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Diary - Friday 5 February 2010

5 February 2010

Neil Woods has been talking the talk. His sense of relief is palpable after strengthening his squad significantly over the past few weeks. It shows all over his face. The way to beat County, your Guest Diarist can report, is to attack them. 'Woods to go for the jugular', trumpets the Grimsby Telegraph, while the redoubtable Dale (in his weekly paid-for interview) puts forward the proposition to his manager that Town might have the best squad in the division nowadays. If Mr Woods had been drinking coffee at that point I suspect he would have spat it out. But you kind of know what he means don't you? On paper Town do look much much stronger.

So tomorrow's game, seen from the heady always-anticipatory heights of a Friday morning, is a prospect to relish. I was expecting to tell you that Dean Sinclair might not make it with a hamstring problem, but Woods is hopeful. He is less sure about Wes Fletcher and Adam Proudlock, who have felt a bit poorly this week. At least their absence will reduce Woodses' selection options up front. Proudlock, by the way, has done a very nice mea culpa interview to the Telegraph, rightly insisting he will want to take the next penalty.

Woods ruefully admitted he has a selection headache, claiming that there is now competition for just about every place in the team. And he says the competition is enthusiastic, citing an after-match text from young Paris babbling about how much he had enjoyed his 20-minute cameo. Neil said there is no-one in the squad now who he wouldn't play and that the team will be picked according to how he sees the opposition, the pitch conditions and the adjacency of other matches. Reading his runes, I get the impression that Woods would love to play young Cowans-Hall, but a combination of his fitness issue and a heavy pitch will influence his decision. But I'm sure he'll appear at some point. As for the midfield, well, Peacock will come on for the run last week you would expect, and it sounds like Sinclair will be fit enough to start.

In today's news-based diary I should also tell you that Bradley Wood is back in full training already and that Forbes and Stockdale are continuing to expand their training sessions with both being possibles to join the first team squad by the middle of next week. In another helpful interview, Woods has explained his thinking about the younger squad members who have failed to feature of late. Paraphrasing mightily: he feels that Town's relegation fight is no way to start a career in the game. Simply too much pressure on the kids. And I can't really argue with that either.

As for pressure - well a couple of weeks ago I didn't really feel any because it looked like Town would never win again. But some good-looking signings and a really decent away point last week has roused me again. No doubt by five tomorrow I'll be proved wrong for the thousandth time, but just now that 4/1 price on Town looks tasty. Check the Cod Almighty factfile to see whether our resident betting person recommends us to get stuck in to it. Try to enjoy the game folks, however you follow it. See yer.