Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Monday 7 July 2003

7 July 2003

Tony Gallimore, who has infuriated Grimsby fans and boosted the profits of the area's licensed premises since the last days of John Major's government, could be on his way to sunny Oakwell, reports today's Grimsby Telegraph. The out-of-contract left-back has not been risked near the Ibiza nightclubs in Town's current pre-season tour, and is thought to be interesting that Icelandic fella who Stoke sacked for getting them promoted the other year and who has just taken over at Barnsley. Marcel Cas is already understood to be rubbing his hands in anticipation.

In another Telegraph report Paul Groves as good as confirms that the target man he was in talks with last week is, as widely rumoured, Rochdale's Clive Platt - despite the club's official site remaining on 'unnamed' status - except he isn't Rochdale's any more, and isn't anyone's until he makes his bloody mind up what he's doing. It's between Town and Notts County to sign the lumbering frontman, says the paper, with the Mariners, remarkably, offering more cash but the Magpies allowing the player to live in the midlands. Takes all sorts. Aidan Davison's return to Blundell Park is now off, adds the paper, and Groves' search for a keeper continues.

GTFC have extended the deadline for season ticket discounts, and before you go jumping to the cynical conclusion that they were planning it all along, just you stop and listen to what Peter Furneaux has to say about the matter. Which is this. "Last Saturday the club was not open, but due to a technical fault on our phone system, the recording still announced that we were open. Some fans made their way down to the ticket office because of this and they were obviously disappointed to find the office closed. We would like to apologise to them for the inconvenience." So there you go - it's because of a technical fault. It's also because of all the ace new signings Town have made in the past week or so, apparently, which may have helped to attract one or two floating voters to splash out for the long haul. You now have a further two weeks to claim a discount - which could tot up to a not insubstantial 60-odd quid - with the ticket office opening for three hours on the next two Saturday mornings to cope with the demand.

Finally today, Pat Bell has responded to the Diary's appeal for literary references to Grimsby. "One of the Resnick crime thrillers by John Harvey has a scene in which Resnick is bored watching telly on boxing day. He reflects that what he really wants is to watch a Nationwide league game on ITV between two lower league sides, say Southend and the other has to be Grimsby, all effort and running around, a punt upfield by a central defender being the highest point of tactical sophistication. One can only conclude that John Harvey is not very knowledgeable about lower league football (although the Resnick character supports Notts County) or had the misfortune to watch us during the Lyons era, and never got over it."