Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Wednesday 31 March 2004

31 March 2004

Town's injury problems resume with the news that Young Greg, who has eased almost unnoticed into the side since Nicky Law's ascension to the managership, will probably miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. The not-actually-that-young-any-more defender dislocated said joint during last Saturday's dramatic 4-4 draw at Chesterfield and is expected to play no further part in the Mariners' bid to avoid relegation to Division Three.

Step forward then, for your chance of redemption, Mr Tony 'Crazy Legs' Crane. Young's fellow Sheffield Wednesday reject has now completed the four-match ban incurred for his second sending-off of the current campaign - which took place, remember, when Town were 5-1 up against Barnsley - and will in all likelihood return to the line-up this weekend for the visit of - hey! - Sheffield Wednesday. Crane also recently became the first Mariner in living memory to receive a third red card in a season before seeing out the suspension imposed for the second when he somehow contrived to be dismissed in a reserve game at Wrexham. "I've always said that I've never gone on the pitch to intentionally hurt someone," the poor, misunderstood, towering 6'5" centre-half tells Town's official website.

One man who can probably still do a better job in the back four than both Crane and Young is Paul Groves, and indeed the fallen Mariners idol has played his last two games for Scunthorpe as a centre-half, despite notching two goals and a string of assists for the Iron from midfield. Any road up, Town's little brother club has completed the signing of our Paul until the end of the current season after he was recently paid off by GTFC. Not sure how that works, given that the transfer deadline passed last Thursday, but hey.

"As you seem so keen on picking up on other peoples' errors, thought you'd like to know about your own," writes Loughborough Mariner in an email to the Diary. Unless you mean 'peoples' as in races, tribes or cultures, that apostrophe should be before the 's', by the way. "Sammy McIlroy resigned from the Northern Ireland job at the end of the European Championship qualifiers (I think anyway!) and Lawrie Sanchez is now in charge. Are all Town fans pedants?" I'm sorry, Loughborough; I've absolutely no idea what you're on about...