Cod Almighty | Diary
Diary - Wednesday 12 April 2006
12 April 2006
Eh up. Your great-tasting regular Diary is back on duty today, having paid my debt to consumer society - and bitterly regretful at having missed the great sport to be had yesterday from Town reserves' hilarious heartbreaking failure to record their first win of the season despite leading three-nil with five minutes to go. Sometimes it just isn't your season, is it. Can we give them some sort of award for entertainment of an unintentional kind?
Talk of awards brings us neatly, since it's that time of year, to the Mariners' player of the season gong, the voting for which is now open on the club's official website, and Steve 'Mildehall' may or may not be more likely to sign a new contract if his employer starts remembering his name. The choice of players available in the vote is as idiosyncratic as the spelling, with Terry Barwick, Marc Goodfellow, John Lukic and Tom Newey all included and no sign (as usual) of the legendary Mr Glen Downey - possibly to head off a Diary campaign to have the hero of the Racecourse voted Town's top dude of 2005-06. Much like Silvio Berlusconi's ongoing claims to credibility, it sounds to me like a load of old ballots.
A strong contender in the poll will, of course, be Luton's Michael Reddy, who has scored 14 goals this season and won an even greater number of free kicks and penalties for the Mariners by diving. Did anyone notice the prolific Hatters forward talking about his growing reputation as a cheat in the Grimsby Telegraph a few days ago? Reddy appears to have been claiming that if there is "contact", then he is allowed to dive, because "that isn't cheating really as far as I am concerned. Continued from Back Page It is making the most of the situation." No, Michael - it is deliberately misleading the referee as to the effects of the challenge and it is misappropriating the match officials' exclusive authority to adjudicate on foul play. Honestly!
The only situation Reddy will be making the most of this Saturday, though, could be a day off work if today's Telegraph is to be believed. The redoubtable Riby Square organ cites Town boss Mr Russell Slade, who says the Graignamanagh tumbler picked up a knock during last Saturday's defeat at Carlisle Five, as did Jones the Stick, and the two players have joined Gary Cohen in the GTFC treatment room ahead of this Saturday's visit of Shrewsbury. Shrews boss Gary Peters is said to be extending a thumb and forefinger toward a nearby dish of saline food seasoning compound.
Last up today we turn to Lee Mathews, who is not an unnamed trialist, nor indeed a named one, but has news of one, because he went to Town reserves' defeat (sorry, tautology) against Scunthorpe last week and emailed to correct the Diary's mistaken impression that the stiffs fielded Rob Murray in goal rather than the Polish trialist who had been spoken of beforehand. "I was sat next to the Polish guy's agent," writes Lee, "and it was him who was playing, not Rob Murray." Well, that's the last time I believe Town's official website! "He certainly didn't do anything to impress. Although his agent told me he had been playing in Australia recently and name is Wojek lol." Thanks for the information, Lee. Was "lol" his surname, or are you just laughing out loud at his first name?