Cod Almighty | Diary
No B teams here
9 October 2018
Today's news inevitably recalls 2001.
Our game at Mansfield on Saturday has been postponed because of international call-ups. The bad news is that checks our run of form. The good news is that we won't have to play the game without the services of Elliot Embleton.
The international break, as usual, coincides with national non-League day. There are a few options for your football fix. If you fancy checking on Max Wright's progress, Boston United entertain Blyth Spartans. Cleethorpes travel to Radcliffe in the FA Trophy, a competition which I'm sure holds fond memories for you. Middle-Aged Diary checked out Radcliffe in August when they gave Trafford a right thumping. Danny North, Scott Vernon and Craig Disley will know they have been in a game come Saturday evening.
Trafford are also at home next Saturday if you fancy joining the growing contingent of Town fans who have them as our second team. While the Mariners drive me to distraction, watching Trafford keeps me sane.
It is unusual for a fourth-flight game to be postponed because of call-ups. In 2001 it was unusual for second-flight games to go ahead, so that when the unfashionable Grimsby beat the almost as unfashionable Barnsley it took us, having played a game or two more than our rivals, to the top of the Football League.
You didn't need reminding of that. Nor do you need reminding that a month later – 17 years ago today, in fact – Phil Jevons swung his boot to mighty effect to make sure a Grimsby team terminally weakened by the depradations of Lennie Lawrence beat a strongish Liverpool XI. It is easy to imagine that tonight we might have been marking that anniversary by putting out our first team to play a competitive game against a Liverpool B team.
Long, long ago, Cod Almighty readers voted Phil Jevons' Anfield winner as Town's greatest goal. Even at the time it was a result that caused some harrumphing in Cod Almighty Towers (soon to relocate to Haile Sands Fort, if only we can raise £90,000). I wonder, given the same selection of goals again, if Mariners today wouldn't prefer to celebrate the pass-and-move majesty of Cockerill v Huddersfield; Burnett or Donovan's Wembley wonders; or Jim Dobbin, making sure that when we outplayed Kevin Keegan's Newcastle, the nation knew we had outplayed them.
Too many options for a Twitter poll, but share your thinking and we'll return to the question tomorrow.