Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Tuesday 19 November 2002

19 November 2002

Manchester United starlet Danny Webber was close to joining Town on loan last season, Paul Groves has revealed, only for news of the move to leak and other clubs to muscle in. "We were favourites to sign him," the Town boss recalls in today's Grimsby Telegraph. "But then it got out and one or two other clubs showed interest, the player got a choice, and he went to Watford." Groves is said to be keen on re-signing last season's goal hero Michael Boulding - who left in the summer in a doomed attempt to break into the Aston Villa first XI and is too good a player to prosper with the bludgeon tactics of his current loan club Sheffield United - but the clearly pissed-off manager is now keeping schtum about other transfer targets.

Town reserves - whose fixture schedule has been severely disrupted by the weather in recent weeks - are further lashed by the storms of a home defeat to Darlington this afternoon. See, it's easy, this metaphor lark. A first-half goal from David 'apparently nicknamed Digger' Soames is trumped by three strikes from the visitors, despite Paul Wilkinson's starting XI featuring four players with first-team experience, including Paul Groves and Terry Cooke.

The new Grimsby Town Supporters Trust has passed an important test as those in attendance at its inaugural meeting last night avoided philosophical meltdown by voting in favour of creating, erm, a Grimsby Town Supporters Trust. The organisers claim a turnout of 200 fans.

Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan - whose proportions, some might say, are coming to exceed those of his footwear - has attempted to add insult to the injury he has done Town by saying Steve Scabba was rubbish anyway. "With respect to Steve," he says, preparing to disrespect Steve, "no-one had heard of him three months ago. We sent him to Grimsby on loan and he came back a better player but he was only ever going to be fifth choice here." Yeah, cos Ade Akinbiyi is worth £2.2 million of anyone's money, eh Simes.

Former Mariners forward Bradley Allen is in transfer talks with perennial proppers-up of the league Carlisle after his current club Peterborough indicated that they are unlikely to renew his short-term contract, which expires in December. Brad's two-division descent will come as a surprise to many Town fans, for whom the skilful attacker has come to embody the old adage that you don't know what you've got until you lose it.