Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Tuesday 5 November 2002

5 November 2002

Town could make a move for former loan star Martin Pringle, who was released yesterday by Charlton. Or perhaps not; manager Paul Groves, rapidly mastering the art of non-commitment, has told the Grimsby Telegraph: "We'll have to look at his fitness. We might ask him to come up and train."

Welsh duo Danny Coyne and Darren Barnard have again been called up for duty with their national team - this time for the Euro 2004 qualifier against Azerbaijan on 20 November - but the squad will not assemble until after the Mariners' meeting with Preston on 16 November, meaning Dan and Daz will be free to play. There you go, Sir Alex; there you go Mr Bruce - play your games on a Saturday like any normal person and you won't have these club/country conflicts.

It's so far so good for the Grimmo Telegraph's 'Keep Kabba' campaign of emotional blackmail, with the object of the paper's adulation declaring himself touched by the reception he received in last Saturday's game against Gillingham. Whether Steve stays at Blundell Park on loan for the rest of the season is down to the player himself, who will raise a few hopes by saying: "I didn't realise how strongly everyone felt about it. It meant a lot to me to have that response. The fans should know they mean a lot to me too." I'm not crying; I've just got something in my eye.

GTFC have confirmed that Alan Pouton will sit out this Saturday's visit to Stoke after picking up his fifth careless booking of the season against Wolves on 26 October and incurring a one-match suspension. Cod Almighty will wait until Friday to speculate on how the midfield might be recast this weekend, because - let's face it - by that time, there could be another three injuries, two more loan signings, and a new FIFA directive on team formations for estuary town clubs whose names begin with G.