The king has had his coronation, now let’s have the Leyton Orient summation…
After our 3-0 win against the champions in April, it looked like we might be joining the O’s in League One, but sadly we’ll have to wait at least 12 months for another trip to Brisbane Road
Monday 29 May 2023
Here’s an article about a team celebrating promotion to League One.
“Read the room,” Des, I hear you say.
But are you really saying that? Is that really how we’re all feeling today?
Disappointed, yes. Of course we are. Losing at Wembley is a horrible feeling even if it’s in a Papa John’s final, never mind the play-offs. But looking at all the social media comments from last night and today, there’s an unbelievable amount of positivity from County fans, despite losing a huge game in the worst possible way, having been just six minutes away from promotion.
The two title wins in non-league felt absolutely imperative at the time. But for me, and many others I suspect, promotion didn’t feel like a necessity this season. There is definitely an argument to be made that we should have finished in the top three with the highest budget in the division. But I feel the context at the other end of the seesaw is more significant in this case; after 11 years in non-league football we’ve had some great memories this season and 4th is a decent finish. Remarkably, this is the 9th consecutive season County have improved their final league position. With the club in such a good state of health on and off the pitch, I’m extremely confident we can continue that upward trajectory next season, and if we do, you all know what that means…
You never know, we might even end up with the League Two title next season, as long as Wrexham don’t bring in Haaland to partner Mullin. Leyton Orient were the team who finished above all the rest in the fourth tier this season. Here’s Mat Roper, editor of O’s fanzine Pandamonium, on his team’s title-winning campaign.
Finally, a big thank you to Julie, Sarah and all the team at IN Accountancy for sponsoring today’s edition.
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?
Pie and mash from the O’s of course! A good old Cockney knees-up, although he might have settled for the steak and kidney pie at Gillingham served by a delightful young lady and Ed Sheeran.
Charles is now king of the UK. But who would you choose to be crowned king of Brisbane Road, 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 has to be the loanee Idris El Mizouni. You could give him three crowns and a coronation and it wouldn't be anywhere near enough.
Locked up in the tower is the lesser spotted Georgiou who seemingly got a wage for going out on loan or just being a ghostly apparition.
Best moment of 2022-23?
Gillingham away, when the lights went out. There we all were, hopefully about to celebrate promotion, despite getting beat 2-0 even though we were dominating the game. Cue floodlight failure and the absolute raising of the roof (if they had one) in the away end, which then went potty a few minutes later as Swindon took the lead at home to Bradford.
Worst moment of 2022-23?
Getting beat 3-0 at Stevenage. A shit day out (always is), thinking we were about to blow a massive lead at the top, with fatty Evans celebrating. Urgh.
Funniest moment of 2022-23?
Charlie Kelman running the ball into an empty net against Crewe following a mix-up between defender and goalkeeper to confirm the title. A comedy goal deserving of our first league championship since 1970.
Four Four Two said you’d finish 10th. When Saturday Comes said you’d finish 10th. You finished 1st. Discuss.
What do they know! To be fair, I think most fans thought we were good enough for a crack at the play-offs. Winning the league, though, was the stuff of dreams that we never thought would actually come true.
County 1 Leyton Orient 2 in November. Leyton Orient 0 County 3 in April. Thoughts?
Two decent games to be fair. I think most of us had reservations about playing you up there. You were in form and it was always going to be a tough test but one that we handled very well – it’s almost unseen of O's teams to handle pressure and come away with all three points.
The home game, no disrespect but we were on the beach, although County knew what they had to do and did it well. They showed up, we didn't, and you got a deserved three points.
Best and worst away days of 2022-23?
It’s not the best trip, but winning promotion at Gillingham has to be right up there. Bradford on the final day was a thoroughly enjoyable 24 hours as well.
Worst has to Wimbledon. Totally conned out of the game and very dodgy stewarding in the away end followed by a marathon type walk back to the car because plod didn't want O's fans crossing paths with the famous Wimbledon Ultras.
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 Orient fans throughout the 2022-23 season. In that famous voice of his, how would he describe them?
“A monster waiting to hatch. Eyeing its prey and skilfully going in for the kill at the right time showing who is king in these parts.”
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 MK – hope you spend many happy years down here (or lower).”
“Welcome Ryan and Co – I didn’t put a fiver in as you seem to have enough. Best of luck.”
Click on the links below to read the previous 2022-23 reviews we’ve published so far.
Grimsby / Mansfield / Newport / Sutton / Tranmere / Wimbledon
Do you know how much corporation tax you have to pay this year?
A number of our readers and subscribers run their own businesses. I’m sure you’re on the ball with most things, but do you know exactly how much corporation tax your limited company will pay this year?
I'm sure everyone knows that the tax rates have changed, but have you worked out the impact of this in your business? Have the rates just gone up by 6%?
No. Take a look at this video from Sarah at IN Accountancy, in which she works through an example of the impact of the new corporation tax regime on a profitable small business, and shares more details about the small profits threshold, marginal rates of corporation tax, and the main rate band.
If you're not sure how this might impact you, please feel free to get in touch and they’ll be happy to help.
Visit in-accountancy.co.uk for further details.
Today in SK
☕️ Food and drink ☕️
How do you fancy a nice iced cappuccino today? Head down to Coffee Block (SK1) for their CUBO espresso over ice, filled with shaken milk and topped with chocolate! Open till 5.30pm.
Med Monday at TRUNK (SK7) between 12pm and 9pm. Enjoy three tapas dishes for £15. T&Cs apply.
🎶 Live music 🎶
Acoustica at Bask (SK1). Live music from Ruby J, Conor Rabone, James Stephen, French Coriandah, and Jess Kemp. Hosted by XS Manchester’s Jim Salveson. 7pm. Tickets are free.
❓Quiz night ❓
The George & Dragon (SK7). 7.30pm.
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
Wembley Park tube station, London
I love this photo. It’s the perfect visualisation of Stockport County Football Club today. We’ve taken a knock, but we’ll take it on the chin, ready to rise up again shortly…
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.
Bunch of fives
5️⃣ teams victorious over County at Wembley
Stoke
Peterborough
Port Vale
Burnley
Carlisle
5️⃣ things to dunk chips in
Gravy
Mayonnaise
Tomato ketchup
BBQ sauce
Curry
5️⃣ football grounds in Yorkshire
Valley Parade
Oakwell
Bramall Lane
Hillsborough
Wetherby Road