Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Monday 10 October 2005

10 October 2005

Scenes of hysteria gripped North East Lincolnshire over the weekend as tickets went on general sale for the forthcoming big event. Fans were reported to have been waiting from seven o'clock in the morning in desperation to secure entry; eyewitnesses described queues stretching several hundred yards down the road; and those left empty-handed are bidding up to five times face value for tickets on eBay. But enough about Aled Jones playing Grimsby Auditorium - what about Town v Newcastle? Honk! GTFC report that all available seats for the match have now been sold, except the ones not yet taken up by season ticket holders with a relaxed approach to life. These will be kept back for another week, or something, so there's no need to panic - unless the next "Croft was rubbish against Wycombe" supporter who walks into BP and pretends to have forgotten his season ticket chooses your seat number at random when the gullible and untrained sales staff ask him where he sits.

"Jean Paul Kamudimba Kalala came on as a second half substitute in Congo's 2-2 draw with South Africa today," reported Town's official website on Saturday, and who are we to doubt its authority, even if it has missed out a couple of hyphens and got the wrong country? JPK's side has not quite made it to the 2006 World Cup, what with Ghana having just about wrapped up qualification from that group before a ball was even kicked at the weekend, but the Democratic Republic of Congo are now probably going to feature in January's African Cup of Nations in Egypt, ruling the Mariners' top scorer out of the fourth division promotion chase for a month or so should he be called up by his country again. It's a good job Paul Bolland can do the work of two men.

They were second best against Wycombe, they're second in the league behind Wycombe, and now Town's goalkeeper has been voted to second place in some fourth division player of the month awards thingy or other. I dunno who votes or makes the award or anything like that - and I strongly suspect that some kind of corporate sponsor is involved, so I don't intend to inquire any further - but Steve Mildenhall, my lord, has finished runner-up in September's gubbins, between Gary Alexander of Leyton Orient and Nathan Tyson, who'll be out of Wycombe as soon as the Christmas decorations come down but who, of course, they didn't even need to beat the Mariners on Friday. Erk. Er... oh yeah - well done, big Steve. Yes.

An email has reached these shores from professional Town fan John 'Kirky' Kirk, who has an optimistic riposte to the Diary's gloomy Saturday musing that "it would be interesting to learn exactly how many teams have ever secured promotion after having suffered three home defeats just a week into October". "Well," writes Mr Kirky, "we could start with Grimsby in 1989 - we lost three on the bounce!" A quick click on the nearest results database confirms JK's thesis, with Maidstone United, Hereford and Rochdale all having danced away from BP with three points this time 16 years ago. Hooray! I didn't like being top anyway. Slow and stealthy - that's the Grimsby way...

That's just about it for today, then, so... hang on - what's this? Slade linked with Bristol Rovers job? Always the way, just as we start doing well, typical Town, they'll never do anything, rubbish Town, anyone wanna buy a Newcastle ticket, booo Grimsby booo. So, it was reported where? News of the World? Oh, OK. As you were.