Saturday, 25^th April 2026.

Matchday: Stockport County v Peterborough United, League 1.

I was nervous about today’s game (I know, but even more so than usual) as we needed a win to make the playoffs more likely and I was having flashbacks to that freezing night at London Road where the home team’s 17, Lisbie, tore us a new opening.

I scored another Bin Laden for my team prediction; I was expecting Osborn and Diamond to start, whereas DC had picked Che Gardner and Malik Mothersille.

It was another beautiful day in SK3 and the Old Lady of Hardcastle Road was looking at her absolute best in the Spring sunshine.

Although there are some dissenting voices, Andy Reding, I always feel it gives us a slight boost when we play towards the Railway End in the first half and today was no exception. The game started with a spell of concerted pressure by County, but as is often the case we couldn’t profit from it. On the contrary, we almost conceded after Louie Barry was shoved off the ball by two opponents, the ball ended up with Lisbie on the left and his deflected shot forced Cory Addai to tip it up and beyond his left-hand post. Our first decent chance came when Che Gardner and Odin Bailey linked up well on the right, allowing Bailey to make a jinking run into the box, but he couldn’t get enough force on his shot to beat the ‘keeper. Peterborough went ahead when their seventeen-year-old flying machine, Shofowoke, received the ball on the right; Tayo Edun couldn’t stop the cross coming in and Leonard shot the ball past Corey Addai. We might have gone further behind minutes later when Lisbie ended up with the ball as a result of some doziness in our defence but he shot narrowly wide. At the other end, Louie Barry sent Adama Sidibeh away but his shot took a deflection and went wide of the left-hand post. County’s equaliser started life as Che Gardner won the ball deep on our right and a fantastic long ball from Josh Stokes found Adama Sidibeh. He fought his way past Lees, crossed it just behind Malik Mothersille, who slipped, but that allowed Louie Barry to latch on to it and sidefoot home. He’s obviously lost none of his timing and accuracy during his prolonged period of recovery. Another opportunity arose shortly afterwards when Tayo Edun forced Shofowoke to concede a corner on the left. A short corner routine and a dummy from Louie Barry allowed Josh Stokes to shoot but Bass made a tremendous save to tip the ball past his left-hand post.

Only a couple of minutes into the second half, a tremendous pass from Tayo Edun found Louie Barry wide left and he did what he’s done so often in the past, cut in and despatch the ball past the despairing ‘keeper. County’s number twenty very nearly turned provider next, sending Mothersille away, but he shot weakly at Bass when cutting the ball back to Sidibeh might have been a better option. Lisbie, Peterborough’s biggest threat, had another chance when he caught Che Gardner flat-footed but Corey Addai saved the shot with his legs. County were well on top now and Louie Barry mugged Okagbue in midfield before releasing the ball to Sidibeh who charged downfield. His return pass to Barry almost led to a third goal but Bass was quickly out to close the opportunity down. County’s third and Barry’s hat trick came as a result of a Malik Mothersille interception in midfield. The ball ended up with Ollie Norwood, who found the homecoming hero with trademark accuracy. Once again, Barry cut in from the left and found the bottom right-hand corner. As he pointed out himself later, defenders must know by now what he’s going to do but they seem powerless to stop him. Peterborough kept trying for a second, Shofowoke and Lisbie combined well to create a chance but the latter’s shot was once again saved by the long legs of Corey Addai. Lewis Fiorini has done well in his recent cameo appearances and he nearly created a fourth goal, fighting well to win the ball and pass it to Tanto Olaofe. Unfortunately, Tanto’s shot across the goalmouth just drifted wide. That pretty much concluded the football for the afternoon. A splendid result and one that makes a playoff place well within our grasp.

After the final whistle, Steve Bellis led a tribute to the 130-ish fans who attended the three long-distance matches in a week, Wembley, Wimbledon and Exeter. I had an invitation but I knew it would involve more standing around than my dodgy ankle would stand, so I offered my apologies and watched from my seat instead. Each received a certificate, which was a nice touch.

Next item on the agenda was the reappearance of the players and staff on the pitch to receive the approbation of the fans who had stayed behind. It was good to see many of them with their children, some of them absolutely tiny. They all then gathered in the centre circle where Steve Bellis acted as MC for the end-of-season awards. These went as follows:

• Community Player of the Year: Ben Hinchliffe.
• Goal of the season: Ollie Norwood.
• Young Player of the Year: Brad Hills.
• Player of the Year & Players’ Player of the Year: Kyle Wootton.

Here’s the league table after the day’s games. As a result of our win and draws for Bradford, Bolton and Stevenage, we now lie in fourth place with a game in hand over all our rivals. The only fly in the ointment was Luton winning, but even they can’t dislodge us from the playoffs if we get one point from our remaining two games. Even if we failed to get that extra point, they would need to beat Bolton by two clear goals to knock us back to seventh place.

 PPG Prophet’s graph looks healthier for the three points:

Today’s tune is brought to you by my musings on the playoffs. I want us to be involved, but what sort or experience will it be? This is “Pain Or Paradise” by June Tabor and the Oysterband:

Sunday, 26^th April 2026.

Matchday: County Ladies v Leeds United, FAWNL Division 1 North.

Here’s how the team lined up at Edgeley Park for their last league game of the season:

It was a special day in front of a crowd of over a thousand fans, designed to honour all those who played a part in promoting women’s football in the borough over the years.

County started strongly, winning corners in close succession within the first couple of minutes and making good progress down both flanks. Clever work by Kenedy Owen and Liv Greenhalgh allowed Em Bradshaw to get strikes away to trouble Carrie Simpson in the Leeds goal. The balance shifted towards Leeds as the half wore on and Freya Heap had to be on her mettle to keep the Yorkshire side out. An impressive run by United’s Shauna Legge threatened to bring an opening goal but she was unable to keep her shot on target. The home team kept at it though, and Em Bradshaw continued to spearhead County’s forays upfield. Honours even at half time then, and everything to play for.

Thanks, as ever, for the use of his images by Andrew Machin of @machinsports.

County were first to show in the second half, Levi Rathburn feeding Em Bradshaw, but her left-footed shot was saved by the Leeds ‘keeper. United’s half-time team talk had obviously paid dividends and they were livelier in the second period. To confirm this improvement, they took the lead within five minutes of the restart with a goal created by Shauna Legge and Amy Woodruff for Kath Smith and with better accuracy, Woodruff might have had another shortly afterwards. Chris Brown made his first change on the hour, replacing Levi Rathburn with Natalie Watson. Leeds continued to press and Freya Heap did well to clear a Chloe Dixon corner as the pressure mounted. County’s second change with fifteen to go brought Abbie Podmore on for Olivia Greenhalgh. The equaliser came on eighty minutes, a corner won by Livvi Turkington and expertly delivered by Kenedy Owen was headed forcibly home by Gemma Lancaster. A further substitution on eighty-four minutes introduced Leila Iddon to the fray at the expense of Jess Battle. County were on top as the end of normal time approached, Kenedy Owen had a go at a late winner but couldn’t keep the shot below the crossbar. Deep into injury time and with Leeds taking their turn to dominate, Chris Brown played his last card and changed Kenedy Owen for Olivia Thompson. Leeds also made a late change, Olivia Smart replacing Drew Greene. County Ladies weathered the late storm though, and the scores were level at 1-1 when the final whistle blew.

County’s goalscorer, Gemma Lancaster was pronounced Player of the Match and Em Bradshaw was presented with her Ladies Player of the Year trophy by Steve Bellis and Jane Morley.

This photo from the club’s Twitter feed encapsulates the history of County Ladies and the volunteers who supported the team through the years:

The final league table of the season shows County Ladies in seventh place after a commendable draw with the team that finished third overall:

Turning back to the men’s team, the TSBW Match Reaction pod went live again tonight, showcasing the splendid 3-1 win against Peterborough. This week’s panel was Dan Culverwell, Steve Bardsley, Dave Whitehouse and, making his debut, Main Show stalwart Andy Reding. It went in this fashion:

• The team: The injury crisis seems to have forced DC to adopt four at the back. Although the makeshift back line is far from watertight, the three playing just behind our Duracell Bunny, Adama Sidibeh, will give any defence in the division pause for thought. Steve summed it by saying it reminded him of the Vindaloo song refrain, “We’re going to score one more than you!”
  • Addai.
  • Gardner, Pye, Wootton, Edun.
  • Norwood, Bailey.
  • Mothersille, Barry, Stokes.
  • Sidibeh.
• We began well, spurred on by a lively level of support from the stands. Whether the atmosphere was fed by the lively tempo on the pitch, the sunshine or the level of intoxication of the average fan it’s hard to say, but it was definitely an improvement over recent home games. Unfortunately we failed to take our early chances and Peterborough scored first but it didn’t feel the disaster it might have done a few weeks ago.
• Our goals:
  • The first: A superb ball from Stokes (I think, although it was credited to Gardner on the pod) to Sidibeh who dismissed his marker and crossed into the box. Mothersille either slipped or was pushed so couldn’t take advantage but Barry got there anyway and fired us ahead.
  • The second: A laser-guided long ball from Edun to Barry bypassed the watching fullback, allowing Louie to close in from the left and find the net.
  • The third: A Mothersille interception deep in our half allowed Norwood to find Barry and once he’d homed in on goal, the outcome never seemed in doubt.
• Individual performances:
  • Malik Mothersille: Continues to improve, particularly when it comes to chasing back and his general support play. The third goal was a direct result of his refusal to let an opponent past. There are still some who won’t have him at any price, I’ve even taken the unprecedented step of blocking someone on Yellowboard who constantly runs him down.
  • Josh Stokes: Has benefitted from the new system which has given him a more central role. His shot on goal in the first half deserved better than a fantastic save from the ‘keeper.
  • Che Gardner: Gets caught out occasionally at the back but he’s learning a new position under fire and his pace and ability to beat an opponent will stand him in good stead.
  • Corey Addai: Had a bit of a flap early on but did everything he needed to do thereafter. He’s really coming to the fore now and 99% on the fans seem to be on his side, which is bound to help his confidence.
  • Louie Barry: His first EFL hat trick says it all. He must surely go from strength to strength, preferably with County. Even if it’s elsewhere, he’ll be a credit to the club where he first made his mark.
  • Jack Diamond: Continues to frustrate with his poor decision making.
  • Tanto Olaofe: Struggling to regain the form he showed with us that led to his sale to Charlton. Unfortunately he’s running out of games to do it now.
• Missing in inaction:
  • Beno Andrésson: May be back available tomorrow.
  • Roman Dixon: The Everton loanee didn’t make the bench but may have been a victim of the limit of five loan players in the matchday squad.
  • Owen Dodgson: Laid low with glandular fever, apparently, which can’t be much fun.
• Refwatch: Jacob Miles did a decent job.

There’s so much more in the You Tube version, watch it here:

Today’s tune, as mentioned by Steve Bardsley in the pod, is “Vindaloo” by Fat Les and chums:

Monday, 27^th April 2026.

This was drawn to my attention yesterday; I’ve only posted a section of it here, I’ve no wish to do Reform’s work for them. Both County and The Scarf Bergara Wore are avowedly non-political, I hope the club will take a very strong line against any party trying to profit from using club imagery in this way.

EFL extended highlights of Saturday’s match:

I’ve gone for the same team again for tomorrow:

I bought a Jag XJ6 a few years ago for the princely sum of £750. It was nice while it lasted but once it started acting the goat I gave it away. Its only lasting legacy is several phone calls a week from scammers offering to get me compensation for the mis-sold finance I never had in the first place. They must think I came down in the last shower. Whenever they ring, it reminds me of this scene from Blues Brothers 2000, featuring Wilson Pickett and Eddie Floyd:

Tuesday, 28^th April 2026.

Dual Matchday: County v Port Vale, League 1.

County Ladies v Crewe Alexandra, Cheshire FA Women’s Challenge Cup Final.

As regular readers will know, I’ve got a bee in my bonnet about the newly-acquired catch nets used during the warm-ups. It looks to me as though they’re a bit higher now, which is an improvement, but they still need to be a lot wider. As I watched from the top of LT4, our seats in row JJ received two direct hits from the goalkeeping department, so I was glad I kept out of the way.

My attempt at a team prediction was another 9/11, I thought Barry and Edun would start but Chally went for Osborn and Diamond instead:

I won’t go into too much depth on the game itself, we were a goal down after four minutes, two down after twenty-three and never looked at it. Port Vale pressed us relentlessly and we couldn’t cope with it. I could pick on a couple of individuals but it seems unfair when nobody emerged with any credit from the evening. I await the TSBW main show tomorrow night to see what the lads made of it.

It seems Pep Guardiola was present as the guest of Mark Stott, I suppose it was inevitable that we’d turn in a duff performance with such football royalty looking on. Whether he was just slumming it or being wooed as a possible investor I don’t know, but either way he won’t have gained much from the experience.

To add insult to injury, on trying to get away at the final whistle the exit gates from the Cheadle End were locked and the couple of stewards who were stood by them refused to open them for some reason. It all turned pretty ugly for a few minutes before they relented.

By contrast to the men, County Ladies had a good result in their last ever game under that name. The final was played at the Optimum Pay Stadium, Nantwich, ostensibly a neutral ground but a bit too close to Crewe for comfort. Here’s the girls wot done it:

They ran out 3-0 winners against the old enemy with a goal from Jess Battle and two from Ellie Fletcher. It was County’s third win of the cup in a row and a fitting end to their final season before becoming County Women.

Thanks once again to Andrew Machin of @machinsports for the use of his photographs throughout the County Ladies season, they bring the whole thing to life.

Today’s tune seems fitting after tonight’s performance by the men, “Shattered Dreams” by the Urban Voodoo Machine:

Wednesday, 29^th April 2026.

Little change in the league table, apart from the “games played” column, after last night. The situation has clarified now, at least; we to avoid a loss at Barnsley or we need Bolton to win or draw against Luton if we’re going to make the playoffs.

For the last time this season, here’s PPG Prophet’s updated graph, demonstrating by it’s wigglyness (Maths O Level there, lads) how inconsistent we’ve been and, by association, how poor the rest of the league have been.

TSBW’s Main Show tonight was presented by Rus Johnson, Waggie and Andy Reding with fan guest Andy Milligan. Their review of a busy week on Planet County went like this:

• Port Vale (H):
  • The worst performance of the season?: If not, it must have been in the top three.
  • Self inflicted: We seemed to have forgotten how to pass the ball, unless it was to an opponent. They were the first to everything, we just looked physically and mentally knackered. When we did try to progress we passed the ball about until Port Vale had got organised and cut off all the routes to goal.
  • Malik Mothersille: Had a howler after some decent performances. Bright hair and shiny boots are great but they don’t half stand out when you’re not having your best game.
  • Jack Diamond: He hasn’t been at his best since the transfer window closed and the deal with Luton fell through.
  • Ollie Norwood: Did well to front up, looking suitably downbeat, for a frank and honest interview after the game.
  • Roman Dixon: How is he not getting a game when his favoured position of right back is the roundest hole with the most square pegs being jammed into it at the moment? Has there been some sort of rift in the camp?
  • Clash of the ‘keepers: Both were wearing identical kits. How would that have played out if we’d sent Addai up to try and get a point at the death in an Exeter stylee?
  • Pep to dismal: Citeh’s manager was sat in the Director’s Box with Mark Stott and Gavin Bailey. He certainly knows how to pick his games.
  • Stewardgate: Bizarre doings at full time. The two stewards guarding the Cheadle End exit gate refused to open it deep into injury time, denying a number of people a way out, including a disabled bloke, his son and me. It all got very unpleasant until the crowd prevailed and they flung the gates open. Questions need to be asked as to whether it was the stewards who didn’t know what they were doing or there was some reason for it.
• The road to the play offs: Put simply, if we avoid defeat against Barnsley on Saturday we’re in. If we don’t, we’re in the hands of other teams. The two scenarios where we end up seventh with our season over are:
  • We lose, Bradford, Stevenage and Luton win.
  • We lose, Bradford draw, Stevenage and Luton win.
  • These are our rivals’ games:
    • Exeter v Bradford
    • Stevenage v Wigan
    • Bolton v Luton.
• Barnsley (A): What team can we expect? DC has mentioned Andrésson getting an hour, which suggests he’ll start. Dacres-Cogley should be fit to shore up the defence, but will Wootton or Grogan partner him and Pye?
• County Ladies: A splendid achievement to win the Cheshire County Cup for the third season the trot.
• Random Shit Of The Week: Suggestions were sought for things in football that are dying quietly. Here’s just a few of the suggestions:
  • Local players bringing their rivalries with them for their local teams.
  • Contested drop balls.
  • “Legacy” fans.
  • Goal kicks taken from the point nearest where the ball went out.
  • Proper shinpads.
  • Proper tackles.
  • The suggestions prompted a good debate and there was a viewers’ (plus Andy) vote at the end, which was won by “Local players bringing their rivalries with them for their local teams.”

An excellent episode, watch the whole thing here:

I’ve mentioned the box set of Dick Gaughan’s music before on here. I have my music set on shuffle, so new stuff keeps cropping up. Today’s tune is one such, I’ve had it on a loop all afternoon, “Lads O’ The Fair”:

Thursday, 30^th April 2026.

Steve Bardsley talked to Andy Symcox of the Red All Over podcast for the Barnsley (A) preview. Here’s how it went:

• Form: They’ve won two in the last twelve and have lost to Luton and Stevenage in the last two weeks. They give goals away and don’t deal well with crosses. They’re second only to Northampton for goals against this season.
• Last meeting: We drew 1-1 at EP, a late goal by Callum Connolly saved us a point.
• Manager: Conor Hourihane, a club legend as a player, was appointed as manager in March 2025. He’s struggled to find a settled team and it’s recently been announced that he’s going to leave at the end of the season. There’s been no announcement about a replacement yet and with many players out of contract and loanees returning to their parent clubs, it’s going to be an interesting summer.
• The January transfer window: The fans felt the greatest need was for a striker or two to support Davis Keillor-Dunn and David McGoldrick but in the end Keillor-Dunn left for Wrexham to be replaced by Tom Bradshaw, on loan from Oxford United.
• Players to watch:
  • Leo Farrell: Promising young centre forward in need of experience.
  • David McGoldrick: Experienced striker, recently returned from a hamstring injury and continuing to defy his years.
  • Adam Phillips: Skilful midfielder with forty-two appearances and ten goals this season.
  • Reyes Cleary: Attacking left winger.
  • Scott Banks: Winger on loan from St. Pauli.
  • Patrick Kelly: Young Irish central midfielder.
• Formation: Probably 4-2-3-1 but subject to the whims of the manager and the availability of players.
• Predictions: Andy reckons 2-1 to Barnsley, Steve thinks 2-2.

A thoroughly enjoyable show, watch it all here:

Jonathan the Geordie Hatter presented his final Thursday Show for the season tonight. Another splendid romp through all things County with an excellent selection of tunes thrown into the bargain. If you missed tonight’s show, you can catch up with it here:

https://the-geordie-hatter.mixlr.com/recordings/3107342

The theme for to Jonathan’s show tonight was Jeopardy and he did me the honour of using my suggestion of a song. This is the Urban Voodoo Machine with “High Jeopardy Thing”:

Friday 1^st May 2026.

Some very surprising news emerged last night; Simon Wilson, currently Director of Football and Chief Executive Officer of the club, is to leave at the end of the season. Mark Stott has said in the past that it was Simon who persuaded him to buy the club and that he couldn’t conceive of remaining involved without him.

With a CV listing major roles at Southampton, Sunderland, Manchester City and a host of other big names, there’s no doubt that Wilson’s place at the heart of County’s hierarchy will take some filling. The burning question now is where do we go from here? Given all that he’s said in the past, Mark Stott will need a representative on Earth he can trust to make football and financial decisions. The County universe is abuzz with speculation, everything from the return of Jim Gannon for the 99^th time to Mark Stott selling the club and a spiral back down to regional football is being discussed with a varying degree of seriousness. Simon Wilson is such a fundamental pillar of the Stott era at County that I’m convinced there must be something bigger than just his departure going on. One thing is for sure; we’re in for an interesting summer.

Right then, back to the relatively safe space of tomorrow’s match.

I’ve looked at the holes we have to fill and the selection of pegs we have available and, with the judicious use of a hammer in some cases, I’ve come up with this:

A fit Louie Barry would start but I don’t think we’ve got one. I reckon he’ll be on the bench in a box marked “In case of emergency, break glass.” Some of the other players keep their places only because we don’t have a choice or they’re owed a shot at redemption after Tuesday.

The choice of today’s tune couldn’t be easier, given the date; it’s the Oysterband’s version of “Hal-an-tow”:

See you all at Barnsley!

Animo et fide.