Cod Almighty | Diary
Diary - Monday 28 December 2009
28 December 2009
Well here we are, safely at the other side of Christmas. Your Guest Diarist is in one piece; sadly my trusty old car is not, having decided to murder its own gearbox on the upper level of a multi-storey car park at half six last night with a carful of wife and kids. At least the Sherlock Holmes movie had been a bit of a blast, but getting home by public transport from Lincoln on a weird non-bank holiday but very bank holiday-like Sunday was a no-go. The last time I felt as remotely despondent as I do now was about ten miles north of Barnet, having read a text that said "match off".
A clutch of Town fans felt not deprived through frost but deprived by sinister conspiracy when Town's actual Boxing Day encounter was postponed a few days ago. Look, they shrieked indignantly on every messageboard they could find, the BBC weather page says five degrees and sunny - all day! But manager Woods confirmed to the not only superb but trusty and very official club website that the newly skinted County's loyal employees had been working "round the clock"; that the pitch was as "rock-hard" as Clarkson after two Viagra; and the match was not playable. I am pleased actually - because I may well be able to make the Tuesday night rearrangement, but a combination of Christmas drink and complete absence of public transport (again) had made Boxing Day a bore with the mother-in-law any which way.
But Town's home game with Port Vale today is definitely, definitely on. Groundsman Phillips has worked his socks off and the weather has been comparatively mild in Cleethorpes so no snow, no ice, and covered goalmouths will ensure that Blundell Park will take a stud. He is a bloody marvel you know.
Town might pick The Jarman mightn't they? After an enthusiastic five-minute cameo the lad is raring to go. And Lancashire is fit again (I think). Hegggaarty, of course, is still struggling from lack of pain tolerance. A great shame because we miss his enthusiasm too. I can't do any more than guess beyond that as the subscription-paying Mariners Player members haven't been granted their five-minute video of Dale asking the manager things he thinks we might want to know interspersed with optimistic little homilies about how we are playing a bit better than when we weren't. We need a flipping home win. Badly. Let's hope we contrive to get one. I'm off on eBay to buy a book on gearboxes. See yer.