Cod Almighty | Diary
Diary - Monday 27 November 2006
27 November 2006
At first GTFC didn't know whether to spell his name with one 'g' or two. Then they didn't know whether he should play football or not. Now they're not sure how old he is. Nick Hegarty is one of the success stories of Town's last month, finally being given a sustained run in the first team (albeit in the absence of anyone else who can play on the left wing), and has earned a mention from Alan Buckley in today's Grimsby Telegraph. "You have to remember down the left that Tom Newey is being asked to do things that he hasn't before," says AB, presumably meaning not hoofing the ball 60 yards down the left touchline to the other team's right-back, "and the lad in front of him is just 19 years old." The profile of Ginger Nick on the club's official website, though, gives his date of birth as 25 June 1986, making him a full 20 and a half years of age. Never mind, though - because Nick Fenton has made the fourth division team of the week thing for the second week running. Hooray!
"Quitting was a big relief, like a weight being lifted off my shoulders. When you wake up every morning to do something you don't want to, it gets on your nerves." These were the words of Grimsby Town's Curtis Woodhouse when he retired from football to become a professional boxer earlier this year, and if you can't rely on Woody to refrain from getting pissed up and sticking one on a copper while his football team is in the decisive period of its promotion campaign, he can at least always be depended upon for something to put in the Diary, as the never-a-dull-moment midfielder has returned to the sport that made his name by signing for Rushden & Diamonds. Having made his debut as a welterweight in September with a victory on points over Dean Marcantonio, Curt was found guilty earlier this month of the aforementioned alcohol/policeman/violence incident and, although his career in the ring appears set to continue, he joined the struggling Conference side last Friday and played most of the 90 in a home defeat to Aldershot on Saturday. Insert your own Telegraph Sport joke here about whether the second-from-bottom Diamonds can pick themselves up off the canvas or are out for the count.
It was presumably in response to the lack of email to the Diary last week that Durham Diary posed Friday's question about Buckley's record of signing black players, as my inbox today is at its busiest since I got stuck on the Radio Times Christmas crossword the other year. Pat Bell, Liz Collins, Tim Hubbard, Richard Ellis and Steve Johnson all point out Keith Alexander, with some also reminding us that it was Buckley who brought Tony Ford back for a second spell at Blundell Park. Steve also puts forward the name of Vance Warner, while Richard adds those of Dale Banton and Harry Willis. Funnily enough, though, everyone seems to have forgotten Matt McKenzie.
And that is not all, for Rich Mills has emailed to congratulate the Diary on last Thursday's misappropriation of the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy - "Now there's a song for the terraces" - and Steve Hull has raised the spectre of identity confusion and nepotism: "It appears that Anthony Pulis is the son of Tony Pulis. Maybe it's so they don't get the mail mixed up. A. Buckley didn't think of that one before the christening, did he?" Loughborough Mariner is overjoyed with Saturday's game - "4-4-2, pass-and-move, wingers, overlapping full-backs, chances, goals, marvellous! Welcome back Bucko, it was like he's never been away" - while Scott B has sent this revealing photograph from the win against Accrington, asking: "Great game yesterday, but did anyone else spot Terry Butcher?"