Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Saturday 11 January 2003

11 January 2003

Undoing all the good work of their colleagues at the other end, Town's defence ship their 50th, 51st and 52nd league goals of the season, allowing the club that once represented Wimbledon to snatch a 3-3 draw at Selhurst Park. After a first-half strike from returning hero Michael Boulding and a Trond Andersen own goal, Town lead 2-0 with 20-odd minutes to go. Two goals for the 'home' side are then followed by another from Stuart Campbell, but with the leakiest back four in the division it's still not enough for the Mariners to claim all three points. The Franchise Football Club is optimistically claiming an attendance of 1336.

The Diary wishes eternal damnation, meanwhile, upon Leicester, Coventry and especially Reading: the midlands clubs allow Stoke and Brighton respectively to walk away with a point each in goalless draws; while the Madejski-funded lot do a Town with knobs on after leading 2-0 at Hillsborough, allowing the bloody Wendys to run out 3-2 winners. As expected, Town remain fourth from bottom.

It seems Terry Cooke's return to the starting line-up last week impressed more than just the Blundell Park faithful. He was voted in to the Football League Team of the Week for Division One for his performance against Burnley. Former Mariner Steve Kabba received a similar accolade, while Tommy 'Stand and Point' Widdrington and Ben Chapman featured in the third division team.

Chapman's GTFC contemporary Matt Bloomer - subject of raging controversy in the Diary last week - has almost completed his set of local clubs by signing for Lincoln. The mysteriously underachieving centre-half was released by Hull last week and spent some quality time training with his old mates at Blundell Park before joining the Imps on a non-contract basis.

And finally, the Diary's nemesis, Sheffield United manager and child slave trader Colin Wanker, is observed on Football Focus compounding his numerous crimes against humanity by blatantly driving his car along a bus lane.