Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Saturday 27 March 2004

27 March 2004

GTFC dip into the bottom four for the first time this season despite emerging from Saltergate with a first away point since the Paleolithic era after 90 minutes of football for which the word 'eventful' is scarcely adequate. Goals from Iain Anderson and debutant Jamie Lawrence give the away side a half-time advantage following a headed opener from Chesterfield's Glynn Hurst, only for David Reeves to tip the balance back with another header and a 73rd-minute penalty conceded by Jason Crowe. With five minutes remaining the Spireites' Mark Innes is dismissed for a second bookable offence and quickfire goals from Darren Barnard and Isaiah Rankin (it says Darren Mansaram on Town's official site, but they all look the same, don't they) push the Mariners back ahead. The task of conceding fewer than four goals inevitably proves too much for the worst defence in the northern hemisphere, however, and sure enough Crowe gives away a second penalty in injury time for Reeves to complete his hat-trick. And there's still time for Darren Mansaram to receive the Mariners' ninth red card of the season, for foul and abusive language: the daft bastard.

Town's 4-4 draw - watched by 4,444 people - is one of three slightly peculiar results involving teams in the bottom half of Division Two, with Tranmere hitting four past Notts County without reply and Wycombe grabbing an unlikely 3-2 win at Oldham. Brentford's even more surprising 2-1 victory at Hartlepool takes them above the Mariners on goal difference - and if you cursed the side's defending today for the gajillionth time this season, remember: Tony Crane is about to come back.

I don't know how much more of this I can take.