Saturday, 23^rd August 2025.

Matchday, County v Burton Albion, League 1.

After launching last week’s blog on an unsuspecting world, Janice and I toddled off to the Armoury for An Evening With Tony Dinning, arranged by the blog’s parent podcast, The Scarf Bergara Wore. The night followed the tried and trusted format of Waggie interviewing Tony in the first half and Andy asking audience questions after the break. Tony proved to be a superb subject and kept everyone entertained for two and a half hours. His partner, Danielle, sat at our table and was excellent company.

TSBW Patreon members get free priority invitations to these live shows, the videos in full shortly after, monthly prize draws and lots of other stuff, all for £3 a month. The key to it all is here:

https://www.patreon.com/thescarfbergarawore

So, back to Saturday in real time. Given County’s inability to put two good halves of football together so far this season, I thought some of the predictions for an easy win against the Brewers were just temptations of fate. Hope springs eternal though, so we took our seats in LT4 in the knowledge that this squad is too full of quality not to gel before long. The starting lineup showed that Dave Challinor had reshuffled that quality with Kyle Wootton on the bench and Nathan Lowe leading the charge:

That was a 9/11 for me, I thought Joseph Olowu and Kyle Wootton would start in place of Brad Hills and Nathan Lowe. In hindsight, perhaps my plan was the better one…

In direct contrast to the midweek game against Bradford, the first half was poor, with Burton firmly in control. The signs weren’t good, and they took the lead after twenty-four minutes. It started with a free kick, Corey Addai got a hand to the resultant header but only parried the ball which was eventually smuggled home. Things got even worse when Brad Hills was dealt a red for pulling back a Brewers’ player who was through on goal. Corey Addai might have been more forceful in coming out to combat the threat, but to describe him as “rooted to his line” as some have done is plain wrong, he was on the penalty spot when Hill committed the foul. DC responded by bringing Kyle Wootton and Jayden Fevrier on to replace Malik Mothersille and Nathan Lowe.

The only mercy from a poor first half was that we weren’t further behind. Down to ten and a goal behind, I can’t claim that my outlook at half time was particularly optimistic.

Joe Olowu and Danny Andrew started the second half in place of wingbacks Corey O’Keeffe and Owen Dodgson. This change of plan certainly paid off, Kyle Wootton in particular putting in a performance that must surely have convinced his few remaining doubters that he’s fundamental to our success. His pass to Jack Diamond for a superb opening goal showed once again that he isn’t just a target man but can create as well. With the scores now level and County seemingly on top, it started to look like an unlikely win might be possible. That feeling gained strength when Ollie Norwood did an absolute Ollie Norwood, firing a free kick into the top left-hand corner from thirty yards out. It wasn’t a cakewalk thereafter; some stern defending was required deep into six minutes of time added before the three points were ours. A fantastic game in which the team’s character showed through in the end.

Kyle Wootton was voted Man Of The Match by the sponsors; quite a call, considering he only played half the game, but a mark of how much he transformed our fortunes.

Today’s tune, celebrating the part DC’s subs played in today’s victory, is “Changes” by David Bowie:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/b2Kyl0HP1T0?feature=oembed

Sunday, 24^th August 2025.

Matchday: Chorley v County Ladies, FAWNL Division 1 North.

County’s ticketing system is currently showing no availability for Tuesday’s match at Wigan so we’ve either sold them all (which seems unlikely) or the system has had a fit of the vapours. I was told the other day that more tickets were about to added, so I think the latter is more likely. County’s Ticket Office is closed tomorrow, so anyone who wants to go and hasn’t got a ticket yet is going to have to get slippy on Tuesday. Who ever dreamed we’d be looking back with fondness to the days of Future Ticketing?

County Ladies’ excellent start to the season continued today with a 3-2 win against Chorley FC Women at the Jim Fowler Memorial Ground, home of Euxton Villa. Get your pens and pencils ready for the team lineup:

Chorley scored first, but Abbie Podmore volleyed the equaliser home in the forty-fourth minute. Jess Battle scored twice in the second half to take the win and was declared Player Of The Match. Six points from their two games so far leaves County top of the FAWNL table. People often say that league tables are meaningless at this early stage, but that sort of talk is for teams who aren’t top.

The Ladies’ next match is next Sunday, 31^st August, against Norton & Stockton Ancients at Stockport Sports Village.

To celebrate two excellent wins in in short order, today’s tune is “One Weekend” by Dr. Feelgood:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/NKHOnPiUtZ4?feature=oembed

Monday, 25^th August 2025.

TSBW’s Match Review pod was up this morning, brought to us by Jimmy Harmer, Dan Culverwell, Dave Whitehead and Lee Rowley. Their exploration of Saturday’s match went like this:

• The team: With Kyle Wootton on the bench and Nathan Lowe starting, it was generally a 3-4-3 but with the usual fluidity that Dave Challinor insists upon.
• A poor start: Burton had obviously had us watched and had sussed that we struggle against a press. Lowe isn’t a target man in the Woots mould, so lumping high balls at him is no use and we failed to make an impact. It felt like a goal was coming at the wrong end and sure enough free kick on our left led to a free header which Corey Addai did well to parry, but the defence failed to clear the danger and the ball was eventually smuggled home.
• Our defence: We shouldn’t forget that with Arttu Hoskonen and Tayo Edun injured and Joseph Olowu still finding his feet, our current defence is somewhat makeshift. Callum Connolly has been brilliant but he probably wouldn’t be first choice if everyone else was fit. The current wingbacks are decent going forward but aren’t the greatest defenders, which puts even more pressure on the centre halves, which isn’t helping.
• Down to ten: Brad Hills lost track of his man in a similar way as he did at Orient and tried to recover the situation by pulling his opponent back. Corey Addai may have prevented the goal or he might not, but Hills’ intervention made that academic and off he had to go. We were lucky to get away with the resulting free kick, the woodwork coming to our rescue.
• Reorganisation 1: DC reacted to this setback by replacing Lowe and Mothersille with Wootton and Fevrier, allowing us to adopt a 4-4-2 formation before the break.
• Reorganisation 2: Andrew and Olowu replaced O’Keeffe and Dodgson for the start of the second half.
• A fight back for the ages: What a second half! Woots was immense, not only did he give a textbook display of the target man’s art, but his ball to release Jack Diamond on his run to score the equaliser was of the finest quality. A lesser team might have settled for a draw at that stage but no, enter Ollie Norwood to lash the ball home from a free kick so far out that the net was barely a dot in the distance.
• Man of the match: Given to Kyle Wootton but there were arguments for Ethan Pye, who ran himself to a frazzle, Jack Diamond who was a constant threat down the left and Ollie Norwood for that free kick.
• Ref watch: Given his reputation, Mr. Stockbridge let the game flow and didn’t commit any absolute bloopers.

The full pod is here for your delight and education:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/NCyFCDZmc4k?feature=oembed

A guess at a team for tomorrow. A real shot in the dark, there are players who could do with a rest and others who could do with minutes but we seem to be taking the competition seriously, so DC has a fine line to tread.

Today’s tune, in honour of the shape County adopted after half time on Saturday, is “Tried, Tested And True” by Joanne Shaw Taylor:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/FxZkeJ_BQ3A?feature=oembed

Tuesday, 26^th August 2025.

Matchday: Wigan Athletic v County, League (Carabao) Cup, 2^nd Round.

Before we concentrate on the cup match, here’s PPG Prophet’s latest graph, showing a welcome uptick in our line after Saturday’s win:

As tickets for this game were never going to be a problem, we’d persuaded the two great-grandsons to come with us. They had season tickets at one time but their ice hockey careers means they’re usually too busy for football now. The sparsely occupied Fingerpost Flyer was away from Lowndes Lane at 4:30, which meant we were at the ground with two hours to spare. Better that than on the last minute, of course.

The team was an interesting mixture of experience, youth and fringe players who needed minutes to show what they could do but with a strong bench to call on if necessary. I thought we might go stronger, so my FanHub prediction was only worth 5/11.

There’s been some grumbling about the selection on the socials but there are no complaints from me; I wasn’t expecting the same starting XI he’d pick for a league game and it’s always interesting to see how some of the fringe players acquit themselves. Wigan had made numerous changes too, so it wasn’t going to be men against boys.

The game itself was a frustrating affair, the strikers for both teams (including that nice Mr. Mullin for Wigan) strove manfully but the midfields failed to create much of note. Beno Andrésson should have done much better with a header that went quite amazingly wide and Nathan Lowe might have had a penalty when he was shoved in the act of heading for goal but nothing came of it. Jay Mingi showed some decent touches on his return, Che Gardner looked disappointedly lightweight but Jid Okeke provided some real moments of excitement. Lewis Fiorini was generally efficient but often passed back to a colleague when a more confident player might have played a more attacking ball. We looked more dangerous with the introduction of Norwood, Diamond, Dodgson, Fevrier and Allen at various stages in the second half but decent chances remained elusive. Just when it looked like we were going to suffer a penalty shootout, a spot of lax defending let Wigan in and despite plenty of huffing and puffing we didn’t ever look like equalising.

I’m sorry we’re out of the League Cup but if it gives us a better chance of a win on Saturday, so be it. Some people have suggested that it’s time to scrap the competition, as clubs and supporters have limited interest in it, but I’d rather scrap the Virtu Trophy now it’s lost its raison d’être and become a vehicle for Prem U21 teams. The League Cup provided County fans with brilliant one-off nights like West Ham in ’72, Manchester United in ’78, Southampton in ’97, &c. &c. so we owe it more respect than it currently gets.

Today’s tune is from Wigan’s finest, this is “Only Love” by Merry Hell:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/HZfAnh3vJfI?feature=oembed

Wednesday, 27^th August 2025.

The Scarf Bergara Wore’s weekly pod was mainly concerned with Tuesday’s defeat, and the panel of Russ Johnson, Waggie and Ben “Elite Ginge” R. didn’t hold back:

• Was it as bad on TV as it was live? Bad enough to drive Ben to cookery, certainly. Too safe, too sideways, too much like a friendly between two teams changed massively from their last league games. County looked much more lively with Norwood and Diamond on the pitch but this only fuelled Chally’s comments that the second string aren’t taking the chances he offers them in these cup games.
• A cheap night out, at least? Yes, with discounts on already reduced prices, but Russ reports £27 for four pints of flat Madri in the ground <horrified face emoji>.
• Atmosphere: With only two stands open and a tiny crowd, the Moon probably had more atmos.
• Defensive issues: We were warned that Corey O’Keeffe is better going forward than he is in defence and Owen Dodgson may be showing similar traits after a decent start. With two central defenders in Chally and Clint Hill running the show, one would hope to see improvements at the back, especially when injuries to other players clear up.
• Midfield: With Bate and Camps injured, Moxon looking leggy and Fiorini looking short on confidence, if not basic ability, when he gets opportunities, do we need to recruit before the window closes?
• Are we downhearted? Not with 10 points from 15 in the league, we’re not. Waggie remains confident that we’re going up automatically.
• Our repertoire: County fans used to be far more inventive but we tend to concentrate on generic songs these days. A bit more “Early One Morning” or “Captain Beefheart” or “I Remember When” would be much better than the current diet of “Nur nur nur nur fscking useless” and musical allegations of illegal sexual acts.
• DC’s post-match interview: He isn’t afraid to call the players out, but should he take more responsibility? Having brought us up from the National League to a challenge for promotion to the Championship, he has credit in the bank, unlike some of the squad.
• Incoming transfers? Walsall’s wingback Connor Barratt is getting mentions for County and other clubs at our level. Tyler Onyango continues to gather splinters at Everton and Roman Dixon posting to Instagram from his hospital bed suggests he isn’t coming.
• Random Shit of the Week: A County version of “Play Your Cards Right,” it worked very well, if it lacked the chaotic comedy potential of earlier adaptations.

See what you think:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/UH4RAV_GKqk?feature=oembed

During the pod, Russ suggested ranking curries like football teams. My very subjective proposal goes like this:

• Premier League: Lamb Handi.
• Championship: Lamb Sagwallah.
• League 1: Chicken Balti Akbari Cham Cham.
• League 2: Achari Gosht.
•  National League: Keema Gosht.
• National North: Lamb Madras.

Regular readers will know how I feel about Manchester United and will readily guess how I reacted to them getting knocked out of the League Cup by Grimsby Town tonight. As always when United are on TV, I recorded it to watch later in case they lost. Imagine my dismay to find that for some reason I’ve only got the last fifteen minutes of the programme, so haven’t even recorded the penalties. I’ve seen the highlights of course, but it’s not the same.

Today’s tune, in honour of The Mariners’ victory, is a live version of “Trawlerman” by Skinny Lister. We’re off to see these at the Waterloo in September, should be a cracking gig:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/X67UIhJr7Nw?feature=oembed

Thursday, 28^th August 2025.

Lauren Hedley of The Scarf Bergara Wore joined the Wigan podcast “Progress With Unity” to look forward to Saturday’s match. Lauren’s main section begins at around twenty minutes in but if you listen to the whole thing there’s some useful information about things to look at outside the ground before the match. There’s a Northern Soul theme going on, including a Mods and Rockers exhibition; as a recently-retired motorcyclist I know which side I’m on, but apparently we’re all friends nowadays.

www.buzzsprout.com/7167/episodes/17744904-part-2-stockport-preview

Going back to Wednesday night’s defeat of United by Grimsby, there was some doubt about whether the fish botherers were singing “Stockport” or “Scunthorpe,” but I felt a reply to this slur was warranted:

There’s been such an irresistible tide of enthusiasm for the EFL/Virtu/BDSM/Pizza/Paintpot/Van/Windscreen Trophy that the club have announced that the Cheadle End will be closed for the game against Wolves U21s on Tuesday. It’ll allow some of the fringe players to get minutes again but that’s really all you can say for it.

The rumour mill has it that County are going for a three-Corey strategy by signing Rochdale’s teenage midfielder, Corey Edwards. He seems to have great promise but I can’t see him as the answer to our midfield injury difficulties just yet.

Ten years ago today, I retired from full-time work. Apart from a couple of freelance jobs until I learnt the art of saying “No,” that was me finished with ships and their engines. Best career move I ever made. This was the last job, the “SD Impulse” at Greenock, actually more about saying a fond farewell to some of the people up there than doing anything to the tug.

The only issue with retirement is that the wages stop appearing every month. Today’s tune is “Farewell To The Gold” by Nic Jones:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/n4nuTbz2wGI?feature=oembed

Friday 29^th August 2025.

I was accosted by a rather enthusiastic chap called Matty Goodvibes on my way into the ground on Saturday. My bit starts at 4:44, the rest of the TSBW gang are at 16:15:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/eFgDjDtVs9Y?feature=oembed

Another transfer rumour, this time a midfielder who might be ready to go; the sometimes-reliable Peter O’Rourke reckons AFC Fylde midfielder Taelor O’Kane might be heading our way before the close of the transfer window. Taelor is the son of John O’Kane, who started his career at United and played at most of the north-west clubs over the years with the exception, ironically, of County.

Here’s a team for tomorrow. I hope our record signing is fit and can start to show his quality, we could do with a bit of pace up front.

County have announced that Beno Andrésson and Andrew Wogan have been called up by Iceland and Ireland respectively for the upcoming international window. Although the rules aren’t as straightforward for younger players as they are for their senior brethren, this presumably moves our away game against Plymouth a bit closer to postponement.

Today’s tune is nothing to do with any of that, I’ve had it on a loop all week so now it’s your turn. It’s the story of a Gardai raid on a pub in Dundalk and contains the longest and most sustained curse in a song I’ve ever heard. This is “The Night The Gards Raided Oweny’s” by The Mary Wallopers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k8P8FzRQ0c&t=14s

See you all at Wigan!

Animo et fide.