Hope you complete your return from the wilderness

[County Fan]

I was prompted to post following something I read on the Ipswich fans website, taken from yours; "If you can't get excited by the prospect of being all but promoted by beating the worst team in the division, regardless of what anyone else does then I don't know when you can”, “It could be a match we’ll remember and enjoy for the rest of our lives. We need to keep our eyes on the prize.”

I'm an Ipswich fan born and bred and the year before I was born was the last Town spent in the 3rd division, so I'm somewhat gutted to say the least. But that's not the point of my post.

I came to Uni in Manchester and adopted Stockport County as my second team. I stayed working in Manchester and supporting County and my daughter has been brought up to support her local team, not the money bags sides up the road. And as a family we've become very passionate about our little, "proper football team"

In recent years we have fallen, my how we've fallen. We are now in division 6 in effect and have been there 5 years. And of course you guys have known relative wilderness too - even down to the fourth at one point. You adapt, don't you? I've found myself saying things like "0-0 away at North Ferriby, that's not a bad result". Where IS North Ferriby?

So I couldn't help posting to wish you luck in the future (even if it will likely be at the expense of my home town team). And the reason? Before Easter County were in pole position to go up as champions (only one automatic place). But we lost to Chorley and they have a way better goal difference, so that seemed to be it. But then on Monday as we are watching County winning 2-0 at home (in front of 6,000 - yes 6,000 in division 6!) news comes through that Chorley have conceded a winner in the 94th minute. We're back in front (like you and Leeds). The whole ground rose as one - I've never seen anything like it.

But we both have one game left. Ours is against Nuneaton Borough. All we have to do is beat the worst team in the division tomorrow...…

As one of my fellow County fans said to me, "If you can't get excited by the prospect of being promoted by beating the worst team in the division, regardless of what Chorley do then I don't know when you can”. And like the person who posted on your site, we think it could be a match we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.

Good luck in the Prem next season. And please could you get a Woodward and Dearden type combo together to stuff Norwich 7-0, just like you did to Town in the 70s!

 

[DifferentClass]

Here's hoping to see you back in the league soon. Remember in the late 90s when we were in the second tier together. Tranmere and Stockport in the second tier- maybe one day it'll happen again. In your case I definitely hope it does.

 

[The Crab]

I was prompted to post following something I read on the Ipswich fans website, taken from yours; "If you can't get excited by the prospect of being all but promoted by beating the worst team in the division, regardless of what anyone else does then I don't know when you can”, “It could be a match we’ll remember and enjoy for the rest of our lives. We need to keep our eyes on the prize.”

I'm an Ipswich fan born and bred and the year before I was born was the last Town spent in the 3rd division, so I'm somewhat gutted to say the least. But that's not the point of my post.

I came to Uni in Manchester and adopted Stockport County as my second team. I stayed working in Manchester and supporting County and my daughter has been brought up to support her local team, not the money bags sides up the road. And as a family we've become very passionate about our little, "proper football team"

In recent years we have fallen, my how we've fallen. We are now in division 6 in effect and have been there 5 years. And of course you guys have known relative wilderness too - even down to the fourth at one point. You adapt, don't you? I've found myself saying things like "0-0 away at North Ferriby, that's not a bad result". Where IS North Ferriby?

So I couldn't help posting to wish you luck in the future (even if it will likely be at the expense of my home town team). And the reason? Before Easter County were in pole position to go up as champions (only one automatic place). But we lost to Chorley and they have a way better goal difference, so that seemed to be it. But then on Monday as we are watching County winning 2-0 at home (in front of 6,000 - yes 6,000 in division 6!) news comes through that Chorley have conceded a winner in the 94th minute. We're back in front (like you and Leeds). The whole ground rose as one - I've never seen anything like it.

But we both have one game left. Ours is against Nuneaton Borough. All we have to do is beat the worst team in the division tomorrow...…

As one of my fellow County fans said to me, "If you can't get excited by the prospect of being promoted by beating the worst team in the division, regardless of what Chorley do then I don't know when you can”. And like the person who posted on your site, we think it could be a match we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.

Good luck in the Prem next season. And please could you get a Woodward and Dearden type combo together to stuff Norwich 7-0, just like you did to Town in the 70s!

Ipswich AND Stockport, you're a bloody jinx aren't you?

Just kidding, hopefully Ipswich will rebuild and bounce back. And as for Stockport, really pleased they seem to be back on a positive track. Back in the day they were a solid league team and it properly went sideways for them. I'm genuinely pleased for them.

 

[Bayingblade]

Good stuff and I'm sure most if not all Blades will wish County well. Even Brendan Elwood.

 

[BushBlade]

I was prompted to post following something I read on the Ipswich fans website, taken from yours; "If you can't get excited by the prospect of being all but promoted by beating the worst team in the division, regardless of what anyone else does then I don't know when you can”, “It could be a match we’ll remember and enjoy for the rest of our lives. We need to keep our eyes on the prize.”

I'm an Ipswich fan born and bred and the year before I was born was the last Town spent in the 3rd division, so I'm somewhat gutted to say the least. But that's not the point of my post.

I came to Uni in Manchester and adopted Stockport County as my second team. I stayed working in Manchester and supporting County and my daughter has been brought up to support her local team, not the money bags sides up the road. And as a family we've become very passionate about our little, "proper football team"

In recent years we have fallen, my how we've fallen. We are now in division 6 in effect and have been there 5 years. And of course you guys have known relative wilderness too - even down to the fourth at one point. You adapt, don't you? I've found myself saying things like "0-0 away at North Ferriby, that's not a bad result". Where IS North Ferriby?

So I couldn't help posting to wish you luck in the future (even if it will likely be at the expense of my home town team). And the reason? Before Easter County were in pole position to go up as champions (only one automatic place). But we lost to Chorley and they have a way better goal difference, so that seemed to be it. But then on Monday as we are watching County winning 2-0 at home (in front of 6,000 - yes 6,000 in division 6!) news comes through that Chorley have conceded a winner in the 94th minute. We're back in front (like you and Leeds). The whole ground rose as one - I've never seen anything like it.

But we both have one game left. Ours is against Nuneaton Borough. All we have to do is beat the worst team in the division tomorrow...…

As one of my fellow County fans said to me, "If you can't get excited by the prospect of being promoted by beating the worst team in the division, regardless of what Chorley do then I don't know when you can”. And like the person who posted on your site, we think it could be a match we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.

Good luck in the Prem next season. And please could you get a Woodward and Dearden type combo together to stuff Norwich 7-0, just like you did to Town in the 70s!

I’ve been following the results in the National North. It must be the best supported 6th tier in the world. Good luck against Nuneaton.

 

[Large Mendonca]

I remember getting torn a hole in the old division 2 by Stockport at the Lane, wasn’t it 2-5 or something ?

PS good luck at the weekend

 

[Rusty view]

0-0 away at North Ferriby, that's not a bad result". Where IS North Ferriby?

Near Hull mate.

P.S good luck

 

[Guesty]

I too went to some County games while I was at Uni in Manchester. Can't say that I adopted them at all but I enjoyed the games.

I remember that they fucking hate Wednesday due to some trouble from their away following.

 

[County Fan]

Good stuff and I'm sure most if not all Blades will wish County well. Even Brendan Elwood.

Most County fans would trace the start of our demise to when Uncle Brendan had to sell. Good owners are gold dust.

I'm sure many Ipswich fans yearn (as I do) for an owner like the Cobbold family. Interviewed after a string of bad results following Bobby Robson's departure to the England job Patrick Cobbold (I think it was) denied there was a crisis. The interviewer pushed him to answer "what would be a crisis then?". "My dear boy", the chairman replied, "if we ever ran out of Sancerre in the board room, that would be a crisis". Those were the days.

 

[SwitchBLADE Smiles]

Ooh that comment sounds familiar

Good luck to your boys! God knows what's happened to Ipswich though. I've always remembered them being our ultimate bogey team whenever we played in the championship. They've been there almost my entire life so will be a bit odd seeing them in league 1 next season.

I reckon sticking with Lambert will come good for them. Chopping & changing managers does no good (unless you land a Chris Wilder) & a bit of stability can go a long way, especially in the lower leagues.

UTB

 

[KoppedOff]

My first ever away game was at Stockport, so I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for them. Hope they get back up ASAP.

 

[ZoneManWilf]

Thanks for the nice post.

I have a question about Stockport:- why are they called "County"? With Derby and Notts then it's clear there is a county connection. Never understood why that was the case for Stockport.

 

[Balham]

Nice article about Stockport in the Guardian this week which included a tweet about those scenes County Fan mentions. Jim Gannon (once of United) is back for another spell in charge there and it seems to be working



I remember us beating County 3-0 in March 2002 in the Championship (Division One as it was then). It was 0-0 at half time when my dad called me to tell me my grandad had passed away. I can't remember a single thing about that second half except the scoreline as I was numb from the shock of that call.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Woodward and Dearden type combo together to stuff Norwich 7-0, just like you did to Town in the 70s!

I was there for that game.

All the best to you too - have followed those minor leagues and Chorley have blown it having been top and clear for ages. Bit like Salford in the division above you.

UTB

 

[County Fan]

I remember getting torn a hole in the old division 2 by Stockport at the Lane, wasn’t it 2-5 or something ?

PS good luck at the weekend

Thank you for the good wishes (and to all others who have posted similarly). Yes you're right - the 2-5 was a league cup game in arguably our best ever season. We went on to the semi-final, and got promoted to the Championship. Which gave us the opportunity to stuff Man City 3-1 at home the next season. Their fans still haven't forgiven us

 

[Maidenhead]

I was there for that game.

All the best to you too - have followed those minor leagues and Chorley have blown it having been top and clear for ages. Bit like Salford in the division above you.

UTB

I don't particularly follow the lower leagues but I always look out for Maidenhead United's results.

I saw a fair bit of them when I lived down there and since I've left they have risen to the 5th tier where they are currently 1 place above the relegation zone with one left to play.

They'll be fairly relaxed with a 10 point buffer though.

A bit like Jim Gannon at Stockport, Alan Devonshire was the manager when I was down there and they were on the up and now he's back there again doing a good job in keeping them in the Conference where they are punching well above their weight.

Edit: I actually bought a Maidenhead away shirt this season as I really liked it and I hate the white back on our home shirt

Double Edit: I've just seen that they play Chesterfield in their last game tomorrow. That's something that I could have never envisaged when I lived down there!​

 

[County Fan]

I was there for that game.

All the best to you too - have followed those minor leagues and Chorley have blown it having been top and clear for ages. Bit like Salford in the division above you.

UTB

We aren't that keen on Salford funnily enough. "Media City Darlings" they tend to get referred to as. And then there's FC Traitors of course - who have been relegated. Not that there is complete local animosity - the Ashton Clubs and Alty are well liked. I guess we would probably prefer it to be Alty who come up with us (if we do the business on Saturday). Its a good local derby and like in the old days in the league, Christmas and New Year is home and away against your local rivals. And all our games kick off at the right time (i.e. 3 pm on Saturdays). So much that's sadly gone from the big leagues

 

[Sheffsteel]

Some advice for Ipswich Town fans regards league 1.

The standard will immediately seem shockingly poor compared to the Championship.
You’ll think “we should easily gain promotion if this is the standard” but gradually your standard will dip to match the division you’re in.
Also although many teams don’t look good, they are better than they look because they tend to be organised and physical.
In fairness some teams in league 1 will play surprisingly good football but finishing is poor in the lower leagues.

Your first season will probably be quite enjoyable.
You’ll enjoy the novelty of being a very big fish in a small pond. Will also be an experience visiting new grounds.

BUT the longer you stay in league 1, your club will slowly die away and become forgotten.
Your support might start drifting away and finances might become really tight, so all your best players are sold just to stay afloat.

If you stay in league 1 a year or 2, then relegation might be a positive and your club will come back stronger
But any length of time in league 1 and it’s a very very depressing league.
We did amazingly well to spend a horrible 6 years in league 1 and still average 19K most games every season.

PS: Really loved that Ipswich side with Muhren, Thysson, Brazil, Gates, Mariner etc.

 

[Bannerman]

I was also there for the 7-0 victory over Ipswich. Strange game in that Ipswich weren't that bad, it was just that everything we hit seemed to go in.

Thanks for the good wishes, and I hope that both Town and County recover their stature in the near future. In Towns case I wish them all the very best after tomorrow!

 

[County Fan]

Thanks for the nice post.

I have a question about Stockport:- why are they called "County"? With Derby and Notts then it's clear there is a county connection. Never understood why that was the case for Stockport.

We were originally Heaton Norris Rovers (in fact Heaton Norris is where I live). But they changed the name in 1890, to indicate that the team represented "the County Borough of Stockport". The County Borough thing seemed to be a weird local government designation. Stockport was only a County Borough from 1889 to 1894, so if the name change had happened outside those dates, goodness only knows what it would have been.

 

[Blade58]

I was prompted to post following something I read on the Ipswich fans website, taken from yours; "If you can't get excited by the prospect of being all but promoted by beating the worst team in the division, regardless of what anyone else does then I don't know when you can”, “It could be a match we’ll remember and enjoy for the rest of our lives. We need to keep our eyes on the prize.”

I'm an Ipswich fan born and bred and the year before I was born was the last Town spent in the 3rd division, so I'm somewhat gutted to say the least. But that's not the point of my post.

I came to Uni in Manchester and adopted Stockport County as my second team. I stayed working in Manchester and supporting County and my daughter has been brought up to support her local team, not the money bags sides up the road. And as a family we've become very passionate about our little, "proper football team"

In recent years we have fallen, my how we've fallen. We are now in division 6 in effect and have been there 5 years. And of course you guys have known relative wilderness too - even down to the fourth at one point. You adapt, don't you? I've found myself saying things like "0-0 away at North Ferriby, that's not a bad result". Where IS North Ferriby?

So I couldn't help posting to wish you luck in the future (even if it will likely be at the expense of my home town team). And the reason? Before Easter County were in pole position to go up as champions (only one automatic place). But we lost to Chorley and they have a way better goal difference, so that seemed to be it. But then on Monday as we are watching County winning 2-0 at home (in front of 6,000 - yes 6,000 in division 6!) news comes through that Chorley have conceded a winner in the 94th minute. We're back in front (like you and Leeds). The whole ground rose as one - I've never seen anything like it.

But we both have one game left. Ours is against Nuneaton Borough. All we have to do is beat the worst team in the division tomorrow...…

As one of my fellow County fans said to me, "If you can't get excited by the prospect of being promoted by beating the worst team in the division, regardless of what Chorley do then I don't know when you can”. And like the person who posted on your site, we think it could be a match we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.

Good luck in the Prem next season. And please could you get a Woodward and Dearden type combo together to stuff Norwich 7-0, just like you did to Town in the 70s!

Great post fella

Good luck with County

I also keep one eye on the North, as I know a young lad that plays for Boston. Ex Blades player and look out for their results.

 

[Bartleby]

I was also there for the 7-0 victory over Ipswich. Strange game in that Ipswich weren't that bad, it was just that everything we hit seemed to go in.

I was there as well. Len Badger scored a screamer.

 

[originaltrueblade]

I will look out for your result hope it goes your way

 

[Bannerman]

I was there as well. Len Badger scored a screamer.

He did indeed, Len was one of my all time favourites and I bump into him now and then. They say you shouldn't meet your heros because of the possibility of being disapointed by their actual character. No such problems with Len, he's a seriously decent man and modest in the extreme.

 

[alcoblade]

I was prompted to post following something I read on the Ipswich fans website, taken from yours; "If you can't get excited by the prospect of being all but promoted by beating the worst team in the division, regardless of what anyone else does then I don't know when you can”, “It could be a match we’ll remember and enjoy for the rest of our lives. We need to keep our eyes on the prize.”

I'm an Ipswich fan born and bred and the year before I was born was the last Town spent in the 3rd division, so I'm somewhat gutted to say the least. But that's not the point of my post.

I came to Uni in Manchester and adopted Stockport County as my second team. I stayed working in Manchester and supporting County and my daughter has been brought up to support her local team, not the money bags sides up the road. And as a family we've become very passionate about our little, "proper football team"

In recent years we have fallen, my how we've fallen. We are now in division 6 in effect and have been there 5 years. And of course you guys have known relative wilderness too - even down to the fourth at one point. You adapt, don't you? I've found myself saying things like "0-0 away at North Ferriby, that's not a bad result". Where IS North Ferriby?

So I couldn't help posting to wish you luck in the future (even if it will likely be at the expense of my home town team). And the reason? Before Easter County were in pole position to go up as champions (only one automatic place). But we lost to Chorley and they have a way better goal difference, so that seemed to be it. But then on Monday as we are watching County winning 2-0 at home (in front of 6,000 - yes 6,000 in division 6!) news comes through that Chorley have conceded a winner in the 94th minute. We're back in front (like you and Leeds). The whole ground rose as one - I've never seen anything like it.

But we both have one game left. Ours is against Nuneaton Borough. All we have to do is beat the worst team in the division tomorrow...…

As one of my fellow County fans said to me, "If you can't get excited by the prospect of being promoted by beating the worst team in the division, regardless of what Chorley do then I don't know when you can”. And like the person who posted on your site, we think it could be a match we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.

Good luck in the Prem next season. And please could you get a Woodward and Dearden type combo together to stuff Norwich 7-0, just like you did to Town in the 70s!

I really hate this type of sycophantic reply, but I do have a soft spot for Stockport, based on the terrific support they've held against all odds. I look forward to visiting again, but hopefully in a cup!

Good luck tomorrow.

 

[spongebobblade]

Always had a soft spot for Stockport. Watched the Blades there numerous times and were often given a hard bloody game!
5-1 with 2 from big Jostein was probably our best result and the one I remember most.
Followed your fortunes this season and must admit, thought you’d blown it
Hope you go up and start the long road back. From first hand experience we can tell you that momentum goes a long way!

 

[jt64]

Good luck tomorrow, I'm from and still live over there, used to watch them a fair bit back in the late 90's-early 00's, would probably be at Nuneaton tomorrow if it weren't for more pressing matters. Would be great to see them back up in the Conference, and hopefully the league eventually

 

[Iceybabey]

Best Post I've read for a while, top stuff from a proper football fan.

Good luck next season.

 

[diode_blade]

Yup great post fella, good luck, I remember being taken to a footie match on Guernsey by mi dad in about 69-70ish, think it was a pre season friendly between blades and Ipswich, someone on here will correct me if i'm wrong, a couple of days later dad had a heart attack and spent six weeks in hospital overthere, holiday got cut short.

 

[The Vicar]

Didn't Woody score 4 & Gill Reece score a bullet header? If I remember rightly Ipswich had a very small keeper Laurie Sivell?

If only we can emulate that result tomorrow!