Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 24 February 2006

24 February 2006

Hello, Miss Guest Diary here, reflecting on the ups and downs of my season so far. The visit of Chester tomorrow reminds me how unlucky I've been. You may recall that the away fixture in August was cancelled shortly before kick-off, due to a waterlogged pitch - cancelled about five minutes before I arrived at the ground, to be exact. And on the way home I got stuck for an hour in a traffic jam in Stoke. And, of course, I couldn't attend the rearranged match, which Town won.

It's been downhill since then. I've missed three home games; I think you can probably guess which ones, but I'll tell you anyway: Notts County (4-0) Rochdale (4-1) and Lincoln (3-0). This qualifies me (unfairly, I think) as a Jonah - but it has created a lucky charm in the persona of my partner's Dad, who was the fortunate occupant of my seat for those three games. If Town need vital home points towards the end of the season, I'm willing to be bribed to go shopping on a Saturday and give my season ticket to him. But start the whipround now, as I have expensive tastes.

Tomorrow isn't likely to improve my Jonah status. According to Russ in the Mariners World preview, Chester are going to "make life difficult" for Town. So are they going to cancel their credit cards and plant a row of leylandii on the edge of the six-yard box? (Or, to harmonise with the new metric initiative, along the 5.48-metre line?)This seems to me a bit of a waste of effort, as life is difficult enough when your leading goalscorer and your best defender are suspended. And with Chester getting in two new defenders of their own, a forward line led by Jones the Lump fills me with inertia. But I would like to know what Russ and Grezza had on that piece of paper they were so engrossed in - have Town got some new Ikea goalposts?

The Diary has had another email from John Pakey, who provides a link to a story about Aidan Davison and comments: "Good old Aidy. I personally never want to see him retire. Football is getting a bit too dull and there are not enough characters - even if what Aidan says in the last sentence is a wee bit sexist. Made me chuckle, though." Well, each to his own.

And finally, Town have got another hopeful on trial. Ooh cheeky!