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Diary - Friday 10 October 2003

10 October 2003

Nick Daws and Iffy Onuora could be invited to make their moves to Blundell Park permanent, reports today's Grimsby Telegraph. Despite having more midfielders in his squad than Grimsby has miserable sods who don't know what division Town are in, Paul Groves, like the BP faithful, seems to have been mightily impressed with Daws' performances during his loan from Rotherham and is eager to talk terms. Onuora, meanwhile, was brought in from Sheffield United last month to add strength and height to the forward line but despite holding up the ball quite usefully has so far failed to set North East Lincs alight - though there are those who would argue that the player still lacks adequate match fitness. "Hopefully in the next few days or after the weekend we will know for sure," says Onuora to BBC Humber, presumably of his possible transfer to GTFC, rather than the existence of an all-seeing, all-knowing, beneficent creator of life and the cosmos.

Town's reluctant sponsor Jarvis is back in the headlines, having decided to pull out of all its existing contracts for repairs to Britain's rail network. Since last year's Potters Bar rail crash the controversial engineering firm has also appeared in court following a coal train derailment near Rotherham, admitted responsibility for a further derailment outside Kings Cross station last month and been slammed by teachers' leaders after being handed a consultancy deal for secondary schools that some suspect had more to do with a donation to the Labour Party by the Jarvis chairman than with the company's experience of education (of which it has none). Many observers, both old and young, could be wondering what the firm is looking to pull out of next.

Bad news for the stripeys ahead of tomorrow's trip to Brighton is that Darren Barnard won't be released from international duty. Town's left-back is in Cardiff with the Wales squad as they prepare to take on Serbia & Montenegro in a Euro 2004 qualifier but has not been used in his last few call-ups, and Town's official site had speculated that Welsh manager Mark Hughes could have let the player join up with the Mariners down in Sussex. No go, though, says the Grim Tel. Injuries in midfield mean a forward and central movement for Gary Speed, who has recently represented the principality at left-back; and though the BBC is tipping Crewe's David Vaughan to step in, Mr Groves has it straight from Hughes's mouth that Barnard will play. "He's going to play for them, going to start, and that's great news for Barney," insists the Town boss through gritted teeth.

Jason Crowe should replace Barnard in the Mariners' line-up, having resumed training after missing the week's early sessions with a poorly tummy or something, and returner from injury Iain Anderson will contend for a first start since August; but tomorrow will be too early for Marcel Cas, who suffered a horrible gashed knee in Town's visit to Sheffield Wednesday last month.

The managerless Seagulls - which will make a great name for a band one day - strengthen their defence with the return of Paul Watson and 'the influential' Danny Cullip, while Gary Hart is fit to resume striking duties, making it a hat-trick of returns from injury. Midfielder Charlie Oatway won't be getting any Town goals disallowed by encroaching at free kicks, as he is laid up in hospital with a bad back. If one can empathise without sympathy then that is what the Diary will do.

"Our man in the middle tomorrow is Keith Hill of Hertfordshire" are the first words of Markie's Refwatch. "Nothing much to report here" are the next ones, followed by: "- 18 yellow and no red cards in eight matches this season makes him Mr Average, really. He dished out seven reds and 136 yellow cards in 37 matches last season. His last Town game was the 2-0 home defeat to Coventry in March last season. Tony B thought he could 'find nothing to complain about'. However, for the Wolves match the season before, Tony claimed Mr Hill was a 'big team referee' and hoped we didn't get him at an away ground. Are Brighton a big team by Division Two standards?" Not sure, Mark, but they have filled 92 per cent of their capacity at home games so far this season, apparently.