The king has had his coronation, now let’s have the Mansfield summation…
Had Mansfield scored one more goal on the final day of the season, County would have been at Field Mill on Saturday night, which might have been an altogether more enjoyable experience than Moor Lane
Monday 15 May 2023
Dear County fans, Stopfordians, and any Mansfield supporters joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Monday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.
Mansfield won 2-0 at Colchester on the final day of the season. Had the Stags scored a third, County would have found themselves at Field Mill on Saturday night rather than Moor Lane. In hindsight, a trip to Nottinghamshire might have been a slightly better option.
I should probably apologise to Mansfield fans at this juncture. Last Monday, when it became apparent it just wasn’t going to be County’s day with Northampton winning at Tranmere and Spider-Man keeping everything out of the Hartlepool goal, I was willing the football gods to keep Mansfield out of the top seven. In my defence, County haven’t won at Field Mill in the league since 1983, picking up just one point from the last 10 visits. It’s always been an awful place to go to, but perhaps I was wrong. At least we’d have got a decent allocation at Mansfield, and wouldn’t have had to listen to the Sky Sports commentators fawning over Salford at every opportunity on Saturday night.
After winning 4-0 at Carlisle in February, the Stags were looking a decent bet to be involved in the promotion mix. But Salford put five past them the following week, and after winning just once in March, Nigel Clough’s men left themselves with too much to do in the final weeks of the campaign. Craig Priest from Mansfield Matters joins us today for a look back at his side’s highs and lows in 2022-23.
Finally, a big thank you to The Butcher’s Block for sponsoring today’s edition. With a number of special Sundays coming up (another Bank Holiday weekend, Father’s Day, County at Wembley…) you might be planning on putting together a scrumptious Sunday Roast. If you are, 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.
Des Junior
PS) Don’t feel too miserable at work on this Monday morning. With the score 1-0 at half-time, this semi-final ain’t over just yet…
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?
We’re not spoilt for choice in League Two are we? I’d have probably ended up taking some undercooked sausage roll that cost about eight quid. Actually… he can have the chips from the chippy van in Carlisle’s fan zone - incredible!
Charles is now king of the UK. But who would you choose to be crowned king of Field Mill, 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.
I’d have Kieran Wallace as the king. He’s underrated and underestimated by so many, and seen as a bit-part player, but he’s played a fair amount of minutes since Christmas and has been outstanding.
Alongside Kieran, can I choose a prince as well? Mez the groundsman definitely deserves some recognition. He’s been at the club for over 20 years and every season his pitch is like a pristine carpet.
I’d happily use the tower to lock up any “fan” who throws smoke bombs and ruins it for the majority. If that’s the fan culture of tomorrow then I’ll fetch my slippers and whack Homes Under the Hammer on the telly with a cocoa. They may look pretty on photos but the club receives a fine for every one thrown or found. Imagine if the accumulation of fine costs was the equivalent of another striker who managed to score just one goal to take us into the play-offs…
Best moment of 2022-23?
I’d have to say Carlisle away on a Tuesday night (which is a ballache of a trip at the weekend, never mind midweek). We weren't in the best of form and they were top three, scoring for fun. We didn't give ourselves a hope in hell. Cut to half-time and we're 4-0 up! If only we'd have scored one more in the second half, eh?
Other highlights include Crewe away in September when we were losing 1-0 with about three minutes to go. Jason Law comes on, changes the game, and we end up winning 2-1.
Worst moment of 2022-23?
Every time Clough played a striker at left-back? Every time we went clean through on goal and missed? The full-time whistle at Colchester when we realised we'd have to go to Forest Green and Accrington again? Take your pick!
Personally, even though few will agree, I think it was in January when we sold Oli Hawkins to Gillingham. We missed a trick in letting him go.
Funniest moment of 2022-23?
This one’s heavier on irony than comedy, but I’d probably say Elliott Hewitt having to carry all his player of the season awards back to the dressing room on crutches at the last home game, following a phenomenal season which ended in an injury putting him out until 2024.
Four Four Two said you’d finish 1st. When Saturday Comes said you’d finish 4th. You finished 8th. Discuss.
Nigel Clough played too many players out of position too many times when he didn't need to, and took far too long to change tactics when it was clear to all that it wasn't working. That coupled with injuries and a lack of firepower cost us. End of discussion.
Mansfield 2 County 1 in August. County 1 Mansfield 1 in March. Thoughts?
The August game I struggle to remember, but the away game was daylight robbery on our part. I wish you well in the second leg against Salford.
Best and worst away days of 2022-23?
Even if we hadn’t won 4-0, I’d still have said Carlisle was the best away day, purely based on their fan zone.
Worst was losing at Salford on the opening day.
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 Mansfield fans throughout the 2022-23 season. In that famous voice of his, how would he describe them?
It'd be something about the bravery of the Stag rampaging around an open field, but ultimately limping back home after picking up one too many injuries having fallen short and saying hello to the Doe.
With Wrexham up and MK Dons down, there’s a couple of teams coming 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?
MK can have one that says in big bold letters: “Fuck off you franchise tossers, there’s no place for you here.”
Wrexham can have one that says: “Welcome back.” I know many dislike Wrexham because of their owners throwing money at it, but for me, they chose a level of investment and did their job. They also highlighted one of the biggest debates that needs addressing: more teams need to come up from the National League. As County fans know, it’s the hardest league to get out of, and if you don't get some investment or a bit of luck, it will kill your club. Wrexham were relegated alongside us back in 2007-08; I’m delighted to see them back.
Click on the links below to read the previous 2022-23 reviews we’ve published so far.
🎶 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.
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Visit butchersblockcheshire.co.uk for further details.
Today in SK
🎤 Belfast-born singer-songwriter Damian Luke is performing at Bask (SK1) tonight, as part of their regular Acoustica showcase. Jack Hyphen and Adelaide Taylor are also on the bill. Free entry. 8pm.
🍹 The Armoury (SK3) have just launched their new cocktail menu. Mark Stott definitely wouldn’t mind a Red Wine Cobbler, and Lee Todd’s going to be getting stuck into a Lounge Lizard or two. There’s eight cocktails to try in total; head down today to see which one tickles your tastebuds!
🎶 There’s free jukebox at the Nelson Tavern (SK1) from 6.30pm.
🥙 Feeling peckish today? On a Monday, kebabs at Fishers (SK2) are just £3 all day. Open till 9.30pm.
Never mind Google or Yell.com, we’ve got you covered
STOP! That got your attention, didn’t it? Just a quick one… I’d hazard a guess that at some point in May, all of our readers will use Google or Yell.com at some point looking for a particular product or service. But before you do, please have a quick look at our own directory to see if we have what you’re looking for. A number of great businesses support The Scarf My Father Wore, allowing us to publish fresh content every day, so let’s send a few enquiries their way in return.
Click here to have a look at all the businesses in our directory.
It’s very childish I know, but here’s a poll I did on Twitter after County got beat on Saturday night*
I haven’t got a spare million pounds to employ a bunch of Oxford graduates to analyse these poll results for me. But to summarise for you, it seems Rob and Ryan are alright, the Class of 92 are not.
* Just to be clear, The Scarf My Father Wore does not condone any of our readers shoving dog shit through someone else’s letterbox. (Unless your labrador has just curled one out and you’re walking past Gary Neville’s gaff, obviously.)
Photo of the day
Edgeley Park, Stockport
An iconic image from our last play-off semi-final second leg, hopefully inspiring one of our current lot to do the same in our next one…