Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Wednesday 16 January 2008

16 January 2008

If ever there were a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, it was the Cod Almighty team in the scary subway outside Molineux just after Town had won 1-0 there a few seasons ago, surrounded by large and disgruntled Wolves fans, when one of us took a phone call from his other half and broke the menacing silence all around by loudly informing her that "we just beat a right load of shit". If ever there were another case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, it is Martin Butler's Grimsby career so far. Had he been around at the start of this season, when Isaiah Rankin was contriving to miss 415 open goals per match, the former Walsall striker would surely have filled his boots. By the time he got here, Town's midfield had got fed up of creating chances for the frontmen to waste, and decided not to bother. Then he did his hamstring, and now that he's fit again Gary Jones and Danny North have dramatically become dead good and he can't get in the team. Against this background it is hardly surprising to read in today's Grimsby Telegraph that Butler wearies of his commute to Blundell Park from Worcester. Third division Crewe are believed to be weighing up a move for the player, and the cynical end of the Mariners' support are already wondering whether Butler's long journey to work would still seem quite so arduous if the player were finding a place in the first XI at the end of it.

But Town's 'wantaway' forward should at least have felt at home had last night's reserves fixture with Rotherham gone ahead as planned. The sides will instead meet on Wednesday 12 March after Town called off the match following heavy rain in the Humber region, which is a great shame because, given Worcester's status as one of the most flood-prone cities in England, Butler would surely have taken to Tuesday's sodden conditions like a swan to water.

Finally today, following the success of promotional campaigns for the Mariners' sponsor Young's in bringing the town of Grimsby to national media prominence, and the recent emergence of several local youngsters in the club's playing squad, rumours have reached the Diary that GTFC marketing officials will seek to exploit the sales potential of their homegrown team. Our insider at Blundell Park suggests that the their forthcoming publicity drive will bear a striking resemblance to the seafood giant's current campaign, as demonstrated here by our artist's impression. "Except Young's run adverts on primetime national television," adds our source, "and this will just be a poster on the number 13 bus."