Hello everyone; welcome to another season of the diary blog. I hope you’re all raring to go for another season of ups and downs.

It’s a mere nine weeks since the playoff final, but so much has happened in the meantime that it feels like an eternity. Disappointing though the result against Bolton was, few of us would have imagined we’d be looking at the start of a new season without Simon Wilson and Dave Challinor, but here we undoubtedly are. We have a new manager in Jim McNulty, a completely new coaching staff and a number of new players to get used to. We’ll probably never know what prompted the departures of Wilson and Challinor, whether it was a falling out, a realisation that the new financial rules required a change of approach or something else entirely, but whatever it was we have a new reality to deal with.

The first test of that new reality came last Tuesday when County played Oldham at Boundary Park. We’ll have a bit of a time shift and cover that game here, for the benefit of those who didn’t go.

Tuesday, 28^th July 2026.

Matchday: Oldham v Stockport County, Pre-season friendly.

I nearly didn’t go myself, having sold one car and having the other instantly conk out and get stuck in the garage for a month, because life’s like that. Grateful thanks to Edd Powell for stepping into the breach and providing a lift. Here’s the starting lineup:

At the risk of boring those who were there, these are my impressions of the team:

Ollie Whatmuff: Confident, doesn’t get stuck on his line, plays from the back perhaps a bit too much, will call for the ball even when it’s nearly at the halfway line and should be going forwards. He’s no shrinking violet, when Oldham’s number nine, Fondop, launched a physical attack on him he was straight up and ready to have a go back.

Lewis Bate: More like his old self after looking out of sorts when he played at all last season.

Ethan Pye: Generally the first to take the ball from the keeper, there seems to be a mutual trust between the two of them even at this early stage.

Eoghan O’Connell: Looks decent, solid and reliable.

Jack Diamond: Had a good game but should have scored from a chance he created himself, typical him really.

Ollie Norwood: Same as ever, conducting the orchestra, just Norwood doing Norwood things.

Tayo Edun: Played further up the right wing than we’re used to and looked good doing it.

Ryan Glover: Played left wingback, can beat a man, tried too many fancy flicks that didn’t come off but will excite.

Harry Wood: Played in the number 10 position. Busy, creative, I really like the look of him.

Kyle Wootton: Same as ever but we weren’t sending high balls to him all the time for a change so he didn’t have to spend the who game wrestling with centre halves.

Kyron Gordon: Right centre back, looked very capable.

The substitutes:

Richard Ilara: Centre half, only 16 but you wouldn’t know it from his physicality and confidence.

Malik Mothersille: A constant threat, took his chance with the only goal, looked happier than last season, please gods he comes good.

Ben Osborn: Played wide right, put some good crosses in.

Lewis Fiorini: Did OK, not spectacular but better than his reputation.

James Bailey: Quality, has a confidence that belies his years, really impressed.

Ryan Rydel: Looked good, I really hope he can stay fit because he’d be an asset.

Jason Adigun: More of him, please, really exciting, as I said at the time he looks like I hoped Mothersille would be.

Owen Moxon: Played right full back, I’d say his best cameo for us.

Caveat: It was Oldham, better opposition would give us more trouble, especially if we messed about at the back like we did in the first half. They allowed us to be creative, League 1 teams won’t be so accommodating. Fondop’s WWE-style attack on Whatmuff that led to him being sent off was bizarre and he won’t have helped his cause by squaring up to Jim McNulty and other members of County’s staff as he left the pitch. All in all, a satisfactory run out.

Today’s tune is for Mike Fondop, it’s those nutty boys with “Madness”:

Saturday, 1^st August 2026.

Matchday: Stockport County v Preston North End, Ben Hinchliffe’s testimonial.

Still suffering from our 404 Out Of Car Error, we took a taxi to the ground today. We’ve been contemplating doing this for a while, given that parking isn’t going to get any easier, so it was good experience. I was pleased to see a containerised Disabled toilet had appeared by the side of the Cheadle End, albeit not yet in use. The one inside the CE itself is used by all comers, so gets very busy.

I was pleased to see my article for the Supporters’ Co-op about Ben in the programme:

The starting lineup, apart from Ben in goal, was the same as Tuesday. You’d imagine, barring injuries, this plus Whatmuff will be how we line up against Doncaster on Saturday. The new signing, ‘keeper Luca Ashby-Hammond, made an appearance on the bench.

Ticket sales running up to the game had been slow but a turnout of 5,303 was pretty good in the end and with the Pop Side closed the ground felt well filled.

Alan Ogley, a hero of mine from the early days of following County, was invited to say a few words over the PA by Steve Bellis but unfortunately the microphone must have been borrowed from Norman Collier (ask your granddad or look him up on You Tube) because his message made no sense at all.

The team turned in another decent performance, especially considering the (theoretically at least) better opposition. Ben was the star of the day, as you would hope, although the sponsors inexplicably chose Kyron Gordon as Man Of The Match. That’s not to say Gordon’s performance wasn’t deserving of the accolade but that was hardly the point.

The club’s highlights give a better idea of the game itself than anything I could manage. The starting XI did most of the work but given the occasion, it was important that everyone played a part so we saw a succession of substitutions from an hour onwards. County looked more dangerous once Beno Andrésson came on and he was instrumental in creating the opportunity for Jack Diamond to score the solitary goal.

An encouraging result against a Championship side but we shouldn’t get too carried away; a quick glance at Preston’s Twitter feed shows their fans are deeply unhappy about their pre-season form. To add to the unrest, their captain, Ben Whiteman, has just announced that he’s played his last game for the club and he’s widely expected to sign for Wrexham.

Today’s tune, in honour of the GOAT, is “Some Kind Of Hero” from Wilko Johnson’s collaboration with Roger Daltry:

Sunday, 2^nd August 2026.

The annual match between County and Offerton Cricket Club has been going on for years but I’ve never managed to attend. I was keen to go this year, partly to break my duck and partly to try out my newly-acquired mobility scooter. It was a glorious day, much enjoyed by County fans and the players who turned out.

Ben Hinchliffe and Ollie Norwood made an impressive opening stand for County, it was obvious that Ollie in particular is no stranger to the summer sport. Other players and staff present included Ethan Pye, Ben Osborn, Arttu Hoskonen, Eoghan O’Connell, Damien Allen, Jason Taylor and Jim McNulty. I didn’t stay until the end, but I’m told that County won by two runs.

Unfortunately, the extremely steep and somewhat rutted hill from the ground to the road proved too much for my new chariot, it got a third of the way up and wrapped its hand in. I managed to push it another third and a very helpful chap took pity on me and pushed it the rest of the way to the top. Lesson learned, there are obviously limits to Marlin’s abilities. I’m very grateful to grandson-in-law Richard Severn, who came to collect me and my mount for the rest of the journey home. I’ve added a pair of pliers and a supply of 5A fuses to my toolkit for future outings.

In the light of my little difficulty getting away from the game, today’s tune is “Hill is High” by Brògeal:

Monday, 3^rd August 2026.

There have been a number of complaints about the new media gantry under the roof of the Pop Side. Those in the worst affected seats have been offered a move or a discount on their season tickets, apparently. This picture suggests that the structure will obstruct the view even once the scaffolding is removed but we won’t know for sure until the home game against Blackpool on 22^nd August.

The season’s first Scarf Bergara Wore Match Preview Show is out now, this time Steve Bardsley talks to Jack of the Rambling Rovers podcast about Saturday’s League Cup tie against Doncaster.

• Cup before league: The idea of having the first round of the Carabao Cup as the opening fixture is new for this season and nobody seems to like it.
• The state of the Rovers: Things have settled down at last, the fans have a manager they trust in Grant McCann and the owners are providing a competitive budget.
• Pre-season: It’s been a mixed picture. The fans followed the club to Northern Ireland where they won all three games but as the season has already begun over there, the opposition was mostly reserves and triallists. Draws with Harrogate and Gainsborough were followed by losses against Wolves and Lincoln.
• Summer transfers:
  • Alfie May is back for a second spell on loan from Huddersfield.
  • Isaac Hutchinson, a midfielder from Bristol Rovers.
  • Jordan Thomas, a forward from Cheltenham.
  • Leon Ayinde, a forward from Ipswich.
  • James Husband, a defender from Blackpool.
  • Owen Bailey, a midfielder coveted by any number of clubs, has been offered a new contract and there’s a feeling that anyone who wants him will be looking at the sharp end of two million quid.
  • Luke Molyneux has gone to Salford for £700k and an irresistible wage by League 2 standards.
• Expectations for the season: There’s an air of cautious optimism around the club. McCann would perhaps say they were aiming for the playoffs but the minimum would be an improvement on last season’s fourteenth place.
• Saturday’s match: With both teams having new players to bed in, Jack expects a close affair, perhaps ending in a 1-1 draw. I expect that would mean penalties but, given that the authorities can’t leave anything alone, we might be looking at a dance-off or a pie-eating competition. Or something.

There’s much more detail in the video itself, get it here:

Today’s tune is “Bring Me Your Cup” by UB40:

Tuesday, 4^th August 2026.

What can we expect from the coming season? I’ve answered this question for two other podcasts who had been in touch with TSBW, this is a summary of what I told them:

Until last season, County had improved their league position for eleven years on the trot and there’s even an argument that, in reaching the playoff final, we stretched that to twelve. Since the defeat in the playoff final, however, Dave Challinor and Simon Wilson have gone, making it more difficult than ever to predict how 2026-27 is going to pan out. We still have the core of the team that finished third while rarely putting two good halves together, so there’s room for optimism if the new coaching team and the additions they’ve brought in can get us firing from the start. The relegated teams are going to be strong, so it’ll to be tough to make it thirteen continuous seasons of improvement; I’m going to say we’ll make the top half of the playoffs and possibly trouble the automatics.

County have a sizable squad as things stand, with limited scope for players to come in. Among that number we have a handful on decent contracts who have either spent all last season injured or failed to live up to their billing. It may turn out to be a forlorn hope, but perhaps a change of manager will give some of them a chance for a fresh start. As for fears, I’m slightly concerned that some of our newer fans will over-react if we don’t start the season like prime 1970s Brazil, some patience may be necessary until the new boys find their feet.

The big news today is that Rene Meulensteen has been appointed as the club’s Director of Football Methodology. That’s a new job description to me, so we’ll have to go with Damien Allen’s word that the “appointment reflects our commitment to building an elite football department, where every player and coach across the club is aligned behind a clear football philosophy, coaching methodology, identity and way of working.”

The new recruit certainly brings a wealth of experience to the club, both domestically with Manchester United and Fulham, amongst others, and internationally with Australia and Iraq. It’s quite a coup to get him, I reckon, and hopefully Jim McNulty will find his experience very valuable.

Today’s tune is brought to you by word association and isn’t intended as an instruction; it’s “Walk Away Renee” by Billy Bragg:

Wednesday, 5^th August 2026.

The transition from County Ladies to County Women has gathered pace over the close season. There’s been a fair amount of controversy, the move to Cheadle Town’s ground and the news that the Cheadle Town Stingers women’s team was being disbanded has caused a great deal of upset.

On the plus side, recruitment has been a mixture of new and established players. Familiar faces from last season, like Abbie Podmore, Freya Heap and Em Bradshaw have been joined by a plethora of new signings like Yaz Ahmed, Imogen Porteus-Williams and Faye Bowness.

The fixtures for the Women have been released:

It was the Fans’ Forum at Edgeley Park tonight and as the Co-op’s Comms and Media bloke I attempted to live tweet proceedings. It’s tricky to cover all the nuances on the hoof but I hope I got the message across. Everyone on the top table spoke well and it’s clear that there’s a good and enthusiastic atmosphere around the club.  Left to right on the top table: Manager, Jim McNulty, Sporting Director Damien Allen, Head of Recruitment, Jonathan Smith, Supporters Liaison Officer, Kim Hulme and Chief Executive Officer, Gavin Bailey.

The highlights of the affair were as follows:

• New financial rules: Although they favour the bigger clubs with more turnover, we can compete by working better, smarter and more efficiently.
• Disabled facilities: More wheelchair spaces are coming and a new disabled toilet for the Cheadle End is now in place.
• New media gantry: It had to be done after a structural survey and cost £100K. Some viewing issues from the back row of the Pop Side unavoidable.
• The PA system: It was inaudible in the Cheadle End on Saturday. Steve was mortified that nobody heard him or Alan Ogley. To be investigated.
• Safe standing: There may be more provided in LT1 and LT5 of the Cheadle End but not this season.
• County Women: More emphasis on marketing and more games at EP to come.
• Ground expansion: Work on the Bergara Stand underway now, the Railway End is a massive project and will have to wait until we hit the Championship.
• More of the ground will be used for cup games if it’s financially viable to do so.
• General injury update: Sidibeh, 8 weeks more with a hamstring injury, Camps maybe available this weekend, Hills out until Christmas at least. Arttu Hoskonen is devastated that he hasn’t been able to play. The latest problem is plantar fasciitis but he should be available to play against Everton in the Vertu Trophy. Jay Mingi is back in training but discussions are underway about him leaving the club.
• Cup games will be used to rotate the squad while trying to remain competitive.
• Rene Meulensteen will bring great experience, maximise talent throughout the club from academy to first team and aim to keep talented coaches who may have left in the past. Aiming for a seamless golden thread throughout the club.
• City have a recall clause on Ollie Whatmuff but it’s thought very unlikely they would invoke it.
• The captaincy for this season hasn’t been decided yet.
• There’s a definite sense that the club is a happier and more relaxed place under Jimmy McNulty.

A new signing today; French striker Mika Mandron from Saint Mirren. He comes across well in his introductory video and his record shows he has a goal in him. Just the one-year contract, appropriately enough for a striker over thirty perhaps, but as Jonathan Smith said at the Forum, there’s always scope for triggers and extensions.

Today’s tune, inspired by the signing of our French striker, is a bit of French (Canadian) music from Le Vent Du Nord, “Octobre 1837”:

Thursday, 6^th August 2026.

There will be a number of changes to TSBW’s output this season beyond the complete visual refresh you may already have noticed.

• The Weekly Podcast: Our flagship Wednesday night LIVE show returns with Waggie and Andy taking the hosting duties, joined by a rotating panel discussing everything happening at EP each week.
• Preview Podcast: Steve leads our preview shows, taking a look ahead to the weekend’s fixture, the opposition and the big talking points.
• Match Reaction Podcast: Jimmy and Dan will once again bring you our post-match reaction podcasts, with the usual rotated faces giving their honest views. This will now be LIVE on a Sunday evening.
• Special Features with Russ: Although he’s stepping back from the weekly hosting duties, you’ll still be hearing plenty from him throughout the season including on the weekly shows. He’ll continue producing our longer-form feature content, including new interview specials, documentaries and the continuation of our Dark Days series. Alongside that, there are several other podcast ideas already in development, exploring the history, people and stories that make County such a special club. These episodes take a little longer to produce but often become some of our most memorable, and we’re excited to share them with you over the coming months.
• Website & Written Content: Our website continues to grow into a genuine County media hub, bringing together podcasts, videos, blogs from Josh, Reidy and me, JKB, in one place.
• Prediction League: After the fantastic response to our World Cup competition, our free Prediction League returns for the full season, giving everyone another chance to compete for some great prizes.
• Patreon: The support of our members allows The Scarf Bergara Wore to keep growing. It helps us invest in equipment, improve production quality, run the website and continue producing independent, supporter-led content. One thing that hasn’t changed is the price.
• Despite continuing to invest in TSBW and improve what we produce, we’ve decided to keep Patreon at the same price of £3 per month because we believe it continues to offer fantastic value. Members will continue to enjoy:
  • Ad-free listening across all our podcasts.
  • Early access where available.
  • Exclusive Patreon only events (as and when they’re planned)
  • Monthly giveaway
  • The satisfaction of knowing you’re directly supporting independent County fan media.
  • To sign up, go to: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheScarfBergaraWore

Members of the Supporters Co-operative board met with the club at Edgeley Park on Monday 20th July, to discuss matters raised by members and the wider fanbase. For the full minutes of the meeting, please go to the Co-op’s website at https://www.countysupporterscoop.co.uk/

It seems a number of League 1 clubs are interested in loaning Tanto Olaofe from Charlton. It’s a great pity he didn’t recapture the form we know he’s capable of when he was back with County last season but I suspect that ship has sailed now as far as we’re concerned.

Today’s tune chooses itself at the dawn of a new football season; “Midnight Mass Murder” by those chirpy Tranmere fans, Half Man Half Biscuit:

Friday 7^th August 2026.

This season’s squad numbers have been announced. There are still a couple of numbers unallocated, it’ll be interesting to see what happens to those in the coming weeks.

You want opinions? We got ‘em. The first TSBW main podcast of the season was recorded in the County Arms on Thursday night and is on its way as a two-parter. Russ, Andy, Waggie, Jimmy and Steve discuss the first few weeks of the McNulty era, the Fans’ Forum and give us their impressions of the first team squad. The first part is out now:

News comes through today that Tyler Onyango has signed for Sheffield Wednesday. I thought Tyler was a cracking player but his injury record is such that I wasn’t disappointed that we weren’t in for him. If he can stay fit, he’ll be a real asset for the Owls but a three-year contract sounds optimistic to me.

It’s amazing how quickly you get out of the swing of the football season; I almost forgot to guess at a team for tomorrow. It really is a guess, too, but for what it’s worth, here it is:

Today’s tune was inspired by the news that the club is a happier, more smiley place under the new managerial team, this is “Jollity Farm” by the Bonzo Dog Doodah Band:

See you at Edgeley Park!

Animo et fide.