Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 16 May 2003

16 May 2003

Peter Furneaux promises Town fans an exciting summer, not to mention next season, by suggesting that Paul Groves may be allowed to bring in as many as ten new players as the club makes a serious attempt to bounce back to Division One at the first time of asking. This is what it says in today's Grimsby Telegraph, but as it's now 2 o'clock and the page still doesn't load, I'll have to leave it at that for now. The chairman adds a word of thanks to the local community, though: "We would like to publicly thank our fans for their tremendous support over what has been a difficult season," says Pete, in a credible bid for the European keeping a straight face championship.

While all these new arrivals head into Blundell Park, one player who could slip out almost unnoticed is Danny Coyne. Whispers reach the Diary that the Town stopper is a wanted man - by Burnley boss Stan Ternant, to be precise. Wales' faithful bench-warmer is widely understood to be on a bigger wodge than any other Town player, though, and the transfer could be jeopardised by the defensively-challenged Clarets' £2,000-per-week wage limit on new signings. Coyne, of course, joined Town on a free from Tranmere in 1999 and after a shaky start staked a claim as one of the top keepers outside the Premiership, scooping back-to-back player of the season awards, I think, but hasn't looked in champion of the world form in recent months - and the Mariners would jump at the chance to get him off the payroll.

Two names from the previous millennium rise gently through the ocean of consciousness and football and that - specifically, Messrs Nogan and Widdrington, who will have their work cut out to remain in professional football after being released by York and Hartlepool respectively. 'Tireless' Lee Nogan was a classic Alan Buckley forward - skilful, lightweight, hardly ever scored - who spent two years with the Mariners from 1997 to 1999, bagging 16 goals in nearly 100 appearances; while unpopular midfield fancy pants Tommy W was brought in from Southampton by Long Ball Laws in 1996 for a then club-record £300,000 and was basically rubbish, and playing 40-odd games for Hartlepool in this season's third division promotion campaign has not saved him from the sirloin. Sorry - chop.

Miles Moss is keeping a keener eye than most on the Bosman market, and believes Town ought to move quickly to snap up those free agents with the most amusing names. A keen advocate of the signing of Scarborough's Bimbo Fatokun, he adds: "Also available for nowt is a name I have admired for ages: Kevin Twaddle, who has just left Hearts. And finally, Ceefax 312 reveals that 'John McCarthy has been released by Carlisle'. Presumably they've been keeping him chained to a radiator next to Terry Waite."