Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Tuesday 25 January 2005

25 January 2005

Mariners legend John McDermott turns 36 next month and has been, along with Thomas Pinault, the club's best player this season. You knew all that already, I expect, but what you might not yet have noticed is that Sir John has been taking training sessions and stuff like that with a view to assuming a player-coach role. Mr Russell Slade has explained to BBC Humber that "for John to be taking more responsibility for coaching, it's something we're certainly looking at". Macca has long made plain his wish to move into coaching (not least in the interview he gave Cod Almighty two years ago) and this development results in part from the exit of Town's fitness coach John Gray, whose existence was unknown to anybody outside Blundell Park until he became unfit with a virus three weeks ago. I hope it didn't turn out to be a career-threatening virus and that's why he left.

There is, at the time of writing, no sign of Richard Pacquette, despite yesterday's announcement that the player was about to arrive for a trial with GTFC. It is unclear whether the former QPR forward has realised that his presence at BP would have been no guarantee of a kickabout with the reserves, or has decided that the journey up from Stevenage wasn't justified given Noddy's strange insistence that "we are not in a position to offer [trialists] anything". Either way, Pacquette's fellow trialist who won't be offered anything, the former Cambridge midfielder Kingsley Mbome, has made it to Meggies safe and sound and will hopefully be offered at least a cup of tea and a sit down before Russ phones him a taxi.

Ashley Sestanovich. Spurned by Russell Slade. Prevented by season-long loan conditions from playing for Sheffield United until August. In limbo. Can escape limbo only by accepting offer to sign permanently for another club. Is currently subject of such an offer from Weymouth of the Conference South. Source of considerable merriment for Diary.

Injury victims Justin Whittle and Jason Crowe are running round and round the rugged rock of recuperation, reports Town's official website. The former is training with the first team today for the first time since his ankle was injured back in the days when the Mariners knew how to defend against Lincoln; while Crowe will be seeking to make a decisive contribution to his side's match at Bristol Rovers on 5 February.

"Welcome back Diary," writes Sibbo in, unsurprisingly, an email to the Diary, which continues: "Have been trying to get on the supporters trust website, but without success. Wanted to help the cause as a Town fan. Is there a phone number for new membership?" Well, in a kind of unfortunate reprise of the thigh injury Isaiah Rankin suffered late on last season, at exactly the point GTFC needed him the most, it seems that the trust's website is down for about three days. All this is revealed by a page on the OS, which also gives the phone number you need, Sib. Glad to be of assistance.

Mark Stilton, meanwhile, has news of Town's one-time alleged goalkeeper Andy Love, whose destiny was enquired after on this page yesterday. "I'm sure after several appalling displays (away at Bradford springs to mind) where he made Williams look like, well, look like a slightly better goalkeeper than he is, Andy Love was released from the club. If the rumours are right, I think he then joined a, ahem, prison team. I think he may have nicked a car or something. He was at Ilkeston Town with Paul Reece and Mark Lever after that - don't know if he's still there." Stilts, thank you for that, and remember, readers: all criminal records alleged in the Diary are the views of individual contributors.

And Mark Wilson, finally, has emailed to ask of the cake-boasting star of yesterday's Diary: "How does a bloke called Paolo di Moranio end up supporting Town? Was there a small Italian enclave off Hainton Ave that I didn't know about? Have I spent valuable time bemoaning the lack of decent places to eat in Grimsby and Cleethorpes (that aren't fried fish-related) when there's a little Sicily that's escaped me?" Dunno, Mark - maybe it's the same place they unearthed Giovanni Carchedi. "God bless his missus though," adds MW, "she knows the way to a bloke's heart." I'll say. The stilton and courgette risotto Mrs Diary had on the table when I got home from the Lincoln game was all very tasty but absolutely useless for shaping into the words WE WANT PINAULT ON.