Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Wednesday 12 September 2007

12 September 2007

The Mariners' reserve team may be many things - young, small, justifiably proud at its record of having lost only about once in the past year - but one thing it isn't is big, especially since Nathan Jarman's late summertime crash diet. So it is that the second string lost 5-1 last night against Big Wednesday, whose first team sits bottom of the second division with no points from four games under bright young manager Brian Laws. As their name would suggest, Big Wednesday's team included several big names, including Francis Jeffers, Akpo Sodje and Wade Small, and they proved just too big for little Grimsby's little reserves, who managed a miniscule consolation goal late in the game when tiny Grant Normington's miniature cross was met by the foot of wee Sheena Easton. I mean Nick Hegarty.

The apparent recent arrival of a mystery defender called Parker, who played for the stiffs last night, together with the loan signing of Dave Mulligan and the discovery of Ryan Bennett's versatility, has led to a sudden surfeit of competition for the post of right-back with Grimsby Town Football Club. Even lower down the pecking order than the Mariners' misnumbered number two Jamie Clarke could be found Luke Foulkes, who was given a six-month contract in May but has now been released only four months into it. "We would like to wish Luke all the best for the future," says the club's superb new official website.

Lastly today, Town fans everywhere are saying "hmmm!" and holding wry expressions as FA officials investigate the sideline punch-up that enlivened last Saturday's Conference fixture between Rushden & Diamonds and Salisbury City. A broken nose was sustained by City coach and former Mariners midfielder Tommy Widdrington, while a red card was shown to Diamonds' former Mariners midfielder Curtis Woodhouse, who quit football to take up boxing professionally, and then returned to the game with the Northamptonshire side after some trouble with the boxing authorities for having had a fight with a policeman before he received his licence. Insiders say the two became involved in a scuffle after a heated debate over whether Paul Bolland or Neil Webb was the better midfield partner.