Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Wednesday 5 March 2003

5 March 2003

Town supporters spend Ash Wednesday raking over the charred remains of their hopes and dreams after that defence shipped its 956th goal of the season in last night's 4-1 hammering by Sheffield United. The Diary holds up its hands to admit its error in predicting a red card for Georges Santos, as it was silly boy Alan Pouton who got his marching orders for a reckless foul on Rob Kozluk, for which he probably still received a standing ovation from the Pontoon and a sponsors' man-of-the-match award. Steve Kabba Chameleon was booked for taunting Town fans after his goal, though, which is quite funny.

Unless the Mariners appeal against Pouting's sending off, the erratic midfield powerhouse will pick up a three-match ban for last night's misdemeanours, sitting out the away games against Rotherham and Burnley later this month, reports the Grimsby Telegraph, and Leicester on 5 April.

Before the tribulations of next season, though, there remains the fraught problem of how to spend this summer. Tasty Sam from Nottingham writes: "What about adopting an Australian team? I used to follow Moroolbark with an almost worrying enthusiasm." Worrying being the operative word, sir; the Diary has no intention of involving antipodeans. Meanwhile Cod Almighty's bored match reporter Tony Butcher, a key proponent of the theory that Peter Handyside will come home this summer, has emailed to say that the ace former Town defender does still have a crash pad in Cleethorpes - the same one to which the Diary's kid brother once delivered a parcel when working as a postman one summer. Which, I suppose, is another way of spending the summer. "It could be down Rosemary Way," adds Tony, "rather than south of the border down Mexico Way, which isn't in North East Lincolnshire anymore after those darn Texan vermin stole it back in 1836." Is that another Pink Floyd lyric?

And finally a nugget of trivia, thanks to Cod Almighty's Statto Andy. On this day seven years ago, Steve Chettle scored for Nottingham Forest against Bayern Munich, in Munich, in the quarter-final of the UEFA Cup. Well, anything to take our mind off the present. I'm off to do the ironing.