The king has had his coronation, now let’s have the Doncaster summation…
Our big review of 2022-23 comes to an end with a trip to the Eco-Power
Sunday 2 July 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 Doncaster supporters joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Sunday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.
It’s time to put the lid on the 2022-23 season today. From a Salford fan who takes protein bars on away days to a Carlisle fan sorting out the feud between William and Harry with three bottles of Holsten for a fiver on Botchergate, we’ve had all sorts of responses speaking to fans from all 24 League Two teams over the last month. Our final guest in this series is Aaron Challoner, to reflect on an extremely poor season for Donny Rovers, considering some pundits were backing them to reach the play-offs.
I’d like to say a big thank you to Paul and all the team at Colourtone for sponsoring today’s edition. See below for further details on what they have to offer.
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 would have taken the food of Grimsby Town to His Majesty’s table. The culinary delights of Cleethorpes wouldn’t hurt him.
Charles is now king of the UK. But who would you choose to be crowned king of the Keepmoat Eco-Power Stadium, 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.
King would be the master of the travelling gnome, Paul Mayfield. An icon who can make Donny fans smile even on the bad days.
Locked up in the tower, where no one could reach him, would be Joseph Olowu. No other club can sign him because he needs to be starting so he can help us get back to League One.
Best moment of 2022-23?
Our performance against Grimsby at Blundell Park. We showed what we could have done with Danny Schofield's style of football.
Worst moment of 2022-23?
Losing at home to King’s Lynn Town in the first round of the FA Cup. They were by far the better team and we showed no intent or drive to get through.
Funniest moment of 2022-23?
Probably Lee Tomlin’s red card at Bradford on the opening day. It was infuriating at the time, but quite funny looking back now.
Four Four Two said you’d finish 11th. When Saturday Comes said you’d finish 7th. You finished 18th. Discuss.
I was hoping we’d finish in the top seven, but I knew it would be tough. League Two is a tight division; next season, half the league are going to be expecting promotion or a play-off place. But even I didn’t expect we’d finish as low as 18th. I thought we’d finish mid-table around April, but as the season concluded, we knew we deserved to be where we were. On the pitch was awful; off the pitch was questionable, concerning, and with a real lack of direction.
Doncaster 2 County 1 in August. County 0 Doncaster 0 in March. Thoughts?
Our away game was probably a more impressive result due to how solid we were defensively.
The home game had one of our best team goals of the season, as we went from back to front with many passes, which reminded me of a proper Barcelona-style move.
Best away day of 2022-23?
I’d say Grimsby due to the location, atmosphere, and the facilities in the stadium and the town.
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 Doncaster fans throughout the 2022-23 season. In that famous voice of his, how would he describe them?
“The famous red and white supporter exits the territory with a look of depression and a drive to want better from its colony. Luck could change for the supporter, but when the clock ticks to 90 minutes, it’s too late and the sinking feeling follows the supporter wherever it goes.”
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 Dons: “Welcome back. All the best. Can't wait to tick off your ground!"
Wrexham: "To the older fans who were there throughout the tough years in the Conference, welcome back.”
That’s a wrap! We’ve now spoken to supporters from all 24 teams in League Two last season. Click on the links below to read the rest.
Barrow / Bradford / Carlisle / Colchester / Crawley / Crewe / Gillingham / Grimsby / Harrogate / Hartlepool / Leyton Orient / Mansfield / Newport / Northampton / Rochdale / Salford / Stevenage / Stockport / Sutton / Swindon / Tranmere / Walsall / Wimbledon
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.
Today in SK
🍲 Food and drink 🍲
Andrew Arms (SK6) are launching their new Sunday menu today, with a three course meal priced at just £19.95. Call 0161 484 5392 to book a table.
Simply Sunday at TRUNK (SK7). Sunday brunch including face painting and colouring competitions. Call 0161 222 9260 to book a table, and mention “The Scarf My Father Wore” to receive a 15% discount off the normal tapas menu.
🎶 Free jukebox 🎶
The Nelson Tavern (SK1). 3pm - 6pm.
🎸 Live music 🎸
Zak O’Neill at The Armoury (SK3). 6.30pm.
☀️ Summer market ☀️
The George & Dragon (SK7). 11am - 3pm. An artisan market from Little Owl Artisan as well as live music in the beer garden from John McKinnie and Sean O’Connor.
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
Photo of the day
The Slaughter House, Liverpool
Stockport County Football Club are delighted to announce the signing of 38-year-old striker Des Hinks Junior.
The former Carnforth, Offerton Green and Edgeley Villa goal machine has signed a one-year deal (completed in a Liverpool bar on Saturday night) as cover for Kyle Wootton.
Simon Wilson said: “I did think there was something wrong with my computer at first which analyses potential signings, as Hinks is undoubtedly a greedy bastard on the pitch who’s constantly offside, but there’s no denying the lad knows where the back of the goal is. And he’s extremely cheap as well, which is very handy as I’ve spunked half of this season’s budget paying Ben Barclay off.”
Hinks will wear the number 99 shirt at Edgeley Park this season as he’s quite partial to a Mr Whippy with a flake.
We’ve got everything from Art & Gifts to Yoga
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