Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Saturday 24 April 2004

24 April 2004

Fleeting glimpses of hope for the several hundred passionate Town fans at Edgeley Park watching their side's latest surrender, but the two limp goals Stockport are gifted in the first ten minutes are enough to consign the Mariners to a 13th away defeat of the season. Graham Hockless gives his seniors a lesson in both skill and commitment with a wonderful long-range goal - just four minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute - and some determined tackling back, but unfortunately there is, as the travelling fans note, only one Graham Hockless, and it is his teammates' indifference and languor more than any notable ability on County's part that hands the home side their 2-1 victory. Grimsby's shrugging itinerants bear the brunt of loud criticism from their supporters, but deservedly so: this is no reflex miserablism; this is righteous anger.

Results elsewhere see Notts County's relegation sealed, leaving Town to battle it out - yeah, right - with Peterborough, Chesterfield, Rushden, Brentford and Stockport to avoid the final two drop spots, but on 50 and 51 points respectively the latter two are sitting somewhat prettier than the rest of the struggling pack.

Thanks to all those who entered the Diary's grand space-filling birthday tickets competition this week, and here are the answers. Town's assistant commercial dude Dave Smith scored on his Mariners debut against Brentford (in a 4-0 win on 17 January 1998; his goal against his old club West Brom was his third for GTFC and came in the following season). The former Town star signed for £10,000 after a supporters' whip-round was Joe Waters (who joined from Leicester in 1976; the fee for Ivano Bonetti, which was also raised by fans, was £50,000). And the transfer fee for Paul Futcher, who signed for the Mariners from Halifax in the 1990-91 season, was also £10,000. Congratulations to all of you who answered correctly, from whom the randomly drawn winners are Dale Walmsley and Mike Worden. A big "rah!" for you both - and also a pair of tickets each for the Brentford match next Saturday. We'll be in touch.