Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Wednesday 29 October 2003

29 October 2003

The local media suddenly remember that Tony Crane is suspended for this weekend's visit to Rushden & Diamonds, sparking an injury crisis in Town's back four. After yesterday's news that Darren Barnard could sit out the trip to Northamptonshire with a bruised foot picked up at Barnsley last Saturday, both the Grimsby Telegraph and BBC Humber are running stories speculating that Jason Crowe and the inexperienced Greg Young may have to be drafted in, though Paul Groves remains an option at centre-back and Wes Parker on the left. The Town boss has omitted himself from the reserves squad that faces Scunthorpe at Blundell Park in, oooh, 38 minutes' time, and you can read into that what you like; while the slowly improving Crane misses the rural idyll of Irthlingborough having received five yellow cards this season.

The Telegraph also carries a heart-rending interview with youth team player Paul Fraser, who suffered the Curse of Croudson in picking up an 18-rated arm injury as the little 'uns took on Bradford's earlier this month. The young keeper had a good chance of making the England Schools or British Colleges teams and even though I still don't know what they are, you have to feel a twinge for the lad. "I was hoping to play for them both this year," says a mournful Paul. "I was told they had high hopes for me." The Bradford game was abandoned and the player is set to miss the rest of the season, but hopefully any similarities with the Boston Kitten end with the news that Fraser "has been assured he will get the chance to prove himself at the club next year."

In sending the Diary one of those text message things that I understand are very popular with today's youngsters, Cod Almighty's very own Simon Wilson joins in this week's discussion of matches Town didn't win but that were satisfying nonetheless. Like at Barnsley last Saturday, when Tony Gallimore missed a penalty. Sorry - I just like saying it. "I found the last-day thumping of Oldham back in 97 particularly amusing in a gallows humour kind of way," thumbs Si, who is secretly learning the guitar. "We won that battle, yet we lost the war." I think you mean Southend, and we were talking about matches Town didn't win, but thanks anyway, old chum. Have you mastered the chord of E minor yet?

Richard Branson's trains may have caused the Diary sufficient extreme stress over recent years to have shortened my life by approximately 20, two-oh, years; but his radio station has a lot of faith in the Mariners, going by an email sent by Mat Hare yesterday. "The 8:30 news on Virgin Radio this morning contained some excellent news," writes CA's alcoholic gambling expert. "Grimsby are going to be promoted at the end of this season. Woohoo!" Whatever can he mean? "The story concerned Leeds announcing that record loss of just under £50m and the newscaster announcing that the supporters were now 'planning trips to Grimsby.' There was then a clip from the head of the supporters' club saying that they were indeed looking at a map of the Nationwide because they think relegation is almost certain. So we are going to meet them next season in Division 1. Either that or they will be relegated two divisions due to financial irregularities..."

Staying with last weekend's goalless draw at Barnsley - in which Tony Gallimore, incidentally, missed a penalty - Diary readers may be diverted by a match report on a Rivals site which, I regret to have to inform you, puts Stuart Rowson's mastery of the extended metaphor quite to shame.