Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Wednesday 18 February 2004

18 February 2004

If I were to tell you that the Telegraph has given Town a good write-up, you'd probably laugh in my face and cry: "Ha! Yeah, and Channel 4 make some really intelligent television programmes!" But if I were then to reply: "No, not the Grimsby Telegraph - the Daily Telegraph!" you would doubtless respond: "Oh, really? Let's have a look. Sorry for laughing at you. I'll never do it again." For 'tis true: the right-wing broadsheet beloved of retired colonels and country landowners has words of consolation for the Mariners after last night's 2-1 defeat to Bristol City, which is nice, because when there are hardly any games and a reporter has to go to Grimsby, they're normally dead sarky about it. "Despite lapses in defence Grimsby had played magnificently," writes the Telegraph's Peter Keeling, who also quotes Robins boss Danny Wilson: "Grimsby may be desperately close to the relegation zone, but we will not have many tougher games than this all season." So that's something, isn't it? And hey, what did you expect? City had won nine on the trot and in any case birds fly, fish swim, Graham Taylor says: "Very much so," and Town lose games in hand.

If you haven't already seen, then, a 31st-minute Iain Anderson penalty equalised Lee Miller's early strike for the visitors from a poorly defended corner, and Town came within an ace of snatching the lead as Stuart Campbell hit the post before Bristol nabbed it through Aaron Brown with just two minutes of normal time remaining, breaking the hearts of most of the 5,272 in attendance (a big crowd in the context of this season, swollen by the massed ranks of free children). Look out for Tony Butcher's match report here on Cod Almighty later today. Grezz will have to keep Mark Hughes' champagne on ice, as Darren Barnard didn't pull through - and remains a doubt for this Saturday's trip to Colchester, along with Stacy Coldicott, Jason Crowe, Simon Ford and Iain Anderson. Fan-bleedin'-tastic. BBC Humber, meanwhile, runs a picture of Aidan Davison alongside Rodge's post-match comments, with the caption "Aiden Davison: Sent off in the last minute". Wrong spelling, wrong match, otherwise excellent.

Peter Furneaux and the directors appear to be giving the caretaker management team of Greonardo La Rodgiste and Neil Woods the green light to carry on for a little bit, posting a statement on their website, don't you know, that says they haven't actually advertised for a new team boss. "We are extremely pleased with Graham and Neil," quoth the GTFC chairdude. "Let's now give them a go and see what they can achieve." The precise duration of their "go" is not specified, as in they're not being given the job until the end of the season or anything like that, but the much improved performances in the two games of their tenure thus far have clearly tempted the powers that be to see if they can keep it going.

"As the font of all wisdom," writes Rachael Pullen flatteringly to the Diary, "is it true that Groves is in 'talks' with Scunthorpe? My sad sister who is deluded into thinking SUFC are a good team rang to say that she thought Scunthorpe are on the verge of signing him!" Well, Rach, that eejit of a manager who is somehow still clinging to a job at Fortress Glanford has gone public with his belief that PG would be just the man to shore up his midfield in the struggle to preserve league status, but as far as the Diary is aware, it is yet to go any further than that. So no talks, although the Town board would doubtless jump at the chance to get their fallen idol off the payroll and away from the club. Sad, isn't it.