Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 1 August 2008

1 August 2008

Your Guest Diarist woke up this morning knowing exactly what to write. How Town must still be planning a super scoop secret signing because the Lord Buckley had never finished allocating the squad numbers. My daily morning visit to the shrine that is the superb new official website put paid to that straight away. Mr Butler has won the battle to get the number nine shirt, with Danny North having to settle for n-n-n-nineteen. The captain for this season has been announced as Matt Heywood(s). The number 21 shirt is still available though, and it transpires that Buckley's phone stayed infuriatingly silent yesterday when a potential new signing failed to call him again. So, as Buckley says: "That's that."

As George W Bush sagely remarked a few days ago, "the future is yet to come". The season starts tomorrow with a death-or-glory trip to Scunny with the Lincs Cup at stake. Martin Butler, who apparently told the Telegraph that it was the weight of carrying two numbers on his back last season that caused his mysterious back injury or summat, added: "I had a goal to get myself fit and I feel quite fit at the moment. If I'm fit I think I can still do a good job and score goals." Shame about the word 'quite', but we shall see.

Tomorrow's team news comes via the Telewag again with AB reporting: "In Peter Till's head, he is going to be playing Saturday. To have a player with an attitude like that makes my life easier. Hopefully, he will make progress and will get a game at Scunthorpe." Bolland may play some part too, and Buckley reports that Richard Hope is OK again from whatever it was he had. Peter Bore continues his journey round the sporting injuries of the world with his reporting of a pulled calf and Tom Newey's back is already sore from carrying the weight of Cod Almighty sponsorship. Buckley asserts that he will play the strongest team available.

Garrulous Nigel Adkin(s), on the other hand, insists that he will follow his policy of squad rotation, and that his team tomorrow will provide no clues as to the starting line-up in the first league match. The Iron are without injured goalie Murphy and so tomorrow may be a chance to catch a glimpse of Kevin Pressman again (if only on the bench). Don't ask me why I want to see Mr Pressman again; I just do. Andy Crosby has a really gammy knee these days so there is no chance of him featuring. The third Scunny player injured is Joe Wilcox.

If we win tomorrow then it will be a fine result; a draw (irrespective of the penalty shootout that will follow) will be a good result. If we lose, but put up a good show, then that will improve optimism in all but the most cynical and jaded. If we get stuffed then it will be awful - Buckley and Heywood(s) have got to get the lads going to prevent that happening. First test of resolve. Be there. See yer.