Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Monday 12 September 2005

12 September 2005

Plain old Diary Diary back with you today. My profuse thanks to last week's sequence of stand-in Diaries. I thought they did very well; didn't you?

Just because the Diary is watching the cricket today instead of listening to The Go! Team's Thunder Lightning Strike for the 1,733rd time, doesn't mean I'm going to lend you the album. For one thing, you might not even have a turntable; for another, I might want to listen to it later on to ease the pain of England's imminent defeat, and it is on the latter note that this painfully contrived opening riff finally acquires some relevance to Grimsby Town Football Club. Mariners striker Martin Gritton has been linked with a loan move to fourth division rivals Bristol Rovers by several news sources, but none of them are none of them are really much cop; none offer supporting quotes from Ian Atkins to the effect that his horse is, indeed, of Gritton's colour; one cites an incorrect fee for the player's transfer last season to Town from Torquay; and it's hard to see Rampant Russ letting the player out given his significant contributions as a substitute since losing his starting place to Gary Jones - none more so than on Saturday, when it was Gritton's cross that facilitated Jones' winning goal. Now then, Pietersen - show us what you're made of... and let me see: did I file The Go! Team under 'G' or 'T'?

In the last two or three seasons Blundell Park has seen more ins and outs than a collapsing middle-order batting line-up, and if we're honest we've forgotten most of them already. Laurens Ten Heuvel? John Thorrington? Chris Williams? Who are yer? But one player who made a rather more distinguished short-term contribution to the Mariners' cause is Dean Gordon, the former Crystal Palace and, er, was it Middlesbrough left-back who stopped by for a few weeks last season, played well, spat his dummy some time round Christmas after bring dropped for one match, and fucked off to Cyprus. Now back in the UK and hungry for some more hot fourth division action, the player has apparently turned down an offer from Wycombe but might join the basement division's leading exponents of creative accountancy, Boston United. Hey, if a man likes to pick up his wages in cash, then who am I to question his motives? Even if he likes to pick it up in a brown paper bag from behind the toilet cistern at a service station on the A1(M).