Cod Almighty | Article

by Pat Bell

29 June 2010

Think of Micky Cummins, and an irrepressible image forms in one's head: a short, stocky, terrier like midfielder with shaggy hair and a missing tooth, a cross between Bobby Cumming and Joe Waters.

Irrepressible, but wrong. He is actually six feet tall, and photos suggest short hair and a somewhat rangy figure. Reports from Rotherham, who released him before he signed a one-year contract with Town, suggest that although he is hard-working, he is neither particularly quick nor aggressive. Cummins himself implies that Robins manager Ronnie Moore took a bit of a dislike to him, although most media more mundanely put his lack of recent action (he played just two games after the end of February) down to injury. There is no confirmation of the rumours inspired, one suspects, by wishful thinking, that he and Mark Hudson formed an effective partnership at Rotherham, although it does sound as though their styles may prove complementary.

Born in Dublin on 1 June 1978, Cummins was a trainee with Middlesbrough but has spent the largest part of his career with Port Vale, for whom he made 253 appearances, including one as a member of the side that won the Football League Trophy in 2001. The Ireland under-21 international has since had two-year spells at Darlington as well as Rotherham, and has a career total of 46 goals from 384 appearances.

Interviewed by the Grimsby Telegraph, Cummins amazingly does not say how the only reason he has signed is because no better club will have him for the money we are prepared to pay; he says he turned down other offers and is looking forward, after two years at the Don Valley Stadium, to being able to see the crowd without use of a telescope. Will he be good? Will he be bad? We'll have to wait and see.