Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Monday 15 March 2004

15 March 2004

The Black and Whites have ensured a Hull presence in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals after a hat-trick of tries from Colin Best undid the Castleford back li... oops. Ahem... I mean, er, Nick Daws failed to break into the Rotherham first team on his return to Millmoor late last week. The central midfielder, who celebrates his 34th birthday today, was recalled from loan a few days early, after a total of 18 not-too-bad appearances for the Mariners, ahead of his club's visit to Derby on Saturday but remained on the bench throughout. Given the way Town lined up on Saturday, it's just as well Daws did go back, otherwise he'd probably have found himself playing left-back.

Likewise Kevin Donovan, the latest chapter of whose lower-division odyssey takes him to York City to link up with former GTFC team-mate Lee Nogan, who is a player-coach or something at Bootham Crez. The 21-goal hero of Town's 1997-98 Division Two promotion season did not quite see his Premiership ambitions come to fruition when he left Blundell Park for Barnsley in 2001, and since being released by the Tykes earlier this season has spent much of the intervening period bugging kids down the park to let him join in their game of three-and-you're-in. But Tireless fate has smiled kindly on Kev, who has now landed on his feet with the Minstermen, although his bum, like that of Mr Daws, spent quality time at the weekend with the subs' bench. I don't know what sort of contract York have given him because their official website has done a runner without leaving a forwarding address, and probably owes a month's rent.

"I've just come back from a month at Grimsby which finished on Saturday, and I have to say that my time there went well and it worked out for me. I got a run of games, I played in a higher division, which was a good experience, and now I've got something sorted out at Bristol Rovers, so I can get on with my career again." If you haven't already worked it out, this is Lee Thorpe, who signed a two-year deal with the Pirates last Friday, presumably seeing a brighter future at the Memorial Ground than at BP despite their third division status. With no fans, no soulless plastic new stadium, and a wicked cold wind blowing in off the North Sea, the Mariners have at least been able to attract new players in recent years by virtue of the club's reputation for good passing football, but with a notorious long ball merchant now installed as GTFC manager even this will no longer be the case. ("We knew that we would never be able to go out there and match them for their passing game," said Law after the Bournemouth game, his subtext being "So let's not ever bother trying to pass".)

Continuing our round-up of news from last week which Guest Diary might have covered on Friday and Saturday had he not had a "funny turn" (those all-day drinking binges do that to me as well), Town have of course signed Paul Warhurst on non-contract terms until the end of the season, whatever that means. Warhurst began the current season in the Premiership with Bolton but soon began a breakneck descent into the filth and degeneracy that is the Football League, turning out for Chesterfield, Barnsley and even Carlisle (bottom of the league but still attracting larger attendances than Grimsby) before holding his nose and stepping gingerly onto the Transpennine Express. Despite spells with Manchester City, Blackburn and Sheffield Wednesday - if 'despite' is the right word - the player never appeared for England, whatever the normally reliable Grimsby Telegraph might tell you. Nevertheless, the Diary feels confident that Blundell Park is the ideal place for Warhurst to force himself into Sven-Goran Eriksson's thoughts ahead of Euro 2004.