Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Thursday 18 December 2008

18 December 2008

Mike Newell's arrival at Blundell Park a couple of months ago brought with it another clean slate for Straight Peter Bore, the talented but flaky young forward who had already had more chances than a contrite recidivist with a particularly understanding parole officer. At first it seemed that the new manager had solved the crossword where other managers had given up at 8 down, as SPB opened the scoring in Town's gah 2-2 draw with Luton in October and expertly shepherded Nick Hegarty's effort into the net as the Mariners gah drew with table-topping Wycombe. By the time Darlington visited on 1 November, though, the player was back on the bench and seemingly set for an exit when his contract expires at the end of the season. Yesterday, however, the defiantly heterosexual Bore thrust his way back into the reckoning with both goals for the reserves in a 4-2 defeat at Huddersfield, or wherever Huddersfield play their reserve games because they're a massive club and massive clubs use local non-League grounds to play their reserve games because their groundsmen are shit, or something. Every single Grimbarian who has read a report on the match, meanwhile, is wondering how long it will be before Town can give a trial to the Terriers' academy graduate Dan Codman and partner him up front with Gregg Blundell.

Oh yeah, and Curtis Ujah was booked early on for pulling back a Huddersfield forward after he'd lost him on the turn. That's about all I can find out on the performance of Town's 4,815th trialist since mid-2002.

Until Guest Diary looks ahead tomorrow to Town's weekend trip to Aldershot, we have, as promised, a festive reminiscence from Mark Wilson. "Dear Diary," he begins, "I can indeed remember matches full of festive cheer. I remember a meeting at BP with our old chums Sheffield Wednesday some time in the early 80s when fighting broke out in the bottom of the Stones and a nasty stand-off ensued between some of Grimsby's 'finest' and a small group of Stanley-knife wielding psychopaths from God's Own County. Thankfully sanity was restored by the Town 'fans' choosing to retreat for fear of being carved like a turkey (see what I did there). My own involvement in this meeting in the season of goodwill was that I happened to be stood right in the 'no man's land' between the two factions and for a short but worrying period I wondered how my mum would feel about me being killed the day after Christmas. It was just like being a wise man watching over the baby Jesus, or something. Happy Christmas to you, Mrs Diary and newly arrived Junior Diary." The same to you, Mark - and many thanks for your tale of seasonal goodwill and peace.

"How about 'The First Newell, the Grimsby did sign, looks like he is gonna, keep us up this time'?" offers Chris Beeley in response to the Diary's request for Chrimbo-themed chants. Which is good, because "Newell, Newell" would clearly make a cracking chorus, but I like Chris's second suggestion just a little better: "Deck the halls with boughs of Jean Paul Kalalalallalala!"

More to come with Guest Diary tomorrow - but keep 'em coming, readers, and I'll see you on Monday. T'ra!