Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Thursday 11 August 2005

11 August 2005

First up, I meant to say before: sorry to those of you who were unable to access Cod Almighty for a day or so earlier this week. For future reference, when you can't get on to the site using the usual codalmighty.com address, try codalmighty.net instead. Worked for me, anyway.

A lot of talk so far this season has centred around the pace of Michael Reddy, but another key figure at Blundell Park who is not noted for sluggishness is of course John Fenty, who, true to form, has offered an impressively quick explanation of Town's decision to extend the deadline for discounted season tickets again. The chairman has told the club's official website that the recent signing of Gary Croft has "breached the budget", and that the unprecedented extension into the season of the cheaper ticket offer represents a chance for supporters to not only talk the talk of how pleased they are to have Gorgeous Gaz back in town but also walk the walk of turning over 300-odd quid to pay the lad's wages. I dunno - first of all Town outbid second-flight Luton for the services of Jean-Paul Kamudimba, and then they break the bank to bring back Crofty. At this rate the Diary won't be able to sleep soundly until I buy a second season ticket for the seat just in front of my current one and stretch out to rest my feet on it.

The Mariners of Grimsby Town are not the only ones who are short of a few bob, as the Central Coast Mariners may never get the chance to line up against Ronnie Bull's New Zealand Knights in Australia's brand new A-League if they don't find some new sponsors sharpish. Having set up a club that would need $5million to start the season, the Mariners' owners are a not insignificant $2.5million short with only two weeks to go, and are apparently running like nutters from one local business to another with an upturned hat, trying to make up the deficit. A Fox Sports report on the whip-round is headlined Big guns spruiking Mariners, and for once the Diary doesn't know whether it's a typo or just a word I don't know. At this stage it remains unclear whether the Central Coast Supporters' Trust is being hauled in to launch a campaign called Keep the Mariners Afloat, or indeed whether Central Coast have a supporters' trust. Or any supporters.

As one or two sharp-eyed Townites have noticed already, former Mariners striker Darren Mansaram, now with Halifax Town in the Conference, has recently been courted by York City, a club recently renowned as a hostel for Blundell Park refugees. Just when Daz-Maz was looking likely to join the club with the most embarrassingly sponsored stadium name in the history of organised sport, though, Barrow came lumbering along the horizon, and you can erase my hard drive with no backup if they are not another side with recent GTFC-flavoured transfer links, Karl Colley having popped along for a trial from Holker Street only this summer and one or more of the many indifferent Town youth team graduates of the past few years having gone on loan there at some point. I don't really know why I'm telling you all this, because Flash hasn't even gone anywhere yet, other than that it's kind of a quiet day and I'm avoiding work.

Oh, and Russell Slade is set to name the same starting XI for the third game in succession as Town travel to Chester on Saturday. That's it, then! Bye!