Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Saturday 29 April 2006

29 April 2006

Town's hopes of automatic promotion now rest upon the unlikely possibility of Leyton Orient failing to beat Oxford in next weekend's final round of matches. A poor, disjointed performance at Macclesfield today ended in a one-one draw, while Northampton secured the fourth division's runner-up spot by beating Chester, and Orient grittily saw off Peterborough despite playing 70 minutes with ten men. The Mariners' defence never looked secure once the injured Rob Jones was inexplicably replaced in the first half by Fen Butcher rather than Glen Downey, and Town duly conceded almost immediately after Gary Jones had given them the lead on the 40-minute mark. The Os stand only one point ahead of GTFC in third place, with a goal difference five worse than Mr Russell Slade's side, but the momentum and confidence they will have gained from today's events will make it difficult for even the most optimistic Grimbarian to envisage them taking fewer than three points against 23rd-placed Oxford in seven days' time. Keep that flipchart handy, Russ.