Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Wednesday 21 July 2004

21 July 2004

I used to be friends with Tony, whose dad ran the fish and chip shop on Carr Lane. One time, me and Peter Moore were waiting at Tony's back door for him to come out and play football when a load of seagulls swooped down and shat all over us. Swap the fish shop's back door for the McCain Stadium, and you begin to see where my metaphor is going. To extend it a little further, I'm sure Sladey - like Tony's Mum - will be able to find a damp cloth to wipe the team down with, and everything will be alright. Hey, at least it was less obscure than Eric Cantona's seabird-based babble. Just.

So, a 2-0 defeat at the hands (surely that's cheating) of Russ's old team - but what of the details? Well, the Mariners team was a bit cobbled-together, as you'd expect from an experimental pre-season kick-about; but featured some points of interest: firstly the appearance of spring-booted dwarf Ben Chapman; secondly of mystery man 'Abdul' of whose career so far I have been able to find nothing. The Man With One Name did alright, I hear, and was subject to the sort of mystifying popstar reception from the two hundred or so Mariners fans usually laid on for Big Brother evictees. Meanwhile, Williams looked a bit dodgy; the Flemdicott midfield looked solid; and the exotic Carlos Garrocho had a quiet game. Perhaps he had a sore throat.

Incidentally, the first of Scarborough's goals was scored by the same Tony Hackworth who your regualar Diary was slagging off on Thursday 15 July - he's obviously a reader of this column, and had a point to prove. No doubt the whole Seagulls team were similarly motivated, what with Russ swanning in there with his new bird and everything. Yeah, make him realise what he's missing. Two-nil defeat. Ha! That'll show him. And all that. Hmmm. "The result was disappointing, but it was the manner in which the goals were conceded that frustrated me - we have to learn to get rid of it at the back a lot quicker" a said the Town Gafferboss afterwards. This all sounds a bit familiar to me… but anyway, it was only a friendly, and nothing to worry about. In two and a half weeks' time is when it matters, and - if you can stand the pace - we may well have another five or six new players by then, and the ones we've got will have learnt each others names and everything.

Finally, Andy Holt has written in from his Manhattan skyscraper with news of how York City's team is taking shape - specifically how it's taking the shape of an old Grimsby team. The team which played football in an amicable manner against Doncaster the other night featured: Kevin Donovan; Jonny Rowan; Pauls Groves, Robinson, and Crichton; and Lee T Nogan. For these names alone, I shall be taking an interest in York's progress next season; Andy will be taking even more interest if he puts twenty quid on them to win the title at the 16-1 odds he's spotted.