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

Saddle up for the next instalment of our season review, as we take a trip to the West Midlands

May 27, 2024

Monday 27 May 2024

If you’d like to write an article for The Scarf My Father Wore, share a few snippets or photos, or advertise your business, please email thescarfmyfatherwore@substack.com.

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

Roberto Petrucco from the Yellow Ribbon Podcast joins us today for a look back at Walsall’s campaign.

Today’s edition is sponsored by Bridge Computer Services and Parkers Solicitors.

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: 148.94 miles

Total steps so far: 237,462

Total raised so far: £1,716

Total completed streets so far: 304 (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

County lost 2-1 at Walsall back in August (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?

It’s a mixture if I’m honest. I’ve always felt County are a similar club to ourselves in the sense that we try to do things the right way, and operate as the smaller club surrounded by those at the top end of English football.

In that sense, I’ll be sad to see you go, but you have much bigger spending power than us, and I think League Two will be more competitive without County, Wrexham and Mansfield next season.

I must add, thank you for winning the league. Every football fan outside of a certain part of Wales are very happy that you did!

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

Well, Southgate needs a left-back, but unfortunately Liam Gordon is an international with Guyana which rules him out.

I’m going to go with the Cannock Cannavaro, Taylor Allen. He had an extremely good second half of the season and filled in as a LCB in a back three for us. He has a great set-piece, gives his all every game, and played in a fair few different positions this season.

Gareth, if you’re reading… Taylor. Allen.

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 Walsall fans react in a crisis?

A) Toughest would potentially be Priestley Farquharson, but he’s injury prone. Therefore I’m going to go with Freddie Draper who we had on loan from Lincoln. My co-host on the pod Harley referred to him as a fridge because of his build. Also, when he returned to Lincoln, a friend who’s a supporter messaged me asking what we had been feeding him as it seemed he’d put on a lot of extra muscle.

Shoutout to Jamille Matt too. Master of the dark arts in football. I feel he would have some cunning tactics on the frontline.

B) Walsall have opened a supporters club next to the ground called The Locker. I have never seen somebody as happy as Gaz from another Walsall podcast One Pod Beyond on the final home game of the season sat eating a cheese and onion cob that was filled with what looked like a block of cheese and a whole onion. He actually said: “We have got our club back.”

C) I refer you to this Walsall chant: “Fight, fight, wherever you may be, we are the boys from the Black Country…” I think you get the drift.

Best moment of 2023-24?

Although it ended with us missing out, Danny Johnson scoring an 89th minute winner against Swindon to give us a real chance of the play-offs with two games to go was a particularly joyous moment.

Worst moment of 2023-24?

Ironically, the following game. We blew a 2-0 lead at home to Bradford to lose 3-2, which effectively ended our play-off chances. A season is full of “if only” moments, but Hutchinson hitting the inside of the post just after Bradford scored their first was one of those moments that could have changed the match. If we could have held on to get a win, it would have given us a real shot on the final day.

Funniest moment of 2023-24?

I actually can’t think of one for this. I suppose a moment I can look back and laugh at now is taking my dad to the MK Dons game for his 70th birthday. We lost 5-0.

Four Four Two said you’d finish 18th. When Saturday Comes said you’d finish 17th. You finished 11th. Discuss.

It doesn’t surprise me that many people put us down for a low finish. We have consistently been a bottom half team in League Two and we had just hired Mat Sadler who was a rookie manager.

One thing he did this season was build a team spirit and culture. Maybe tactically he needs to improve and there were some gaps in the squad, but he had each player fighting for their teammate and for the shirt. That wins you games in this league.

I think 11th was fair. We had good runs and bad runs at various points in the season, but we ultimately lost heavy when things went wrong. I would expect us to be building again and pushing higher up next season though.

A County fan enjoys his lunch at The Friary before the Walsall game

Walsall 2 County 1 in August. County 3 Walsall 1 in January. Thoughts?

I think that says more about you than us actually. In August, I think you were still finding your feet and getting settled into the season. We basically played you at a good time.

By January you had really got going and you were becoming a force to be reckoned with, and we didn’t really have the ability to stop you at that point.

Best and worst away days of 2023-24?

Oh well this is painful. My away record was absolutely terrible this season. I saw one win, one draw and countless defeats. The worst was either MK Dons or Wimbledon. The best by default has to be Sheppey United in the first round of the FA Cup… because it was the only win on the road I saw.

Leave a comment

Give Mark a call if your laptop needs a new screen

If your laptop needs a new screen give Mark a call at Bridge Computer Services. One of Mark’s clients had a broken screen recently. The following day the laptop was fitted with a new screen and delivered back to the client.

Based in Romiley, the business also provides computer workshop and callout services to residential and business customers across Stockport. Their callout and workshop engineers are trained to fix computers, laptops and servers on site (where possible) as well as setting up new computers and wireless networks, plus maintaining existing networks and removing viruses.

Visit bridgecomputerservices.co.uk for further details.

Leave a comment

Have you been injured in an accident?

Parkers Solicitors are your local accident and medical negligence expert solicitors in Stockport. They cover any accident claim including accidents at work, slips and trips, car accidents and they also have extensive experience in dealing with all types of medical negligence.

If you have been injured in an accident or suffered medical negligence, it can affect many aspects of your life. Their dedicated team will provide the support and guidance you and your family need to ensure that you are compensated fully and as quickly as possible.

As specialist personal injury lawyers, they are committed to providing excellent service whilst maximising compensation, which is not limited to damages for injuries, but can include repairs, loss of earnings, care and assistance, medication and any rehabilitation needs that you may have and any other losses.

Parkers Solicitors are there for you and can act on a no win no fee basis in most cases.

Visit parkers-solicitors.co.uk for further details.

Leave a comment

Photo of the day

Edgeley Park, Stockport

Paddy Madden wraps up our first victory of 2024 with a 76th minute penalty at home to Walsall in front of the Cheadle End.

Leave a comment

Today in SK

🎬 Cinema

Two films at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) today. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (12A) at 5.45pm, followed by The Fall Guy (12A) at 8.30pm. Click here for tickets.

🎤 Live music

Acoustica at Bask (SK1). Performances from Megan Wyn, The Wears, James Holt, Neeve Zahra and Chris Bridgett. 7pm. Tickets free.

❓ Quiz night

Damien’s Dastardly Difficult Pub Quiz at The Nelson Tavern (SK1). Only £1 per person, which includes a roast beef butty! 7.30pm.

Leave a comment

100 random grounds that County have played at

#28 – Gateshead International Stadium

Last visit: January 2012. Our first season in the Conference. What an utterly crap place to watch football that is. Me and Cashy drove up to this one but apart from losing 2-0 I can’t remember a single detail about the game. A quick check on Hatters Matters tells me Jon Shaw (pen) and Chris Moore scored on 61 and 64 minutes.

Leave a comment