Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Monday 27 October 2003

27 October 2003

Nick Daws is unlikely to return to the Mariners even for a second month on loan, BBC Humber Sport has concluded from comments made by Paul Groves. The Rotherham midfielder played a major role in Town's return to form during his spell at Blundell Park, which ended last week, but Groves told the Beeb after Saturday's draw at Barnsley: "The club can't keep putting money into it and it's not a bottomless pit." The Town manager is believed to have been referring to his budget for players, rather than Chapman's Pond or Phil Jevons' bank account.

Confusion appears to be rife in the media over events at Oakwell, with the Grimsby Telegraph headlining a story GALLIMORE MISS COSTS MARINERS THE WIN, Barnsley manager Gudjon Thodarson saying on Ceefax over the weekend: "We were unlucky not to concede in the first half", and a site on the Footymad network reporting that Iffy Onuora "managed to 'head' the ball downwards and wide of the goal when it seemed easier to miss." Diary readers can take comfort in the knowledge that no such howlers will be found on this page in the run-up to Town's visit to Kettering in the first round of the FA Cup this Saturday.

"Too much love will kill you," sang moustachioed king of camp Freddie Mercury, but as far as the Diary knows he didn't say anything about schadenfreude; and it is therefore with the lycra-clad sweaty man's approval that we note a red card for John Oster. This column has elected not to follow the exploits of Sunderland's Welch international winger since he reneged on an agreement to sign permanently for Town last season, causing two more loan signings to fall through and arguably dealing the decisive blow to the Mariners' chances of staying in Division One. But that's because he's mostly done quite well since; and so in urging the world to point and laugh at the pint-sized playmaker's dismissal for literally kicking Norwich's Adam Drury when he was down, I feel I am not being entirely inconsistent. Ha ha ha.

So here we are again, and thanks to Miles, Richard and Mark for filling in here last week while I were working 72-hour shifts down t'pit. Precisely none of you have emailed to complain, which speaks volumes for their excellence, my incompetence or your indifference. Now that your regular Diary is back, anyway, I would like to celebrate Mr Gallimore's glorious achievement on Saturday by asking: when did you last have so much fun at a match without actually winning? What engaging sub-plot or amusing distractions have best redeemed a game in which Town failed to take three points? Have a good think, and send your good thoughts to codalmightydiary@yahoo.co.uk.