Saturday, 14th February 2026.
No game for County today, Burton having very selfishly progressed in the FA Cup, so the main interest lay in what the teams around us did. Cardiff continued what appears to be their serene progress towards winning the league by beating Luton 3-1. The Lincoln v Bolton match finished 1-1, which is probably the best possible outcome as far as we’re concerned. Both teams are in prime form and are going to provide us with a proper test when we play them away in the coming weeks.
Burton did very well in their cup tie with West Ham, taking the Hammers to extra time and only losing to a superb Crysencio Summerville goal. Another FA Cup tie to impact on County was Mansfield beating Burrrnley 2-1 on their own midden; not just for seeing the old enemy discomforted but because it means we get another Saturday off on 7th March and we have to shoehorn another Tuesday night game into an already-congested calendar.
When County’s takeover of Stockport Sports Village was announced, the major bone of contention locally was the closure of the Life Leisure gym from the end of March. Stockport Council have now said that the facilities will stay open until December 2026. Full details here:
Not all Valentines are saints, today’s tune is Daoiri Farrell’s version of a song about an Irish road agent called “Valentine O’Hara”:
Matchday, Poulton Vics v County Ladies, Cheshire Cup Quarter-Final.
Today’s game was moved from Vic’s usual home to Pensby High School, Heswall. Here’s how County lined up:
The home team started the brighter but County were soon in the game with a Bradshaw and Rathburn combination coming close to opening the scoring. Em Bradshaw made the breakthrough twenty minutes in when she found herself one on one with Poulton’s ‘keeper and made the most of the opportunity. County had most of the play for the remainder of the half, being caught offside on a number of occasions and almost extending their lead when they hit the post and Abbie Podmore latched on to the rebound but her shot was saved. Vics weren’t entirely out of it though, and Fran Davies had to be vigilant to clear the danger when they got behind our defence.
County continued to press as the second half got underway, Lancaster and Owen having chances in the first quarter of an hour. Steve O’Hara changed things on the hour mark, bringing on Jess Battle and Olivia Greenhalgh for Livvi Turkington and Emma Lysons. A further change five minutes later saw Natalie Watson replace Abbie Podmore. An interchange of passes between the newly arrived Watson and Maria Figueiredo on seventy-two minutes almost doubled County’s tally. Two minutes later, the final substitution of the afternoon saw Olivia Thompson replace Gemma Lancaster. Em Bradshaw sealed the win and ensured progression through to the semi-finals with her second goal just before the final whistle.
Thanks to Andrew Machin of @machinsports for use of the photo of Em Bradshaw wheeling away after scoring.
As it’s the 15th of February, today’s tune is a version of Billy Bragg’s “Valentine’s Day Is Over” by the Oysterband and June Tabor:
County’s Community Trust are organising a 10K run on July 19th. The route starts and finishes at EP and takes in Bramhall Park. All the details are here:
https://www.runthrough.co.uk/event/stockport-10k-july-2026
Here’s my suggested team for tomorrow. I’ve got Roman Dixon to start because Josh Dacres-Cogley is suspended and I’ve gone for Malik Mothersille to start as it doesn’t sound as though Josh Stokes is fit based on Dave Challinor’s pre-match interview.
The PFA have released this photo of Kyle Wootton receiving his League One Fans’ Player of the Month Award trophy from James Jennings:
Today’s tune is a rather more musical version of Kyle’s song than you get from the Cheadle End, the original of “Doo Wah Diddy” by Manfred Man:
Tuesday, 17th February 2026.
Matchday: Bradford City v County, League 1.
The semi-final draw for the Cheshire FA Women’s Challenge Cup has pitched County Ladies against Warrington Town Women. The game will take place at Stockport Sports Village on Sunday 15th March.
The Fingerpost Flyer was full for the relatively short trip to Bradford tonight. I say short but the traffic at each end of the journey was hellish and I’m not sure the way we went through Bradford was the quickest or most direct. We arrived with fifteen minutes to spare though, and I was able to get a seat right near the front with a decent view of proceedings. Valley Parade is an impressive stadium and Bradford’s “pile ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap” principle certainly gets the bodies through the turnstiles.
The team looked like this. I was miles out, I had Dixon, Edun and Olaofe to start instead of Olowu, Onyango and Sidibeh.
There wasn’t a massive amount of quality on show in the first half, Bradford had slightly the better of things but the teams cancelled each other out for the most part. Adamah Sidibeh did what he does, pestering the City defenders but lost some of his effectiveness after he received a caution for excessive pestering and was treated for an injury. He later became a victim of the referee’s inconsistency when he was chopped down in what should have been a dangerous position but Mr. Joyce waved play on. When we did finally get a free kick within range, Ollie Norwood was unable to get it beyond the wall. The nearest we came to scoring was a Kyle Wootton shot that the ‘keeper did well to push aside.
The sole cause for optimism after a poor first half was that at least we hadn’t conceded, but that only lasted three minutes into the second half as the inevitable Antoni Sarcevic scored a well-taken goal to put us behind. To add to the gloom, Tyler Onyango suffered an injury a few minutes later and had to be replaced by Roman Dixon. Not that there’s anything with Dixon, but whenever Onyango requires treatment he seems to be out for months. The now commonplace triple substitution on the hour saw Tanto Olaofe, Jack Diamond and Odin Bailey replace Adama Sidibeh, Malik Mothersille and Lewis Bate. After this change of personnel we did at least manage to create a little more in the way of chances but finishing them proved beyond us.
A disappointing loss then, and with every loss our chances of automatic promotion become slimmer and slimmer.
The journey home was no less tortuous than the inbound one, motorway closures had us roaming the side roads of Yorkshire and stuck in queues of traffic for what seemed like ages. We finally got back to the Fingerpost at around 11:30.
Today’s tune, appropriately enough, is Red Diesel’s version of “Rout Of The Blues”:
Wednesday, 18th February 2026.
TSBW’s main show tonight was chaired by Waggie, ably assisted by Jimmy Harmer and three-times fan guest Ryan Bradley. Most of the agenda revolved around the defeat on Tuesday and went like this:
- Bradford:
- Pungency: It wasn’t just County stinking the place out, the all-pervading smell apparently comes from a long-established rendering plant that makes biofuel from organic matter.
- The team: On the face of it, Kyle Wootton and Adama Sidibeh up front and Ollie Norwood and Lewis Bate in midfield looks a winning combination but without specialist wingbacks or Josh Stokes to break through into the box, we didn’t have anyone to get the ball through midfield to the forwards. Malik Mothersille did his best but seems to have become some fans’ permanent whipping boy now if social media is anything to go by. Sarce, the inevitable scorer of their goal, showed us exactly what we’re missing. Odin Bailey made a difference when he came on and may have been a better starter than Bate, who was limping as he left the ground after the game.
- Reactive or proactive?: Do we allow the opposition to dictate what sort of game we play? Are we lacking leadership on the field, someone to stiffen the sinews and impose ourselves on the game?
- Back 3 or back 4?: We stick resolutely to a back 3 even when players key to the formation are unavailable. It relies on players like Pye and Hills to firefight and risk becoming isolated when the wide players are caught up front.
- Long ball: Bradford pressed well, which prevented us playing out from the back. We responded by going long all the time, which relies on Kyle Wootton winning headers and his partner picking up the second ball, something that happens only rarely.
- Referee: Poor and inconsistent, as they so often are. As Ryan pointed out, when we get a referee from a higher level, Sam Allison against Plymouth for instance, the difference in quality is very noticeable.
- This time last season: We’re in almost exactly the same position now as we were twelve months ago. That’s smashing, but the manner of our victories is a worry. Bradford were nothing special but they’ve beaten us twice this season and there have been very few really good performances to look back on.
- Stockport Sports Village: It’s difficult to get the messaging right over such an emotive subject but the news that the gym will continue to operate until December is good news. If the land the club had earmarked for use as an academy base can now be used for affordable housing it will hopefully be seen as a further community benefit.
- Wigan (H) on Saturday: They beat Luton 1-0 tonight, so we must hope that was the beginning and end of their new manager bounce. Josh Dacres-Cogley and Josh Stokes should both be available, which could potentially solve some of the issues we had on Tuesday. Tayo Edun is possibly out on a concussion protocol. The panel predicted a 2-0 or 3-1 victory for County.
- Managing minutes: This modern aspect of the game is probably a result of our data-driven approach. Whether it is an improvement over players deciding for themselves if they are match fit or not is a moot point.
- Random Shit Of The Week: Jimmy’s debut as quizmaster was a success, Waggie and Ryan had to guess the identity of various players from a series of clues.
Another belting episode, watch it in full here:
This is how the league table looks after the last of the mid-week games tonight. With fifteen games left there’s still a lot to play for but automatic promotion is looking a stretch from here.
PPG Prophet’s graph continues to illustrate our inconsistency in its sawtooth appearance:
I attended a monthly Supporters’ Co-op board Zoom meeting this evening, once approved the minutes will appear on the website:
https://www.countysupporterscoop.co.uk/about-us/minutes-and-agendas
Today’s tune could, if you were that way inclined, be seen as a description of our team on Tuesday; “All Fur Coat And No Knickers” by Chumbawamba:
Thursday, 19th February 2026.
Matchday, Huddersfield Town v County Ladies, FAWNL Division 1 North.
The Ladies’ match scheduled for today was postponed due to the weather.
An excellent article from the club here, a discussion with Ben Walker about his magnificent collection of match-worn County shirts:
Edd Powell is running another of his splendid Stockport Football Fairs, in conjunction with Help The Hatters, in the 1883 Suite at Edgeley Park on the 29th of March from 10:00 to 1:30. A wide variety of football memorabilia and ephemera will be on offer by stallholders from all over the country. There will be a raffle and refreshments and all the money raised will go to help Parkinsons UK.
According to Dave Challinor’s post-match interview from Bradford, Tyler Onyango is out for the season. He’s been excellent for us when he’s been fit but those occasions have been few and far between. You have to fear for the lad’s future, especially as his contract with Everton expires at the end of this season.
Sky continue to make no friends in our fanbase at all by bringing the kick-off for our game at Luton to 12:30, which means an early departure for everyone.
Geordie Hatter’s Thursday show was a delight as ever; the usual gang were present and correct in the live chat and GH served us up the usual eclectic mix of indie music that I would never come across anywhere else. The recording is here:
https://the-geordie-hatter.mixlr.com/recordings/3038001
Today’s tune is one played by GH tonight, a version of “Leave Her, Johnny” by Avon Faire featuring a guest spot by Cait O’Riordan, one time bass player with The Pogues and amorosa of Elvis Costello:
Friday 20th February 2026.
Highlights from Tuesday night’s debacle are here for the masochists among us:
Extraordinary goings-on at Rochdale. Their 9 runs up to take a pen then either:
- Stops before kicking the ball, in which case it seems the award of an indirect free kick to the defending team is the right decision by the Referee, or
- Just brushes the ball with his boot, which means the ‘keeper is at liberty to collect the ball as the penalty has been taken.
Sick of dodging wayward shots during the warmup at EP after Janice was hit on the head last week, I finally got round to emailing the club to ask if they could put catch nets up. It turns out they were already on order and they’re due to be delivered next week.
The club have taken a bit of stick recently in a “What have the Romans ever done for us?” stylee for the takeover of the facilities at SSV. It’s perhaps a good time to remind everyone of the superb work the Community Trust does, often unnoticed by those who don’t follow the club. These are but a few examples:
- NHS Warm Spaces Fund: Supplying hats, scarves, gloves and leaflets with tips on staying warm.
- Get into Football employability programme: Helping unemployed adults break barriers and kick‑start a career in football.
- County Camps: Fun football skills training for boys and girls, delivered by FA‑qualified coaches throughout the school holidays.
- Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award: A six-month course for ages 13/14+.
- Armed Forces Programme: Delivering activities to improve the mental health and physical fitness of the local Armed Forces community.
- Be You Programme: Supporting young girls as they navigate secondary school, helping them build strong self‑esteem, develop confidence and maintain a positive mindset.
- The HAF programme: Offering healthy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places for children from low‑income families, supporting their health, wellbeing and learning during school breaks.
Here’s my guess at a team for tomorrow; I’m having trouble convincing myself, never mind anyone else, but I’ve tried to bear in mind all the latest injury news:
Steve Bardsley talked to Barry Worthington of the Progress With Unity podcast for this week’s match preview show before Wigan won against Luton on Wednesday night.
- Arsenal (A), FA Cup: A grand day out, despite the 4-0 loss, and some consolation to be gained to avoiding conceding in the second half.
- Ryan Lowe: Never a popular choice as manager, cited as “the worst appointment ever made” by Barry. His signings looked promising but failed to excite and there were rumours of discontent behind the scenes. He scraped through to the end of the transfer window but the 6-1 defeat to Peterborough sealed his fate.
- Gary Caldwell: Appointed to replace Lowe as manager with ex-County loanee David Perkins as his assistant. The pair helped the team to a win against Luton in their first game in charge. Caldwell has had success with Wigan before and is much more community friendly than his predecessor.
- Players to watch:
- Owen Moxon: He’s on loan from us, so he won’t be able to turn into prime Luka Modric and beat us on his own this time.
- Jack Hunt: With County until recently, hasn’t had the best of starts and conceded an own goal against Arsenal.
- Joe Taylor: Welsh forward, a recent signing from Huddersfield who paid a lot of money for him without seeing much of a reward for the outlay.
- Callum Wright: Midfielder on loan from Plymouth.
- Sam Tickle: Excellent young goalie, probably destined for higher things.
- Matt Smith: Capable central midfielder.
- Jason Kerr: Dependable central defender.
- Barry’s prediction: A 0-0 draw.
An engaging and informative watch, see it all here:
Today’s tune, in segue worthy of Radio 1 in the 1980s, is The Cure with “Friday I’m In Love”:
See you all at Edgeley Park!
Animo et fide.
