Cod Almighty | Diary
Trials and tribulations
29 June 2017
There are apparently still one or two fans who prefer to believe the lies of the Sun and those orchestrating a cover-up rather than the findings of a jury which spent two years hearing and deliberating on all the evidence, including the best evidence that South Yorkshire Police could present. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, it is said. In the case of Hillsborough, if your view differs from those findings and you cannot provide arguments why that two-year hearing should be ignored, then actually, no, you are not entitled to your opinion.
There is truth. There is post-truth. Then there is a special category for football fans who persist in peddling myths when the facts are known. Let's not waste any more time with them.
Trials we'll come back to, but meantime we have the tribulations of Akwasi Asante, who is unlikely to be able to kick a ball in anger for Grimsby Town until September at the earliest. His thigh injury is of course all the more mysterious, and therefore worrying, since the players have only just started training. It leaves us with four fit strikers, including Sam Jones, who was quoted as saying he preferred playing in midfield when he joined us, and Ahkeem Rose who was picked up as a raw youth prospect. We'll be fine.
We have three goalkeepers on trial. Two of them – Ben Killip and Oliver Pain – have been spat out by Premier League academies. The third, Sam Ramsbottom, has picked up a few games for Galway United having been on the books at Tranmere. You can watch Ramsbottom in action in this highlights reel. But the sub-editors' choice will surely be the Australian Pain. He likes shouting.
Town's last goalkeeper to graduate from what in his day was called 'the groundstaff' and establish himself as a long-term first choice was Harry Wainman. His last first-team appearance was in 1978. Steve Croudson would surely have broken the run but for injury and the excellence of Danny Coyne. It's a record proving that blooding a young goalkeeper is no easy thing.
All the more reason, then, to look after the ones we have got. Because in the minds of some Town fans, ever since he put in a transfer request last season, James McKeown also has been on trial. Perhaps he might have handled that situation better: we don't know all the facts, but we are beginning to get the impression that Blundell Park life under Marcus Bignot may have been enough to frazzle anyone. But that is just one episode in a six-year career at Town. It is not so long ago we all knew we were lucky to have him. When, after a rare error in the play-off semi-final against Gateshead, he committed himself to stay and put things right, it was not because he'd have been short of offers elsewhere.
One of his finest moments, albeit in a losing cause, came in the 2013 FA Trophy final defeat by Wrexham. After Wrexham had equalised, only McKeown stood between them and outright victory. It's thanks to McKeown that Richard Brodie was able to make an almighty arse of himself in the penalty shoot-out.
Middle-Aged Diary had awarded the goalkeeper's spot in the Wembley XI to Aidan Davison's performance against Northampton. But was I being rash? Let's put that one to a Twitter poll. I'm here again tomorrow, so will give the result then.
Until then...