Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Thursday 15 September 2005

15 September 2005

Wooo, spooky. The footballing ley lines that link Grimsby, Scarborough, Halifax and York in an eternal transfer quadrilateral are positively tingling with mystical energy again this week. It all begins with the Shaymen's former Town striker Darren Mansaram, who has newly returned from a loan at the Chocolate Bowl, where he had followed in the footsteps of umpteen recent ex-Mariners from Paul Groves right down to Paul Robinson. Now, Flash's natural successor at Blundell Park, Jermaine Palmer, having just completed a similar spell at his current manager's previous club, Scarborough, is now on his way to take Mansaram's place in the York squad on another loan. Oh, and Mansaram might go back to York when he recovers from a poorly groin. Got all that? Good. Next week: Steve Kabba was actually abducted from Blundell Park by aliens from the Beta Hydri system, who erased all memory of his playing for GTFC before taking a wrong turning at the end of the M18 and dropping him off at Bramall Lane by mistake.

Elsewhere around DN35 there's a frenzy of anticipation as the mighty Torquay and basement strugglers Tottenham prepare to visit Cleethorpes in the days ahead. Over on Mumblers World, the Mariners' youth team coach Neil Woods is reminiscing about the last time Spurs came up here, Gary Lineker, wasn't it, Gordon Durie, marvellous, "what's it like to be outclassed?", enduring image; while a bestubbled Martin Gritton characteristically sets his sights much higher to hope for a win over his old club when they travel the 8,700 miles from Devon this Saturday. Town uberdude Russell Slade, meanwhile, weighs up a gull in one hand and a cockerel in the other and concludes: "The Torquay game is far more important than the Spurs game," looking nervously over his shoulder and speaking softly so as not to let the commercial department hear.