Cod Almighty | Diary
Diary - Friday 16 July 2004
16 July 2004
Town fans of both persuasions flocked to the Hawthorns last night. A homely little ground - everything works. The parking was easy; the club bar lights twinkled in the autumnal murk; the local snack bar purveyed local sausage rolls; the seating was cosy, and the home side warmed up in familiar monochrome stripes. A season ticket, at 84 quid, is a real snip. Brigg are a tidy side, just lacking a cutting edge in the final third. The pundits tell us that this is what differentiates the professional from the amateur. Maybe, but we were all far too busy trying, and failing, to work out who was representing our beloved Town on the field of play. Yes, Jeremy, last night we were forced to be footballing ornithologists, trying to tell one player from another by nuances of plumage, nickname, flight pattern, colour, gait and call. "He just called him Carlos - I said he looked Angolan!" exulted a happy Cod Almighty staffer three quarters of the way through the game.
Me, I refused to become a walking, talking, human Soccerbase, and tried vainly to ally the characteristics of each trialist or signing to old-school Mariners. So Fleming naturally became Pouton. But that analogy lasted about 20 minutes only, as the new Pouts clinically despatched his first shot for his new club into the corner of the net. Pouton with a shot - blimey. The inimitable Tony Butcher has scribed a mini match report, but if you literally don't have time to read and digest 2,000 words of faultless Town prose, then make do with the bluffers' summary I wrote while waiting up for the by-election results last night.
Grimsby won by three well-worked goals to two set-piece disasters. We need a goalie, and some strikers - not these lumbering basketball types. New signings Parkinson and Fleming impressed. Whittle and Ramsden looked OK too, but will benefit from the outing. Stacy and Crowe impressed in the paddock, but had little impact in the match. Hockless strutted and performed a Joe Cole cameo (including the obligatory weak and flashy finishing). Town tried to play 3-4-3 - this strategy is very much a work in progress. The Angolan Walsall-ite was pathetic for the whole of the second half, but then conjured up an excellent winning goal when we least expected it. The mystery first-half left winger (Kamanam?) was pacy, tricky, and generally a good egg. Bull did not impress. Macca returned for the second half. Slade stood, arms folded, and made his presence felt. Rodger stood, three paces to the right, arms folded, a bit bewildered. Town only looked about two divisions better than Brigg, but early days.
Despite rumours around the ground last night that Slade was to be heard berating Mr Bull for his lack of pace, the official site tells us that he is now a contracted Town player and talks him up as an exciting prospect, but your Guest Diarist hopes that he gets in some crossing practice. Soon. He's a left-sided defensive midfield type, by the way, if you can't remember your Ronnie Bulls from your Carlos Garranchas.
The Grimsby Telegraph tells us that "Slade had his first win, the fans had their first glimpse of the new boys and the first shoots of Town's rehabilitation began to poke through the soil - much to the delight of the new man at the helm. Slade said: 'I was pleased with the lads tonight - the new signings did well. Terry (Fleming) showed what he can do and Andy (Parkinson) proved he will be a good asset, while Whittle and Ramsden settled well at the back.'" The Telegraph also hails the win against Brigg as the "start of a new era". What does David Pye mean - the type of era where Town play Unibond sides? We'll have to see.
Having been sidetracked by all those 'little jobs' your mum gets you to do when you stay over after a match, I'm running late. So more on Monday, including secret insights into the life and times of Mr Diary in what should be a fun-packed week without him as he rolls up his posters and does a moonlight flit. See yer.