Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Thursday 28 May 2009

28 May 2009

It isn't easy being the Diary, you know. As much as you might think this job involves little more than spitting the pips from the sweet, sweet grapes peeled and fed to me by the hordes of willing CA groupies stationed in Cod Almighty Towers, and being wearily sarcastic about Town's superb new official website, the Diary has to make some tough decisions every single day. Should I wear the blue Ivano or the '93 pinstripe? Should we go for the jugular on the SNOS this time, or indulge its extraordinary incompetence as an endearing Grimbarian quirk? And should we lead with the pointless story about Mike Newell being 'linked with' the managerial vacancy at Aberdeen or the pointless story about Mike Newell wanting to sign Peter Sweeney? The former, of course, is pointless because it's completely made up and the latter because when a good player who's already had a good period on loan might be prepared to come back permanently, you'd kind of assume that a good manager would be at least vaguely interested, wouldn't you? Still, it's worth looking at, if only to titter at the fact that the manager spoke to officials within the building about the player ("Peter Sweeney is certainly a player we would like to bring in"), only for the SNOS to be scooped by the Grimsby Telegraph, which ran its version of the Sweeney non-story a good two hours earlier. Hang on - why don't these groupies bring seedless grapes? My life is hell!

Jonathan Lund, John Lukic jr, Rob Murray, Andy Pettinger, Bradley Hughes, Steve Croudson, Andy Love, Paul Fraser, Morgan Cranley and Ronald Ermes didn't quite crack it, but that's not to say that Ed Eley, Leigh Overton or Rob Peet won't. Peet, a 16-year-old goalkeeper from Leicestershire, linked up with the Mariners in February after being released by Leicester City and recommended by Town scout Dave McNish, and has now been signed on a two-year YT deal or whatever it's called now to duke it out with Eley and Overton in a sort of Grimsby's Got Goalkeeping Talent contest. Let's hope the lad can exceed the limited expectations placed on him by his local paper, the Melton Times, which hilariously speculates that "Peet will hope to follow in the footsteps of brother David who earned a professional contract with Nottingham Forest and went on to play for Boston United before becoming disillusioned with the game". No punchline required.

Before I leave you hungry for Guest Diary's soothing Friday ministrations, there's just time for a quick dip into the old inbox. "Dear Diary," begins an email from Baz Rockliff, "I know you like to publish news of former players, so what better on a Thursday than news of one who wasn't just good, but a bona fide cult hero?" What better indeed. Baz offers a link to the website of Colwyn Bay FC, where a bountiful new three-year contract has been handed out to Town's former big man with a good touch Gary Jones. Thankyou - a cheery note for your regular Diary to sign out on for the week. I won't even mention the pre-match build-up in the autumn of 2006 when the team was being read out on the Blundell Park tannoy and the Lump's hallowed name was roundly booed by sections of the Pontoon faithful!