ever trip on a plane and first trip abroad. Just to put that price in perspective, it was roughly my take home pay for my first month’s teaching a year later.

I worked at Old Sturbridge Village for a couple of months. Good money, free food and drink. My first ever Coca-Cola. My cousin wanted to drive down to see Apollo 11 take off but my uncle felt it would be better to continue working. I did, however, purchase a Mohawk Airlines ticket to enable me to travel from Washingon to Detroit via Niagara Falls for about $20 before hitching back through Canada.

County news was hard to come by, but at least the very weighty Sunday New York Times did publish the English results. No scorers, just results. That didn’t really affect County as they didn’t score! After seven games County had only scored one goal, winning one game and losing six (plus a 2-0 defeat to Blackburn in the League Cup). I dreaded opening the paper.

It took two games to get past Mossley in the FA Cup before succumbing to Scunthorpe and a young Kevin Keegan in round two.

This season took depressing to a whole new level. County failed to score in 25 games, scoring just 27 goals all season, resulting in a mammoth 23 points from six wins. A new record for Division Three, though that may be a bit unfair on the word record. This might sound unbelievable but to show how bad things had got, the total points from the last 23 games of the previous season plus the 23 gained from this would still have seen County relegated despite playing 69 matches.

I wonder how the players felt? Were they resigned from early on when they knew the team wasn’t good enough? What on earth did Peter Broadbent think when he signed for us, a three-time First Division winner and FA Cup winner with Wolves, who played for England in the 1958 World Cup. Peter played 31 games for County, scoring once.

Also going down that season were Southport and Barrow, who’d both came up with us in 1967. Both were to lose their league status in the next few years, failing to be re-elected.

Towards the start of the 1970-71 season, I was standing on platform 4 at Cheadle Hulme station. College had finished and I was leaving home for my first teaching post in Coventry. If you’re wondering why Coventry, well following much thought and evaluation it was decided by sticking a pin in a map, and that edged ahead of Worcester and Nottingham. County were playing that night at home to Aldershot and in my nervous state I wished I was there rather than heading into the unknown. As soon as I arrived I turned on the radio. A Hughie Ryden goal had given County a 1-0 win.

Since my first game at Edgeley, County had seen me through secondary school, college and now employment. Some lowlights but plenty of highlights. Memories that have lasted to the present day. At that time I had no idea what the future would hold. Would I ever get to see County again? Now with my season ticket in hand for 2024-25 that question is answered, and yet I still haven’t seen County beat Oldham. I was recovering from an operation when we last beat them at home. Maybe we’ll beat them in the cup this year.

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Photo of the day

A football pitch in Doncaster

This fine bunch of gentlemen took part in the annual Worldnet tournament at the weekend, representing County. In the group stage on Saturday, they beat Gillingham but lost to Watford and Arsenal Nigeria, before going out in the first knockout round on Sunday morning to Bury. They were then in KFC by 11am. Legends.

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Today in SK

🎬 Cinema

One film at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) today. Fly Me to the Moon (15) at 5.45pm and 8.15pm. Click here for tickets.

🍔 Food and drink

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 AMP (SK1), Bask (SK1), The Nelson Tavern (SK1), The Petersgate Tap (SK1), Thread (SK1), The Crown (SK2), The Dog & Partridge (SK2), The Armoury (SK3), Reddish Working Men’s Club (SK5), The Crown Inn (SK6), The Marple Tavern (SK6), The Railway (SK6), The Three Tunnes (SK7), The Railway (SK9), Flute & Firkin (SK12) or The Friendship (SK13).

⁉️ Quiz night

The Steelworks (SK6). Tonight’s rounds include British food, general knowledge, women in history, Britpop, dingbats and Family Fortunes. 7.30pm.

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Photo credit: Southport FC

100 random grounds that County have played at

#72 – Haig Avenue, Southport

Last visit: County hadn’t won at Southport in the league for 62 years, but Jim Gannon’s men picked up three points on our last visit in August 2018, at the start of our National League North title-winning campaign. Connor Dimaio scored the only goal of the game with five minutes to go.

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