We’re all going on a League One tour, but what have Wimbledon made of 23-24…

Our great big review of the season kicks off with the Wombles

May 04, 2024

Saturday 4 May 2024

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Dear County fans, Stopfordians, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Saturday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.

As you can see from the horrendous rhyming title at the top of the page, it’s time for our great big review of the season! I’ve not yet reached out to my correspondents in Milton Keynes, Doncaster, Crewe or Crawley, as they still have it all to play for, but for everyone else whose League Two campaign came to an end last Saturday, my questions have all been sent out. The first one to arrive in my inbox was Ray Armfield, so we’re kicking off with Wimbledon.

Today’s edition is sponsored by Colourtone. As always, a big thank you to Paul.

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: 136.36 miles

Total steps so far: 217,174

Total raised so far: £1,666

Total completed streets so far: 271 (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

Odin Bailey’s late winner on Easter Monday was a huge goal in this season’s title race (Photo courtesy of Mike Petch)

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but we’re all going on a League One tour! Are you going to give us a friendly wave off at the airport, or are you glad to see the back of us?

I think we'll wave you off and wish you well. You've provided us with Messrs Lewis, Johnson and (all-too-briefly) Lemonheigh-Evans, all of whom have improved us this season – and we'd love to have The Lemon back if that were remotely possible. Glad to see the back of Disney FC and the circus that surrounds them. I think you'll hold your own next season.

Gareth Southgate needs a last minute replacement for his Euro 2024 squad. Which Wimbledon player deserves the nod based on their performances this season?

Left-back Jack Currie without a shadow of a doubt. Our Player of the Year and a nice, intelligent lad too. Unfortunately he is likely to be sent to market in the summer as we need the money, and he deserves a Championship club at the very least.

With World War 3 getting closer with each passing day, the government have asked me to pass on the following questions:

A) Who’s been your toughest player in 2023-24, most suitable to stick on the frontline?

B) What’s the best food you’ve had at a ground in 2023-24, that we can use for the troops in the trenches to keep morale up?

C) If World War 3 does kick off, how will Wimbledon fans react in a crisis?

A) Omar Bugiel. A real workhorse of a forward who always puts his body on the line. Would be first over the top from the trenches.

B) Ours in the Fanzone at Plough Lane. Especially 'My Pie', purveyors of the finest comestibles known to man. Stick one of those in your billycan and you'd be ready to take on anyone's army.

C) Probably some loud tutting and rustling of copies of The Guardian. Some may storm the nearest Waitrose and stockpile quinoa.

Best moment of 2023-24?

The obvious one of the last minute Ronan Curtis winner at Plough Lane against <redacted> on March 2nd and the celebrations that ensued.

Worst moment of 2023-24?

The obvious one of 90 minutes in Buckinghamshire where we absolutely shit the bed, lost 3-1 and finished the game with nine men.

Funniest moment of 2023-24?

In the celebrations that followed *that* goal on March 2nd, Ronan Curtis picked up a ballboy who was engulfed by the team. He became something of a minor celebrity and now has his own terrace song.

Four Four Two said you’d finish 17th. When Saturday Comes said you’d finish 21st. You finished 10th. Discuss.

I can understand those predictions given our two previous seasons, but faith and a bit of budget was placed in the hands of our HOFO (Head of Football Operations) Craig Cope and he spent what we could scrape together for him pretty well. Most of us would have settled for 10th although the drop off in form once we were weakened in the January window alarmed a few people.

Wimbledon 1 County 2 in September. County 1 Wimbledon 0 in April. Thoughts?

No shame in two close games against the eventual champions and it took a late worldie at Edgeley Park to finally break us down.

Best and worst away days of 2023-24?

Personally, away days have lost a little lustre in recent seasons, so it normally takes a new ground to get me along. I did enjoy leading Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for 26 minutes and the songs that went with it, until they spoiled the fun by bringing on £200m worth of substitutes to win 2-1.

Worst for me was probably Swindon where our faint play-off hopes were finally extinguished, and then compounded by the wife returning from the ladies loos at half-time to alarmingly tell me that whilst sat in a cubicle, she looked up and spotted a CCTV camera. A story that the BBC subsequently covered.

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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.

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Photo of the day

Mercian Way, Stockport

Steve Bellis, with a load of County fans and the League Two trophy, in front of “The Scarf My Father Wore” mural. A very easy choice for today’s Photo of the Day!

“Champions again olé olé!”

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Today in SK

💿 DJ

Stockport’s biggest party at the weekend is at Bask (SK1), with DJ Gareth Brooks playing till 3am. Last entry 1.30am.

🍺 Food and drink

If you’re in Stockport tonight, pop into The Petersgate Tap (SK1) for a pint or two.

🎤 Karaoke

The Nelson Tavern (SK1) with Lee. From 8pm.

🎸 Live music

Song Birds at The Dog & Partridge (SK2). 8pm.

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100 random grounds that County have played at

#8 – Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday

Last visit: Well, there’s no trip to Hillsborough next season. Wednesday won 2-0 at Sunderland this afternoon to stay in the Championship. Of course, County travelled to Sheffield in the League Cup this season, losing on penalties after the Owls had equalised in injury time. Our last league game at Hillsborough was a 0-0 draw in 2004-05, after we’d already been relegated to League Two. (That point was the only time we didn’t lose in our final eleven games of the season.)

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