Cod Almighty | Diary
Diary - Friday 5 November 2004
5 November 2004
The Diary and Special Guest Diary are currently meeting in a Sheffield pub, meaning today Unspecial Guest Diary is going to have to forego his habitual Friday lunchtime jar or three. Truth be told, a saunter down the road wasn't on the cards anyway as I had a skinful last night and have been a bit parched today as a result. Excuse me while I fill my GTFC Wembley souvenir mug with some orange and barley water.
The Sunday before last, during a rather arduous trip down to Devon, your diary writer for today was looking out of the window of the car, locked in a trance by the passing countryside. I was trying to block out what passes for a popular radio station these days, resorting to such desperate measures as dwelling on the previous day's ghastly game at Chester and wondering why I had even bothered to make such strenuous efforts to obtain a ticket for the game against Scunthorpe. How times flies, for it comes to pass that Town are to face up to their brash, unruly neighbours tomorrow, yes, TOMORROW! The fervour for the inevitably anticlimactic match has intensified feverishly in some places, while certain elements of the Cod Almighty team have had to quell a sense of dread about being reacquainted with that roguish Mr Laws.
Our mood isn't lightened with news that Dean Gordon, Jason Crowle, Sir John McDermott, Terrell Forbes, and Michael Reddy are all looking to follow Ashley Sestwatovich's lead and skive off 90 minutes' work. Such a list of names has made the word 'emergency' flash in our Russ's head and seen him - like the mayor of Gotham - turn on the signal to illuminate the sky over Northwich to recall Young Greg from his loaning. Northwich - to remind you - have seen a remarkable and startling improvement in their form with the Town not-so-youngster-anymore in their back line. Such was the Gregory Effect at the Drillfield, Pete Green had them down for a win in his tips, until he heard this news and rubbed out his punt. Amongst all these maybes, one certainty is the presence tomorrow of Ashley Sestanovich - fresh from his inexcusable voluntary one-match rest and the ensuing ding-dong (dong probably being the most apt word given him his actions) - who has been "eager" in training. Just a second while I check the odds of Town having a player sent off tomorrow...
And there's no need to worry if you are one of the fortunate many who didn't get a ticket to the game and live in Grimsby and are therefore unable to listen to Radio Humberside: the club's official site is generously offering free audio commentary.
Talking of free, with the daunting prospect of getting up next Saturday at the same time as one would on a schoolday, so to make sure a five and a half hour drive to Exeter would see you arrive in time for kick off, the club is offering up some free seats on their plane to the south-west coast. As you and I should know by now, anything that is "free" at GTFC has the club's commercial department using an abacus to work out an equivalent cash value, in this case to the tune of two hundred and twenty-five notes. Ouch! Still, think of all those gases you'll be leaving in the atmosphere, a priceless souvenir that you'll be able to pass onto your kids. It seems the club has followed the Diary's lead and gone back to the future, reckoning you'll be there to "roar on the lads to a famous Cup victory". Didn't note the exact score and the first goal scorer while you were there, did you Dale?
If the GTFC calendar hanging on your wall is bereft of social events for next week then let the diary help you out. If you live close enough to Blundell Park (which is everyone who resides in the area covered by the DN35 postcode) and think you and a few mates could be handy at answering a few sport related questions, then lucky you. Next Tuesday the supporters trust has sorted a little quiz night at the club with some special guests appearing. Sounds super. Except it's a bit too far from Leeds for me to get to. Which is probably not why Grimsby supporter Sam Metcalf has decided to put a gig on at the Fenton in Leeds that very same night, featuring an acoustic set from Cod Almighty's very own Pete Green. Maybe next time, Sam could book a slot for Russ or Big Bad John Fenty reversing Leeds chairman Gerald Krasner's visit to Grimsby.
Which segues nicely - if anyone is interested - to the news that the contemptible talented little shit known as John Oster has gone on loan to the Less Than Super Whites. Well, they are desperate.
Time for me to sign off. If you are unlucky enough to have to spend your Friday afternoon pretending to do some work in order to appease your paymasters, then you couldn't do worse than have a look at this little site here, chocker full of snaps from footie grounds around the width and breadth of the British Isles. There's even a page dedicated to that shoddy shithole we Town fans call home. And, if we lose tomorrow, remember it could be worse. Your job title could be the distinctly American "soccer writer".