Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 26 March 2004

26 March 2004

Town's run - three wins in 19 league games, and one point from the last 15 available - looks set to continue tomorrow. Or so the Chesterfield official website tells me: "We must ram home our home advantage and condemn the Law men to return to Cleethorpes with nothing other than their playing kit." Hey up you Spireite lads, don't get all relegation-embattled - it will be a lot easier than that. And don't you go nicking our lads' matchday suits from the dressing room either, because there'll be no more where they came from.

Your Guest Diarist resorted to Dylan Thomas this morning to try to rekindle his spirits (which have been debilitatingly low since the arrival of Mr Law to manage our beloved club). Unfortunately the page that fell open was 'Do not go gentle in to that good night'. The one that exhorts you to 'rage, rage against the dying of the light'. And this season is looking like Division Two Grimsby Town will pop its clogs, don't you think? Not with a bang (or even a rage), but with a pathetic, disorganised, relegation whimper. These are bad, bad days, gentle reader, and the worst may be yet to come.

But hey, now that we are past transfer deadline day, some of those players out there tomorrow will actually be ours - for eight games or so anyway. I like Rankin, mainly because he plays like a professional striker. Very different to Mansaram, Antoine-Curier and Rowan then. He's unlikely to play tomorrow though, but might make it next week. As for Jamie Lawrence, I hear he said: "Bags I right side midfield" as soon as he got here. Which might mean we catch the odd glimpse of the lesser spotted Campbell around the centre circle. I hope so, because if he can play anywhere, then it's there. But who am I to predict what Mr Law will do? There are so many permutations available with the rash of recent signings and loans. Not quite so many next week though, with Barnard starting another suspension after tomorrow as a consequence of accumulating more yellow cards than he has fingers and thumbs this season. Oh, and the Owls have demonstrated their wisdom by cleverly saying that Armstrong can't play for us against them next week. So another embarrassing left-backless home match to endure, I fear.

Cod Almighty sponsoree 'Disco' Des Hamilton has joined Conference club Barnet in an effort to thwart their push for the playoffs, while erudite, lumbering veteran 'Iffy' Onuora has swapped the Tranmere subs bench for the Huddersfield one. Paul Groves has taken the 'ten bob and a bag of spanners' improved settlement offer from Mr Furneaux, and is now free to start a new life. Scunthorpe are mad keen to keep him, apparently, so Paul probably faces another relegation battle with his new mates. Look North last night showed a sacked and wistful Brian Laws taking one last look at the majesty of Glanford Park, with the peculiar Look North sports reporter beside him, clutching an old and dusty trophy for no apparent reason. You see, it could have been worse: Law could have been Laws. See yer.

PS. Thanks to Andy Lumbard and Rob McIlveen for their emailed memories of Stray gigs in the early seventies at the Winter Gardens. Keep 'em coming folks.