Cod Almighty | Diary

Waiting for a friend(ly)

27 July 2026

Miss Guest Diary writes: Town's pre-season has been rather disappointing for Lincolnshire folk so far. Not in terms of results (which don't really count for much anyway) but for the opportunity to see the team playing. The traditional pre-season opener at Cleethorpes Town, which has never really appealed, followed by the behind-closed-doors game in Slovenia, then on Saturday the game at Hartlepool.

Credit to the 252 who attended that game, but a near 300-mile round trip in pre-season was too far for me. We did do the 200-miles to Hyde and back in 2021, but that was after being unable to go to a game for nearly 18 months due to Covid, and with the euphoria of the Stockwood/Pettit takeover still fresh. The cherry on that particular cake was encountering Chairman Wow in the car park before the game and discovering he was a CA reader. We're unlikely to have that experience again, what with him being a lord and everything, but communications received in CA Towers last week (which will remain Top Secret) indicate he does still find time to dip into our ramblings now and then.

Whatever happened to games at places like Brigg or Gainsborough Trinity or Alfreton? The level of the opposition doesn't seem that relevant if it's all about fitness and team building. I know there's a game at Boston on Wednesday, but coming directly after hosting Lincoln at Blundell Park it's going to be mostly youth teamers and benchwarmers playing isn't it? The chips are always good there though, so we might make the effort, especially with Hursty in charge and Gav Holohan in the squad.

If the rumours running around on Friday are true, Town's squad has increased by one with the addition of Cian Doyle, signed from Bray Wanderers last week. I sought advice from CA's Irish wing about pronunciation of his first name – and it is either 'Keen' or 'Key-an'. Whichever it turns out to be you can bet it will be mangled by a selection of tannoy announcers next season. Doyle is apparently highly rated, but Bray do play in the second tier of Irish football, the level below where Darragh Burns was playing when he signed for us. But the performances of Reece Staunton and Jaze Kabia last season – both signed from below conference level – indicate it's not about where a player has come from but how they can be developed.

Having moaned about the lack of pre-season games locally, I suppose I ought to mention that Town have now arranged to play Grimsby Borough on Tuesday 4 August in what is described as a "charity friendly" in aid of St Andrews Hospice. Tickets are £10 for adults and £5 for concessions and are only available from the ticket office. How strong the line-up will be for a charity game is anybody's guess, but it is definitely a good cause and worth supporting.

Roll on Tuesday.