Cod Almighty | Diary
Diary - Friday 29 January 2010
29 January 2010
Town's second go at this season starts tomorrow at Aldershot. Basically twenty games to get about thirty points. With a decent squad who stay fit and unsuspended that looks quite possible to your Guest Diarist. With yet another three new signings who this time fall in to the experienced-at-a-higher-level category and a truly massive, almost all-fit squad at his disposal manager Woods must be feeling a bit more optimism than he had last Saturday night after a rather miserable defeat at Rotherham. Town fans should not expect an overnight miracle tomorrow though as Aldershot are pretty damn good at home and are bound to try to rebound from a somewhat unexpected midweek away defeat at Accrington. The renowned Cod Almighty pre-match fact file will tell you more - read it gentle reader, read it.
So now I have to remember all the incomers and try to puzzle out Woodses plan in terms of a preferred first team lineup. Lee Peacock has signed an eighteen month deal this morning, arriving from Swindon at the latter end of a half-decent career. Thirty three year old striker turned midfielder, the guy has proven goalscoring and playing ability but a nasty recent injury record. A back operation has supposedly sorted that out. Let's hope so - for him and Town. Tommy Wright has been let go by Aberdeen and has signed a contract of similar duration. An aggressive mobile striker who has run Town ragged in the past when playing for Darlington. Neil Woods has revealed the negotiations to sign him have been going on for over six weeks. Dean Sinclair has happily returned to Town for another loan period. And he's fit this time. Sinclair played through the pain for Town last season nursing his hamstring. But this eventually turned out to be a nasty knee problem requiring an operation over the summer. Sinclair says his rehabilitation has gone well and he feels great. Town finally have good looking options in central midfield. As for striker options I can't be arsed to name them all, but don't forget we already had taken on Wes Fletcher, Ashley Chambers and Paris Cowan(s)-Hall earlier in this frenetic transfer window (on loans of various lengths).
Woods has told Mariner Player that the McCrory negotiation is stalled - he likes the lad but there is an upper limit to Town's valuation. Various players are still being trialled and considered, including that bad-boy winger Ryan Smith who so impressed the hordes who attended the closed-door match with Hull and Mark Doninger another ball playing young prospect currently on a brief sabbatical at Blyth after being let go by Newcastle as the diary told you earlier this week.
As for the injury list it is mercifully brief. Forbes is 'mobile again', Stockdale's second operation 'went much better than the first and he has started light training' and Bradley Wood(s) has a groin strain. That's it. Who plays tomorrow is anyone's guess. Who plays at home the following Saturday is much more important in my opinion.
Fenty has used the Bennett and Barlow monies to give Neil Woods what he has asked for - now Woods has options all over the team except at full back. And a huge range of options up front. The fans would like a beat-his-man winger but maybe Paris, when we finally get to see him properly, will get near-death pulses beating a bit quicker. Woods has to settle on a starting eleven and a formation that will win matches and stick to it. He doesn't have much time. Let's hope that he repays the boards faith and hard cash. And restores ours - like bored Diary reader Paul Broughton says: "Coming into work every day, sitting down and having some witty e-mail fired to me regarding Grimsby's new misfortune or 'amusing' loan signing. Can't we just win?" See yer.