Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Tuesday 2 September 2003

2 September 2003

Milan-bound Barnard adds to Town woe, reports today's Grimsby Telegraph; but rather than being asked to fill Paolo Maldini's shiny boots, Darren has insisted upon compounding Town's injury and suspension problems by getting called up to the Wales squad that faces Italy this Saturday. Mike Edwards and Wes Parker stand by to fill the left-back slot, although with John McDermott and Marcel Cas both available Jason Crowe could switch flanks. Events in Milan this weekend could prove decisive to Wales' hopes of qualifying for Euro 2004. "[Barnard] is with the international squad and it's good news for him that he's getting recognition. We're delighted for him," says Paul Groves, while Graham Rodger adds: "Arrrgh! Stop grinding your teeth!"

Steve Beer has emailed to point out something funny about the reporting of Barnard's international call-up on another GTFC website. Thanks Steve, but if I go public with it today then the gods of journalism will strike me down tomorrow with a potent affliction of syntaxitis; so we'd better let it pass.

Respite from the Mariners' injury woes arrives with the news that Iain Anderson could be back in action within a month. The former Preston winger's explosive start to life at Blundell Park was swiftly curtailed by a knee injury, sparking fears that he faced three months on the sidelines; but the Telegraph reports the happy results of exploratory surgery, which is probably a phrase that has never been written before in the history of the English language, namely that "Ando" could be banging them back in as early as October. "They did an arthroscopy and it appears that it's not the cartilage that's torn - it's the fibres around it," reveals Dr Groves. Anderson's injury coincides, at least at present, with a three-match suspension for jumping off the ground; so the knee thing might rule him out of only three or four games. If you think about things that way the world seems so much better.

Also stopping passers-by to ask the way to the comeback trail is little David Soames, who made a brief cameo for the reserves in yesterday's game at Doncaster (the racecourse, possibly). Town's second string took the game 2-1 thanks to Graham Hockless' penalty and a strike from a young lad called Paul Huckett. Yay!

Another email originates from the modem of Sam Metcalf, whose claims last week of having held open a door for Frank Clark were trumped by the attendance of legendary indiepop chanteuse Amelia Fletcher at a Diary party two years ago. "I may not have had AF in my living room," retorts Sam, "but has the Diary ever been coached by Keith Alexander? Eh? I bet the Diary can't stumble aimlessly towards the corner flag like I can, can it? No, I think you'll find, is the answer to that one. Ha!" Corner flags notwithstanding, though, close friends and neighbours consider the Diary to be the leading exponent of aimless stumbling this side of Glanford Park.