Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Monday 14 May 2007

14 May 2007

"If you can build early doors, get the points in the bag and then keep going you've got to have a chance." A graduate of one of Ron Atkinson's weekend media schools, James Hunt, has been speaking to Mariners World following the excellent decision he made to rejoin Grimsby Town on a permanent basis. Mr Hunt has signed a two-year contract and revealed that Lord Buckley had told Hunt that he wanted him back at the time that his loan spell had finished. Hunt's failure to cite poor training facilities, crap dressing room or smelly toilets and his eagerness to return to a side which enjoys playing passing football have been duly noted by your Fentydome-sceptic Guest Diarist.

Town will have Peterborough to contend with next season. A Peterborough awash with cash, it would seem, and who have already signed from Walsall two of the bottom division players of the season in Chris Westwood and Dean Keates. Salary cap, I hear you bleat? Forget it, because the Posh's millionaire sugar daddy has channelled bucketloads of cash into the club via a clever sponsorship deal. Cheating's easy these days, isn't it? Look at Boston, Leeds, West Ham et al. Tax avoidance is clever, tax evasion is illegal, and the moral compass has been discarded by those sharp men in suits who dominate our beloved game. Where there's a rule there's a way round it, gentle reader. But a top-seven place we must aim for, says Hunt, and there's no reason why not, is there? Not just play-offs though - Town need to play with good, old-fashioned Buckley style.

Town have announced that they will be playing an excellent set of pre-season friendlies at Brigg and Grantham and Farsley. These will be followed by home matches against the Hully gullies and Scunny. Farsley, I'm told, play at Throstle Nest in blue and white shirts, which rather spoils the black and white theme of the first two fixtures. Throstle Nest - it just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? First match is on 13 July, so only two more months of the footballing void to get through, eh?

Benevolent club owner, and man completely in charge of all things Grimsby Town, 'Positive' John Fenty has deemed it fit that we can all buy season tickets at last year's prices. Until 9 June, that is, and this page purports to tell us how much we will save by so doing. The new-fangled Sports Telegraph web page tries to add clarity by advising that match day prices will rise by a quid next season. It's the future, apparently, that's caused it. The new home shirt is coming out this week and it has been widely trailed as being black and white striped at the front and black in the rear. The last time we had something similar I found it hard to spot Town players running away from me at night. But stripes are good. Definitely good. See yer.