Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Wednesday 17 September 2003

17 September 2003

Ability rather than commitment was the quality lacking in last night's 2-1 home defeat to Swindon, says Paul Groves, which if anything is even more scary. "The level of commitment and effort after the 8-1 defeat at Hartlepool was more acceptable," the Town boss announces on the club's official site, "but we just can't keep a clean sheet at the moment." Groves opted to give Simon Ford and Tony Crane the chance to redeem themselves after the Victoria Park debacle, in as much as he had any choice, but the gruesome twosome blew it again as second-half goals from Andy Gurney and Tommy Mooney overturned the half-time advantage Michael Boulding had given the Mariners, leaving them 17th in the second division table. The Diary is moved to observe that with last night's gate dipping to 3,535 the Grimsby public have the central defenders they deserve.

Having failed dismally to shore up the forward line with an experienced target man, or indeed one whose cherry remains fully intact, Groves has turned his attentions closer to home and is giving a trial to Barton Town's Bobby Lawsam, who presumably caught the eye in Town reserves' pre-season outing just up the road when everyone wasn't gawping at the Humber Bridge. The player will feature in today's reserve cup game at Sheffield United - as will the more familiar name of Phil Jevonzzzz, who has recovered from a thigh strain and is looking forward to a Blue Peter appeal in which tens of thousands of UK schoolchildren will bake cakes and hold sponsored walks, raising funds to support the former Everton striker when he signs the extended contract that will ruthlessly slash his wages to £2,000 a week.