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Diary - Saturday 28 August 2004

28 August 2004

The Mariners clamber back to ninth place in the league table after a hard-earned win over Mansfield, watched by 5,693: the largest attendance in the fourth division this afternoon. I know - mad, innit! Thomas Pinault's third goal of the season comes only a few minutes into the game, from a well-worked corner routine, and Town's dominance continues for the first half-hour or so. Aided by some lenient refereeing, though, the Stags bludgeon their way back in to the game and, despite being by some way the best side GTFC have encountered in the league so far this season, are lucky to escape with only four yellow cards. The home team resists some strong pressure in the second half, sending Jason Crowe (who otherwise had a stinker) free on a counterattack to seal the win in the last few minutes. Town's official website celebrates by rechristening the team's tricky former Tranmere and Sheffield United forward "Sandy Parkinson".

Brunton Park, Carlisle - the last resting place of Steve Livingstone and Paul Raven - is Town's destination in the first round of whatever the Auto Windscreens Shield is called these days. Disencumbered of their ageing former GTFC duo, incidentally, the Cumbrians run out 7-0 winners against Farnborough in the Conference this afternoon. Gulp. Elsewhere in the same division, the new society for semi-retired Mariners, York, plunge to a third defeat of the season at Gravesend, by four goals to nil, while Peter Handyside is sent off in Northwich's similarly sized thrashing at Barnet and is thought to be preparing to sue Barnsley for making him rubbish. Finally, cultured ball-playing centre-half Simon Ford is already tired of Ian Atkins' gormless route-one football at Bristol Rovers and is on trial with Kilmarnock. I've been the Diary and you've been the reader. Thank you very much.