Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Thursday 30 December 2004

30 December 2004

Now, who were the two players highlighted in yesterday's Diary as having the potential to give Town the edge in last night's game at Lincoln? Well, they were the two players Russell Slade left on the bench again and then, when they belatedly saw a bit of action, combined in the last minute to force the ball into a net for the first time all night. Unfortunately for the Mariners' increasingly distant hopes of making this season's play-offs, Michael Reddy's goal - from a Thomas Pinault set piece - was contentiously disallowed for handball, and the dominance Town had assumed since the substitutions were made was wasted on another goalless draw. Still, as long as you pick a team to win, eh. I don't know where this leaves GTFC in the table because I haven't been bothered to look since before Boxing Day.

Bad news: Terrell Forbes had the flu or something and couldn't play last night. Good news: Simon Ramsden came back to replace him, and did rather well too. Bad news: Justin Whittle damaged his ankle ligaments. Even worse news: Russ prefers Rob Jones to Greg Young.

The Mariners, as you know, have not found it easy in recent times to attract players, what with 98 per cent of all recorded murders in England and Wales taking place in the Grimsby area and the football club tumbling down the divisions like a habitual non-drinker after four gin and tonics on a work Christmas do attempting to negotiate Isaac's Hill in freezing weather. New signing Martin Gritton, however, appears to have hit on Town's unique selling point! In an interview with south-western newspaper the Herald Express, the player says he is selling his flat in Torquay. "For what I get for that down there," estimates Mart, "you can get a decent house up here!" The Diary trusts that Mr Slade will already be explaining to the fringe players of Fulham and Chelsea that they can buy most of North East Lincolnshire with the equity on their broom cupboards and still have change to employ the Earl of Yarborough as a shoe polisher.

Since the Diary went interactive in February 2003, and set up an email address by which readers could share GTFC news, constructive feedback and random abuse, you and I have discussed many things: the worst Town kits in history, our favourite lines from the Roly and John videos, conspiracy theories about mysterious disappearing trialists, and much more. In these last 22 months, though, no subject has generated as much correspondence as the Radio Times Christmas crossword has in the last 24 hours, and so I would like to give public thanks firstly to Dave the Engineer for suggesting that there is a kind of porcelain called nemesis, and then to Richard Bedwell, Pat Bell (won't see you at Rochdale, Pat, as I plan to be too hung over to travel), Keith Collins, Liz Collins, Sue Firth, Ed Fleet, Jon Fleming, Emma Gillingham, Andy Holt, Chris Howes, Rich Mills, Tim Mosey's other half ("Town & Werder Bremen fan stranded in football-free north Germany"), Miles Moss, Mike Robbo, Phil Shorter, Mike Worden and Simon Wilson for proving Diary readers' healthy sense of priorities. I couldn't have done it all by meissen.