Saturday, 24^th January 2026.

Matchday, Cardiff City v County, League 1.

Just after I launched last week’s blog, the inevitable signing was announced. Roman Dixon, a young wingback from Everton, was supposed to be with us all season but we broke him at Pinatar and he’s only just back to full fitness.

Thanks to our friends at Sky, it was an early start for Cardiff today. We picked Peter and Luke Tindall up from Mersey Square and made our way to Lowndes Lane. We were around forty souls on the coach, so I was able to grab a pair of seats to myself, which was nice. Having been up since three o’clock, I was able to doze most of the way to Gloucester Services, where we were joined by the Edgeley Con Club Coaches Corporate contingent.

Another hour and a half on the road saw us in the car park at Cardiff’s ground. First job was to meet with Matt Frewin and his father Martin to hand over the tickets I collected from EP on Friday, they timed their arrival perfectly. I chatted with Dan and Toby Culverwell for a few minutes before going into the ground. My bottle of pop came with a cap and the stewards told me I could sit at the front, so all was well. Until, that is, I realised I was sat within a couple of metres of the drum so I beat a hasty retreat to the other end of the front row.

County’s team earned me 10/11 on FanHub, I was expecting Ben Osborn to play instead of Beno Andrésson:

As seen in this photo from County’s Twitter feed, the players warmed up in tee shirts advertising the FA’s “Scan to Smile” programme that celebrates the life-changing impact of club charities across the country.

There was a well-observed minute’s applause for Terry Yorath, the former Cardiff manager who died in January, before kick-off:

The game started in a lively fashion, the home team in particular moving the ball around well. County weren’t overawed though, and Cardiff were kept at bay by Hinchliffe and Hills who was in prime form. At the other end, Bailey and Andrésson had chances blocked. Our breakthrough came via a central run by Dacres-Cogley, his shot was parried by the ‘keeper but Wootton was there to slide the ball home. The goal was no fluke, we were well in the game at this stage, but there was a hiatus coming.

Just before the half hour mark, a collision between Hills and Salech led to the Cardiff man needing a prolonged spell of treatment. One always fears the worst when a player is surrounded by medical staff and great care was taken before he was loaded onto a stretcher. The Cardiff fans were convinced that the damage was due to an elbow from Hills, despite there being no evidence to support this point of view, and set up a massive hullaballoo whenever County’s 33 was on the ball for the remainder of the match. They took it out on the referee as well, and although his wasn’t an impeccable performance by any means, it’s to his credit that he didn’t crumble completely under the continual onslaught from the majority of a large crowd.

As a result of Salech’s treatment we were treated to fourteen minutes of time added and halfway through this period, Cardiff found an equaliser when our defence allowed Colwill too much time and space.

We were on the back foot for much of the second half and after ten minutes Dave Challinor elected to swap Andrésson for Diamond in a quest for more penetration. Diamond’s dribbling ability did get us forward more but, as usual, he either ran down a cul-de-sac or failed to find a colleague with his final ball. When we got a free kick in prime Norwood range and position, I was sure he would have a crack at goal but he elected try to find a green shirt and it all came to nothing. Approaching full time the game could have gone either way, with County perhaps looking the more likely to score. Osborn and Okeke were introduced for Norwood and Olowu late on, presumably to keep everyone fresh for Tuesday night.

The Cardiff fans were still losing their minds over the imagined foul on Salech at full time and the County fans did their best to keep the pot boiling by serenading them with a version of The Cranberries’ song “Zombie” in praise of Brad Hills. Ethan Pye and Hills himself seemed to enjoy the attention of the home fans as they took in the applause of the County faithful, which wound them up even further. There’s perhaps an element of entitlement in their anger as well, they haven’t dropped points at home since September and they resented being denied all three points.

Once back on the coach we were on our way pretty quickly and made excellent progress. We had a brief stop to swap drivers and use the facilities at Frankley Services and we were back in Stockport just after seven o’clock. Janice was waiting and after dropping Peter and Luke off where we found them, it was home for Chinese food and medals.

Social media was alive with outraged Cardiff supporters, even though it’s obvious from the highlights that Hills did nothing wrong and Salech was found to be uninjured when checked over at hospital. County are the dirtiest team since 1970s Leeds, Hills should be had up for attempted murder (I kid you not), &c. &c.

Today’s tune, and it could hardly be anything else, is “Zombie” by The Cranberries:

Sunday, 25^th January 2026.

Matchday, County Ladies v Blackburn Rovers, FAWNL Division 1 North.

Despite an excellent performance yesterday, County are now down to fifth in the League 1 table by dint of Bolton beating Orient:

PPG Prophet’s graph gives cause for hope. It looks to me as though this season’s points total may end up higher than last, based on us sitting in fifth with points that would have had us a couple of places higher at this time last year.

Here’s County Ladies’ team for this afternoon’s home game against Blackburn Rovers. Gemma Lancaster and Natalie Watson replace Abbie Podmore and Shaunna Jein from last week’s defeat.

County came close after thirteen minutes when the ball rebounded to Natalie Watson but her shot hit the bar and went behind the goal. Ten minutes later they were ahead when Em Lysons drove down the right and crossed to Em Bradshaw who fired the ball into the net. Just three minutes after that the ladies doubled their lead when a Rovers defender diverted a Watson cross into her own net. On twenty-eight minutes they were three-nil up courtesy of Bradshaw who scored her second by chipping the ball over the Backburn ‘keeper. The score remained at 3-0 until half time.

The second half was most noticeable for a number of substitutions, including sixteen-year-old Leila Iddon making her first team debut. She was instrumental in the build up to County’s fourth goal, heading the ball on to Liv Wilson to score.

Today’s 4-0 win has propelled County Ladies up to third in the league table. Their next league game is away against Norton & Stockton Ancients on Sunday 8^th February.

Today’s tune is in honour of Phil Robinson, ex-Supporters’ Co-operative board member and all-round County fan, who passed away on Saturday morning. This is “Fallen Brothers” by the Urban Voodoo Machine:

Monday, 26^th January 2026.

As someone who loves football but has little grasp of the technicalities, I always look forward to TSBW’s Match Review Pod om a Monday to find out what the panel think about the weekend’s game. This week’s show was brought to us by Jimmy Harmer, Steve Bardsley, Lee Rowley and Dan Culverwell.

• The formation:
  • Goal: Hinchliffe.
  • Back three: Pye, Hills and Olowu.
  • Wingbacks: Edun and Dacres-Cogley.
  • Midfield: Bailey and Norwood.
  • In the hole: Stokes.
  • Strikers: Andrésson and Wootton.
  • Bench: Addai, Dodgson, Diamond, Fevrier, Mothersille, Osborn and Okeke.
  • The use of two up front seems to be sticking at a time when we could do with more goals.
• Rapid recovery: We were led to believe that Cardiff’s squad had been laid low with some sort of lurgi but there wasn’t much sign of it in their team selection.
• First half: We started well, pressing well to keep them honest, and even their star man, Salech, missing a decent opportunity seemed to spur us on. Our goal came on ten minutes from a slightly fortuitous long run by Dacres-Cogley and although his shot was parried by the Cardiff ‘keeper, Wootton was there to steer it home. The incident that will define the game came in the 29^th minute when Brad Hills landed on top of Salech. Play went on but from the urgent way Hills was gesturing to the bench, it was obvious that the Cardiff man looked badly hurt. Although the injury turned out to be non-life threatening, every precaution had to be taken and it was around fourteen minutes before play could resume. The break in play allowed the home side to regroup and they showed a much greater threat thereafter, especially down the wings. They finally got a goal deep into injury time and while we shouldn’t have allowed Joel Colwill so much space, there’s no doubt he took it well.
• Second Half: We competed well and threatened at times but gave the ball away too often. The Cardiff fans were completely fired up by what they saw as an assault on their centre forward and were howling for County players to be sent off every time they conceded a free kick. They were particularly incensed by a tackle from Norwood and what they thought was an elbow by Stokes, for which he received a caution. If it really had been an elbow, the player on the receiving end wouldn’t have been able to jump up to argue about it as quickly as he did. Most of us were happy with the draw we got, I don’t think you can say the same for the opposition.
• Post-match posturing: Some of Cardiff’s players wanted to argue the toss with Brad Hills after the final whistle but his colleagues rallied round him and prevented it getting out of hand. The County fans were loving all this, of course, which boiled of the bodily fluids of the Bluebirds’ spectators even further.
• Brad Hills: Some bloke him. He’s rapidly gaining hero status with the County fans and I suspect we’ll be hearing quite a bit of his song now he’s been awarded it.
• Blackpool (A): It sounds like Horsfall, now rehabilitated after Steve Bruce got his DCM, is injured again so we’ll be spared seeing him playing against us. The weather promises to be foul, quite a contrast to our last visit there in the summer.

There’s lots more to enjoy in the full pod, get it here:

Jay Mingi has been recalled from his loan at Crewe and he’s gone to Forest Green for the rest of the season. He only played six times for Crewe, perhaps he’ll get a bit more action in Gloucestershire. He’s got eighteen months left on his contract and I hope he can come back to us ready to play but the longer he spends away, the less likely it looks.

The news that Benjamin Speedie will be our referee tomorrow at Blackpool has gone down like a lead balloon. If the name doesn’t mean anything to you, he was in charge when a clearly offside goal was allowed for Orient in our playoff first leg last season.

I’m guessing DC will go for an unchanged side tomorrow:

Having just seen the weather forecast for tomorrow night, I’ve decided today’s tune should be Iron Maiden with “When The Wild Wind Blows”:

Tuesday, 27^th January 2026.

Matchday, Blackpool v County, League 1.

The big news this morning is confirmation that we’re signed Adama Sidibeh from St. Johnstone. The ex-AFC Blackpool, Cheadle Heath Nomads and Warrington Rylands striker has a reputation for strength and speed which should be exactly what we need to keep defences on the hop. It’s interesting to note that he’s been allocated number 29, which has led to speculation as to who will get the number 9 shirt vacated after Nathan Lowe went back to Stoke.

Only a handful of free seats on the Flyer tonight and a completely routine short trip to Blackpool. My allocated seat on the front row in the ground was certainly easily accessible but extremely low to the floor, so I moved back a row to seek a compromise of seeing past the pillars and avoiding anyone standing in front of me. Ironically, the biggest culprit at obscuring the view by leaping to his feet whenever we looked like scoring was a bloke who arrived in a wheelchair. One of the stewards put the word on him about it in the end. In hindsight, having seen pictures this morning, I should have walked to the far end of the stand where there was plenty of room.

The team was a 9/11 for me, I’d picked Olowu and Stokes instead of Osborn and Diamond:

The first notable thing that happened in the match was Honeyman going off having done his hamstring, to be replaced by the hapless Evans. County’s first goal came just after the half hour when a fantastic ball from Norwood met Wootton’s forehead and he steered it just inside the left-hand post. We were two up just two minutes later when the home defence watched Diamond dribble past them all and deposit the ball into the net.

Such was our dominance that I was expecting more goals in the second half. They didn’t come but a couple of injuries did; Andrésson collided with Blackpool’s ‘keeper and hurt his ankle and Diamond hurt the same body part when tripped by an opponent. They were replaced by Sidibeh and Stokes respectively. Sidibeh lived up to his billing, a similar player to Olaofe as far as his pressing and speed are concerned. A couple of times Blackpool defenders saw him bearing down on them and kicked for touch. If he carries on like that, he’s going to be just what we need. Goals apart, the biggest cheer of the night was for the return of Lewis Bate who came on for Bailey right at the end. If there were any downsides to the win they were our failure to score more goals and that we allowed them to get one back in the 97^th minute. Conceding very late goals is a habit we really need to shake off.

We were soon on the move back to Stockport and hit Lowndes Lane at twenty past eleven.

We could have had George Formby as today’s tune but instead I’ve gone for “Black Jack Davy” from Steeleye Span led by Maddy Prior, who was born in Blackpool:

Wednesday, 28^th January 2026.

Last night’s win leaves us in fourth place. We were up to third for a while, but Bolton callously scored an injury-time winner against Burton to knock us down a place. Here’s the table:

Our line on PPG Prophet’s graph continues to rise:

As mentioned earlier in the week, Phil Robinson passed away last Saturday morning. By way of a eulogy, I can do no better than reproduce this tribute from Co-op Chair, Dave Marchbank, to a generous, funny and committed County fan:

“I, along with I’m sure many other County supporters, was deeply shocked and saddened to hear the news of Phil Robinson’s untimely passing. Phil was a dedicated and proud County supporter, a former Co-op board member, and above all, great company.

He always had a wonderful tale or two to tell. His sense of humour was legendary, as was his fondness for a JD and Coke.

I first came across Phil many years ago when he began penning an article for the County programme under his alias Orson Cartier. I’m certain I wasn’t alone in quickly finding it to be the most anticipated read in the programme. Beyond his wicked sense of humour, Phil was a passionate Stopfordian who worked briefly on the Co-op board. He was always on hand to offer help, advice, and friendship.

Phil was an extremely modest man with a real love of music, and we shared many a good night at The Spinning Top. He will be fondly remembered by all who knew him.

On behalf of everyone at the County Co-op, I would like to pass on our sincere condolences to Phil’s family and friends.

RIP Phil.”

In the photo below, Phil is presenting George Perrins’ SCAN certificate to members of George’s family.

Phil’s funeral will be at 2:15 on Tuesday 10th February at the Cypress Chapel, (that’s the older of the two), at Stockport Crematorium.

At 7:45, just before this week’s main pod from The Scarf Bergara Wore went on air, the club tore the panel’s agenda up by announcing the week’s big news; Tanto is back!

The lads recovered brilliantly though, and there was certainly plenty to discuss for Russ, Waggie and Jimmy:

• Team overview: With some exciting signings coming in, will we start to dictate to other teams rather than being reactive to their tactics and formations?
  • Goalkeepers: The save Hinchliffe made right at the end of Cardiff (A) has barely received a mention but it was just as valuable as our goal. With Corey Addai looking increasingly disenchanted, do we need to sign another keeper in case Ben suffers an injury?
  • Wingbacks: It seems like five minutes ago that this was a problem position. Now, with Edun and Dacres-Cogley as first choices on either side and Dodgson, Osborn, Onyango, Dixon and Okeke as backups, we suddenly look incredibly strong down both sides.
  • Centre halves: Some of those defenders can play in the middle as well; with Hoskonen presumably on the verge of playing, what does the future hold for Callum Connolly?
  • Midfield: Lewis Bate’s cameo at Blackpool was a reminder of his quality, he offers a speed of thought and action that gives us a range of options when added to Norwood, Osborn and Bailey. We haven’t seen anything of Callum Camps for so long that it makes one wonder if he’s out for the season. See also Lewis Fiorini.
  • Forwards: We thought Tanto Olaofe’s return might happen but to have it announced was brilliant, it feels like a homecoming. While we’re doing well for points, our goal difference could do with a boost so Tanto and Sidibe look like promising signings, especially when it comes to pressing opposition defences. Mothersille hasn’t shown his true form yet, but with all the resources we have now, we can afford to wait. Will we stick with two up front now that we have more options? If Tanto’s return was half expected, Fevs going to Charlton on loan was a real surprise. His departure leaves the number 10 shirt free, in addition to the 20, in case we sign anybody else….
• Cardiff (A):
  • Brad Hills: Despite being accused of attempted murder by one particularly incensed Cardiff fan, he bore no responsibility for the injury to Salech. His recent performances have been magnificent and he’s earned his song.
  • Josh Stokes: For all the fuss about Hills’ “offence,” Stokes was perhaps the luckier of the two to see the game out; whether the elbow he caught an opponent with was deliberate or not, he might well have seen red for it.
• Charity Walks: There are few walks planned for good causes:
  • Hatters 2 Hatters: Katie Myott, Jamie Reding, Joel Torkington, and Mark Woolley, with logistical support from Hannah Downey, plan to walk 145 miles from Edgeley Park to Kenilworth Road, in aid of three charities; Stockport County Community Trust, Parkinson’s UK and Wellspring Stockport. They leave on the morning of Tuesday 17^th March and arrive on Saturday 21^st March 2026, when County play Luton. Details, including how to donate, are here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/hatters2hattersmarch2026?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL
  • Fundraiser for St Luke’s, Sheffield’s Hospice: Andy Birchenough and friends Pete and Simon are walking the 40 miles from Edgeley Park to Oakwell in memory of Andy’s Uncle Wayne who was looked after with so much care by St Luke’s Hospice. The three will start on May 1st and will reach their destination of Oakwell for County’s game against Barnsley on May 2^nd. Details, including how to donate, are here:
  • https://www.justgiving.com/page/andy-birchenough-6?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

All this and more, including how Jimmy found his true vocation as a corner flag, can be enjoyed here:

Today’s tune is by Four Winds in honour of the Irish branch of Jimmy’s family, “Flags Of Dublin”:

Thursday, 29^th January 2026.

The introduction of the new Stockport County Supporters’ Co-operative website has given us the opportunity to spotlight the charities we support as part of our work. The first article to appear is this, featuring The Wellspring, the charity which supports people who are homeless or at risk of losing their home in Stockport. Further articles will follow, so watch this space!

https://www.facebook.com/thewellspringstockport

County’s Community Trust have been playing a full part in the FA’s Scan To Smile week, designed to publicise community action by football clubs around the country. This particular article concentrates on the story of Liz, a valued participant in the Trust’s Parkinson’s UK Wellbeing Programme, which provides vital support to local people living with Parkinson’s.

https://www.stockportcounty.com/news/2026/january/28/efl-scan-to-smile–hear-liz-s-story-

The newest addition to the County week, Geordie Hatter’s Thursday show, was on splendid form tonight. The live chat was busy, the tunes were mighty and the time just flew by. If you missed it, make a note to listen next week and catch up with the latest show here:

https://the-geordie-hatter.mixlr.com/recordings/3012994

Today’s tune is one I recommended for tonight’s show on the theme of busyness; this is Nine Below Zero explaining that they’re too busy courting to do their “Homework”:

Friday 30^th January 2026.

In TSBW’s Preview Show for Plymouth (H), Steve Bardsley talked to Jon of the Green and White podcast. It went like this:

• Ownership: Simon Hallett is the majority shareholder and has adopted a data-driven approach which, despite the occasional aberration like appointing Wayne Rooney as manager, has enabled them to do better than their budget would suggest.
• Expectations for the season: Before the previous manager, Miron Muslić, left to manage Schalke 04 last May, there was hope that he’d repeat the winning streak that didn’t quite prevent relegation from the Championship. Under Tom Cleverley, they’ve gone for younger players in the hope of developing them which has tempered the fans’ outlook slightly. The return of Derek Adams as Director of Football has provided some much-needed experience to go with Cleverley’s promise. It’s been an up and down season so far but they come to us on the crest of a wave, although they have some key players injured.
• Transfer activity:
  • Bali Mumba: The wingback has gone to Huddersfield for an undisclosed fee.
  • Ronan Curtis: The experienced winger has joined from Port Vale.
• Key players:
  • Mathias Ross: Danish defender, previously with Galatasaray, NEC Breda and Sparta Prague.
  • Ronan Curtis: Ex-Port Vale winger.
  • Bim Pepple: Canadian forward with an impressive list of previous clubs including Luton, Southend and Chesterfield.
  • Lorent Tolaj: Swiss forward, formerly with Aldershot and Port Vale. An injury doubt for Saturday.
• Weaknesses: Second-choice ‘keeper Luca Ashby-Hammond, who had a loan spell with County from Fulham, divides opinion among the fanbase. They have a number of key players missing through injury, particularly in midfield.
• Past players in common: Antoni Sarcevic, Dom Blizzard, Jermaine Easter, George Donnelly, Richard Landon.
• Prediction for Saturday: They sold their allocation in a few minutes, so there should be a decent atmosphere. They do well away from home as a rule, but in view of their lack of fit players, Jon is expecting a 2-0 win for County.

Loads more insight if you watch the whole thing:

Here’s my predicted team for tomorrow. The biggest doubt is over Kyle Wootton’s partner up front; it may be Beno Andrésson if he’s recovered from the knock he received on Tuesday night, Adama Sidibeh might get his first start or Tanto Olaofe might come straight in, but I’d deem that unlikely.

Today’s tune is, and how could it be anything else, Tanto’s song, “Freed From Desire” by Gala:

See you all at Edgeley Park, and don’t forget to show your appreciation for Phil Robbie on the 64^th minute!

Animo et fide.