The king has had his coronation, now let’s have the Hartlepool summation…
After just two seasons back in the Football League, the Monkey Hangers are having to put up the Vanarama signs once again
Sunday 25 June 2023
NEXT HOME GAME: Huddersfield - Saturday 22 July, 3pm
NEXT AWAY GAME: Lincoln (in Spain!) - Friday 7 July, 4pm (Click here for our away day guide)
Dear County fans, Stopfordians, and any Hartlepool supporters joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Sunday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.
Jordan Richardson joins us today to reflect on Hartlepool’s 2022-23 campaign, as they joined Rochdale in next season’s National League.
Finally, a big thank you to The Butcher’s Block for sponsoring today’s edition. If you’re already thinking about next Sunday’s roast dinner, you should definitely place an order with The Butcher’s Block. They offer something new, from "Farmer's Gate to Table Plate", providing the finest produce with an innovative twist on tradition at a competitive price, all of which can be delivered to your door free of charge within a 16-mile radius from Poynton.
Enjoy today’s issue.
Des Junior
Had King Charles invited you to his coronation celebrations, and insisted you brought him the best food you’d experienced inside a League Two ground this season, what would you have treated him to?
I didn’t sample much food at League Two away grounds this season but the sausage roll I had at Swindon back in October was pretty decent.
Charles is now king of the UK. But who would you choose to be crowned king of Victoria Park, and who would be locked up in the tower? You can pick anybody who’s had some sort of connection with the club this season.
Our manager John Askey would be crowned king, having had such a big impact with very little time and resources.
Our chairman Raj Singh should be locked away in the tower for so many poor decisions and little accountability.
Best moment of 2022-23?
A toss-up between Doncaster away in February – an 88th minute winner from Dan Dodds in front of a packed away end – or, and this is the one I’m leaning towards, Grimsby away in April. In a rich vein of form under John Askey, another sold out away allocation of 1,200 headed to Blundell Park on Good Friday. A Daniel Kemp hat-trick helped us to a 4-1 win; unbelievable scenes in the away end.
Special shoutout for Oli Finney’s injury-time winner at home to Swindon in April. 1-0 down in the 88th minute, Connor Jennings looked to have secured a point, before Finney’s daisy cutter across a greasy pitch found its way into the bottom corner. Ridiculous scenes at The Vic.
Worst moment of 2022-23?
Crawley at home. Everything was riding on this game, The Vic was a sell out, and the atmosphere was incredible. The fans turned up but the team didn’t and that defeat ultimately cost us our league status and put us out of our misery.
Funniest moment of 2022-23?
Keith Curle’s post-match interview with media manager Alex Chandy after the 2-1 win over Grimsby in October. Look it up if you haven’t already seen it. Warning, parental consent is advised…
Four Four Two said you’d finish 23rd. When Saturday Comes said you’d finish 21st. You finished 23rd. Discuss.
The league table doesn’t lie, though admittedly I didn’t agree with those predictions at the time.
Hartlepool 0 County 5 in December. County 1 Hartlepool 1 in May. Thoughts?
The game at our place was an absolute car crash; that afternoon couldn’t have been any worse from a Hartlepool perspective.
The game on the final day less so – really enjoyed that one!
Best away day of 2022-23?
Aside from the Doncaster and Grimsby games I’ve mentioned, the best away day was Wimbledon in February; 2-0 down with 20 minutes to play and we end up drawing the game with a last-minute Dan Kemp header.
After decades travelling around the world, Sir David Attenborough’s most recent BBC documentary covered Great Britain. Let’s imagine David and his crew have been filming Hartlepool fans throughout the 2022-23 season. In that famous voice of his, how would he describe them?
“Here we see the Hartlepool fans, too loyal for their own good. They turn up in their numbers, dedicated and proud, only to be let down and ashamed on so many occasions.”
With Wrexham up and MK Dons down, there’s a couple of teams going into League Two who generally cause quite a lot of debate wherever they go. You’re on Moonpig.com buying a welcome card for both of them. What messages are going inside?
Welcome to the unpredictable nature of League Two. That’ll do for both of them.
Click on the links below to read the previous 2022-23 reviews we’ve published so far.
Barrow / Carlisle / Colchester / Crawley / Crewe / Gillingham / Grimsby / Leyton Orient / Mansfield / Newport / Northampton / Rochdale / Stevenage / Sutton / Swindon / Tranmere / Walsall / Wimbledon
🎶 The sun is shining, the weather is sweet, it’s time for a BBQ, so get in touch with The Butcher’s Block for all your meat 🎶
A mash-up between Bob Marley and a Stockport-based butcher… yeah, that definitely hasn’t been done before. And looking at the song lyric above, you can probably see why. Des Junior singing Bob Marley classics on an acoustic guitar is probably one thing you won’t be having at your next BBQ. But a BBQ pack from The Butcher’s Block… that should definitely be making an appearance in your garden.
The picture above shows an example of one of The Butcher’s Block’s BBQ packs. This particular one, priced at £19.99, includes four beef burgers, six traditional pork sausages, four chicken kebabs marinated in chilli, ginger and lemon, and four beef grill sticks marinated in BBQ sauce. OK, you can stop dribbling now.
If you have a look at their website, you’ll see three other BBQ packs available, including items such as lamb burgers, steak kebabs and pork ribs.
The Butcher’s Block works closely with all of their suppliers to ensure they obtain the best in hand-picked produce on a weekly basis which guarantees their customers receive the best of the best. If you’re planning on having a BBQ soon, this is the only place you need for all your meat.
Visit butchersblockcheshire.co.uk for further details.
Photo of the day
Glastonbury, Somerset
Blossoms chilling at this year’s Glastonbury festival with the bloke who was the celebrity guest when your editor appeared on Countdown.
Today in SK
🍲 Food and drink 🍲
Simply Sunday at TRUNK (SK7). Sunday brunch including face painting and colouring competitions.
🎶 Music 🎶
Soul Sunday at Bask (SK1). A vinyl only set featuring the best and the very rarest Northern Soul. 6pm. Tickets available on the door.
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
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…
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