Cod Almighty | Diary

I always picture him wearing a monocle

15 June 2026

Miss Guest Diary writes: I apologise in advance for the lack of zest in the diary but I have yet to recover from the torpor induced by six hours spent at Trent Bridge yesterday watching Nottinghamshire trying and failing, through a series of missed chances and dropped catches, to bowl out their opponents. If I say the atmosphere after lunch was not dissimilar to that at Saturday's match between Qatar and Switzerland you'll get my drift. The high point of the day might just have been getting a full house in The Guardian's film reveal challenge by finally bringing to mind The Mission as a film in which Jeremy Irons appeared.

I do have a couple of pieces of actual Town news which have emerged since last Friday's diary. The first is that Jason Land, who is in charge of disability and inclusion for the Grimsby Town Foundation, has been awarded the British Empire Medal for services to football. Have a watch of this film where Jason talks about his 25 years of involvement with disability football in the area. Well done, Jason.

The second piece of news is that the final pre-season game will be against Wigan Athletic at Blundell Park on Saturday, 1 August. There is some discontent at Cod Almighty Towers surrounding this summer's pre-season schedule with one of my fellow residents suggesting its lack of imagination is slightly dispiriting. I confess to being a little disappointed myself, having renewed my passport in the hope that the club might venture across to Ireland and I could combine a pre-season game with a visit to the Irish Mariners. Maybe also a sight of Podge Amond – still knocking in those hattricks. Perhaps next year.

Somewhat surprisingly, given that standard player contracts generally run until 30 June, the football league transfer window opens today. Cue many weeks of angst and speculation about who Town might or might not sign, and of course the first signing being announced ten minutes after this diary is published.

The last time I was here I disparaged the upcoming World Cup. Naturally I have already been sucked into its orbit, but I'm going to leave tomorrow's diarist to rake through the entrails of the first few days. I will just say that I have been enjoying the Football Daily podcast with Rick Edwards and CA's erstwhile diarist Lloyd Griffith. Disappointingly he hasn't yet shoehorned in a reference to Town. Sort it Lloyds!