Cod Almighty | Article
by Steve Wraith
19 December 2003
Grimsby Town's account manager, Steve Wraith, gives us his rundown on 2003.
It's been, to coin a phrase used only too often in football, a rollercoaster year for all concerned at Grimsby Town. But I've seen it before.
Many times during my 18 years service at Grimsby Town as accounts manager, the pendulum swings one way, then the other, culminating in peaks and troughs - as we all only know too well.
Personally, 2003 has been a quiet year in footballing terms. For me, no one game here at Blundell Park seemed to stand out in my memory for the right reasons, which was disappointing. But you must become immune to the troughs and ride the peaks when they occur. I think the 18 years and having been involved in over 500 home games have made me pretty immune to losing on a Saturday afternoon!
Relegation is always difficult to come to terms with financially. This, along with the ongoing hardship caused by the demise of ITV Digital, means Grimsby Town needed to be strong going forward with the community surrounding the club - not just locally - committed to the cause. Commercially, the club is as strong as ever, with the department destined to raise around £1 million for this current campaign. A magnificent achievement - but one tinged with the sadness of losing a key member of our team, with Tim Harvey deciding on a career change (all the best Harv, from all at the Park).
Incredibly, the show of loyalty from season ticket holders for the current second division campaign has been fantastic. This season we were only down £40,000 in season ticket receipts from the previous (first) division campaign. This gave us a good financial base to build upon.
I think, along with thousands of other Town fans, what we now require is a spark on the pitch to light the blue touch paper - then stand well back, just like the 1997-98 season! There's no doubt we all see the quality of the current team in flashes on occasions, but we need to see it a more consistently throughout matches. Then the supporters will start to find their voices in a positive manner and by word of mouth the crowds will return.
Finally, have a great Christmas and New Year, and it wouldn't be me if I didn't get a plug in! So remember the two games at Blundell Park over Christmas - Wrexham this Saturday, the 20th, and Oldham on Boxing Day. And why not take advantage of our special ticket packages over the Christmas period as well?