Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 10 August 2012

10 August 2012

Here we go then! And with just one day until Town travel to Southport to kick off another season of mediocrity and underachievement, the squad has been boosted by the arrival on loan of Fleetwood Town centre-half Nathan Pond. Pond is the west coast arrivistes' longest-serving player, having appeared for them more than 300 times since joining in 2003 at the age of 18. Hoping for some insight into our new acquisition's outlook on football and life, your original/regular Diary has had a quick look at some of Pond's recent tweets. Let's just say he needs to be quite a bit better at football than he is at spelling.

So is Pond the "final piece of the jigsaw" that Shorty and Shouty have recently discussed? It seems unlikely: only the other day they identified wide midfield, not defence, as the area that needed reinforcements. But the seemingly inevitable departure of superb prospect Charlie I'Anson, just after the ill-advised release of Scott Garner, left Town two centre-halves down on last season, and only Simon Ford has come in. Perhaps cover was needed at the back as well, then - and Radio Humberside's John Tondeur has tweeted this morning that Shaun Pearson is injured, so there you go. The search for a winger presumably goes on.

If Pearson is out of action tomorrow, he won't be the only one. The great Liam Hearn, unsurprisingly, is not in contention for the trip to Haig Avenue - the GTFC management having belatedly called in a specialist when his injured calf worsened after getting a whack in one of them friendlies. For more on the build-up to the game, the magnificent Cod Almighty match preview is back, with all the stats, facts, sarcasm and outright lies you never knew you wanted until now.

In pointless, unconvincing rhetoric news, captain Craig Disley is issuing the regulation warcry or, in other words, Telling The Telegraph We've Not Been The Best Lately But We'll Get Better Soon, Honest. Don't read it; you'll only sigh. One kind of promotion talk it's good to see, on the other hand, is GTFC promoting a car sharing scheme for fans travelling away. More of that sort of thing, please.

A rather sad eve-of-season email now from Diary reader Matt Pakes, who says: "Casting an eye over the team photo for this season, it never ceases to amaze me how little I recognise... well, anyone. Obviously you've got your Shorty and Shouty, and the invincible knees of DM on show. But comparing it to last season's photo, I find myself thinking: 'Errr... he could be... no. Isn't that thingy?!' This isn't a new thing, however. Year on year I find myself struggling to name players in pre-season. But fear not, come October I'll be shouting: 'Run, Cook, you lazy bastard!' Whichever one that is..." Thanks, Matt. Isn't that one Rob Duffy?

One more, then, unto the breach in Town's defence. The Diary's cynicism usually pays out in emotional insurance, but maybe one day it'll be Deadly John (Flipflop) who gets it right. One day "football fortune" could return, the tide that's ebbed out so far and for so long flow back in and buoy up all our desiccated hearts. I'm paraphrasing him now, obviously. Either way, if you're still building up to Southport (and still slacking off at lunch), read this wonderful article from Neville Butt and get it all into context. Because the season that begins tomorrow is only one of 130 or so.