Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Thursday 13 February 2003

13 February 2003

Town's feverish search for firepower gains urgency with the news that David Soames limped out of yesterday's reserve match against Lincoln with an ankle injury. The extent of young Digger's damage is not yet known, but with Michael Boulding, Chris Thompson and Jonny Rowan as the only Town strikers still available to play, Paul Groves will be stepping up his hunt for a loan forward in the days ahead. Wednesday's match finished 2-0 to the Imps, thanks to former Mariners Adam Buckley and loanee Luke Cornwall, whose four goals at the end of the 2000-01 season went some way to preserving Town's first division status that year. Trialists Andy Kelly, Kevin George, Jimmy Ghaicham, Danny Self and Nathan Fleetwood all played, with reserve team coach Paul Wilkinson insisting: "It was an excellent performance despite the result."

And with Man City's sublimely talented Darren Huckerby moving to Nottingham Forest for the rest of the season, Jack Lester having a big barney with Forest boss Paul Hart, and chunky Lee Ashcroft still sans club, Groves may now have a chance to recreate the Lester-Ashcroft striking partnership that occasionally looked quite good for Town about twice a few seasons ago. Not that we want him to, like - it'd be too much like copping off with your ex who was occasionally spectacular in bed but just really annoying the rest of the time.

Groves' ill-starred hunt for a midfielder, meanwhile, is set for immediate resumption, with Alan Pouton getting broken again. The iconic ballwinner made a man-of-the-match return to action in last weekend's victory against Stoke, but this is Grimsby, and he's since knackered his knee once more. "We're looking for reinforcements in every department," the manager says in today's Grimsby Telegraph. "We've made enquiries and we really need a couple in."

Not included in that couple will be Sunderland's John Oster. After seeing his career resurrected by a two-month loan to the Town earlier this season, and coming off the bench in Wales' 2-2 draw with Bosnia last night, the young wing wizard dashed hopes of a third spell at Blundell Park by telling the Grim Tel: "Going to Grimsby was always going to be about me getting some match practice." Oster will instead turn his energies to the entirely hopeless task of getting Black Cats boss Howard Wilkinson to recognise his talents and play him occasionally. Town left-back Darren Barnard was an unused sub in Cardiff, by the way; while poor old Danny Coyne - clearly no carpenter - didn't even make the bench.

Paul Raven is in talks with Carlisle after the apparent breakdown of his proposed move to Rotherham. The Cumbrian club is hoping to sign the experienced centre-back, released by Town the other week, in time to face Oxford this Saturday - the very club he was about to sign for last season when his phone rang halfway down the M1 as Town's attempt to sign M**lon Br**mes broke down.

Also down in the basement drop zone trapdoor thing, Bristol Rovers striker Bradley Allen is doing the slag-off-Town-to-his-new-mates thing. "I would say this club is bigger than Grimsby," he tells the Bristol Evening Post today. "And Bristol doesn't smell of fish. And it's warmer. And got loads of cool clubs and that," he didn't add.

And finally, the Diary would like to congratulate its fellow slacker and Cod Almighty tipster Mat Hare, who has today announced his imminent shacking-up with lovely girlfriend Cathryn. Awww!