Cod Almighty | Diary

The Benefit of Balance

19 February 2025

Three victories on the bounce feels good, doesn't it? Even more so when each and every one of them were well deserved. Better again when the most recent of those successes came at our nearest divisional rivals geographically; a side that has chewed us up and spat us out regularly over the last few years.

Everyone is now (rightfully) looking to the final third of the campaign with renewed vigour.

However, that seemed a little unlikely just three weeks ago as the clock ticked over into the seventh minute of added time in a disjointed, wholly forgettable second-half performance against a bottom-half Gillingham outfit. A goal down, it appeared the Mariners were slumping to their fourth defeat in five league games, with supporters beginning to drift away. Then that familiar Green-Rose combo came, salvaging a point, which probably should have been turned into three during a frantic conclusion that had looked highly unlikely just moments prior.

It was a crucial tweak made while chasing the game in it's chaotic finale that set the tone for our recent purple patch, though, and that's football in a nutshell - moments and margins can change momentum in a flicker.

In their short time together as a pair against the Gills, strikers Danny Rose and Justin Obikwu wreaked havoc, and in doing so forced a subtle shift that has seen a real upturn thereafter. Artell's men look infinitely more threatening with the pair working in tandem. Svanthórsson has dropped back and Hume moved forward on their respective flanks to great effect as wing-backs. The strong midfield trio remains intact, and Tharme's leadership in between Rodgers and McJannet at the back seems to suit, too.

Better balance, better performances, and subsequently, better results - all stemming from the latter stages of that underwhelming, cold, Tuesday night slog at the end of January.

The outcome of those alterations led to a goal apiece for the aforementioned forward pair at Bromley, mirrored by similar in the comeback over Carlisle at Blundell Park the following Saturday, yielding maximum points in consecutive matches, changing the tone again, and setting the Mariners and their near-3,000 travelling fans up nicely for what was, on paper, and given recent history, a big test in South Yorkshire. But now it felt different, and a quiet confidence became a roaring triumph as the Mariners' fluid system floored their nearby nemesis with a composed, controlled display perfectly contrasted by the ecstatic scenes in the away end at the Eco-Power Stadium.

The buzz is well and truly back. Yet 2025 has so far reaffirmed this VFTF diarist's outlook on football (and life in general) - don't get too high, don't get too low, because the here and now changes quickly. Fate and vicissitudes change the immediate, but structure and rationale shapes the constant. It's natural to have an emotional reaction to successes and setbacks. But reality is nearly always somewhere in the middle.

The fact that the 'middle' in the Mariners' landscape of possibilities has changed significantly in the last 12 months shows the progress being made in itself. We're just one point short of last season's total, with a third of the season to play. Many of the performances have been better, even if only marginally on occasion. The squad is stronger throughout. Recruitment, measured. Investment, continuous.

A (short-term) cautionary word, though. We could easily have another difficult run of results at some point before the end of the season. Our season to date forewarns that possibility. However, should that transpire, I must remind myself to keep things in perspective in terms of how far we've come this season, and over the last four years in general collectively, both on and off the pitch.

The signs are promising, with every reason to be hopeful. I certainly feel that way. If the forward strides made over the past year are carried on into future seasons, we could soon reach new heights not yet seen in the modern era.