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Diary - Friday 18 September 2009

18 September 2009

You spend all week drumming your fingers waiting for the next match and then you spend most of the weekend agonising over the result. But on a Friday morning, anything seems possible and the midweek drudgery is eased by a tiny frisson of anticipation. This time the Town are spending their Friday motoring down to Torquay in the club charabanc (au complet avec new 'luckier' chauffeur) with the journey broken somewhere by hopping out and doing a bit of training in a field. And manager Newell has told your Guest Diarist, in a magnificent 1Mb flash stream of subscription-only interview, that more and more Town players are managing to train again.

Yes, swapping the treatment table for the shuttle run (jog I expect in the case of Mr Sweeney) are Hegggaarty, Akpro and Jarman. With Bore and Forbes coming through half a game for the reserves unscathed as well, the squad available for tomorrow's game is huge by comparison. But not the Jarman sadly - fit as he stayed through his broken foot period, this week is too soon for him to return (as is the case with Colgan who, we are told, is at least thinking about training again soon).

In an interview where the second half was actually worth the money, Newell was asked his opinion on the only truly straight man in Grimsby, Peter Bore. Manager Mike put on a rueful expression and trotted out some decent sound bites: "he drives you mad sometimes"; "you can't talk about potential forever"; "the penny needs to drop". Newell recognised that Bore has ability and pace, but also emphasised the need for consistency. Bore is not a kid any more, and let's hope he gets a run out at some point tomorrow. And that he does run. At pace at the opposition. With scoring in mind. If you get there, dink, Peter, dink.

Another boring paragraph about injuries is necessary. Boshell has come through his needless suspension. And promptly knackered his hamstring. Heywood, following his policy of toe-curling mistake-ridden comebacks with another injury, twisted his knee in the reserve match. And, of course, our other two strikers Conlon and Proudlock are still suspended. Torquay give you a free match preview (hint, hint). They have had a lot of injuries too, and manager Buckle has loaned big strapping young striker Danny Mills off his mate Barry Fry to 'freshen up his options'. Having lost their last four league games, tomorrow is a big day for them. For us it is just another game in this slow painful misery-laden decade. It must be time for another false dawn soon, surely?

Energetic Town fan Les Brechin is organising a charity hell-raising, star chasing evening. Les has Councillor David Boylen, Nigel Batch, George Kerr and Mike Czuczman lined up already for a bit of a do on Sunday 4th October starting at 7pm at The Tap & Spile pub in Garth Lane, Grimsby to raise money for Brain Tumour UK. Tickets are £5 each which will include a buffet on the night. All natural-born ravers should definitely be there. Glam-rock makeup optional. Get your tickets from Les on the Grim Outlook or at the pub. Sweet. Somebody said lay it on thick - so I did folks. See yer.