Cod Almighty | Diary
Diary - Friday 30 July 2010
30 July 2010
It's not every day your team gets to play in a cup semi-final. But when the match takes place in July, well, somehow it loses that bit of edge. Your Guest Diarist has always felt that it is a bit of a shame that the Lincs Senior Cup isn't taken a bit more seriously by the clubs; then the fans could talk plausibly about bragging rights et cetera. Tonight Town visit Lincoln and you sense Woodses' disappointment that he can't put out his strongest side due to various injuries. Not because there's a cup to be won but more to do with wanting to try out his nearly-finished team with all the key players in their right places.
Newly appointed assistant manager Mr Moore-o gave a nice interview to the superb new official site. It is such a shame that only those who have subscribed to the expensive Mariner Player service can watch it. Dave issued a cri de coeur to the club's directors that more patience be afforded after being asked whether being a manager at Scunthorpe "had not worked out for him". Reminding us that his team's performance in almost reaching the play-offs had been way above expectation at the time, Mr Moore then stated the bleeding obvious: virtually every manager is deemed to have failed at some stage. "It always ends the same way" he says pointedly.
As for that injury list, well here it is. Atkinson's operation to remedy his 'sportsman's hernia' has happened and as soon as he can drive he will resume light training. "Weeks not months," says Moore-o (who incidentally told us the club now has another full-time therapist, which is why he can combine his new job with his existing one). Lewis Gobern's left thigh continues to puzzle the medics so an ultrasound scan is to be commissioned. Likewise Charlie Ademeno's dodgy hamstring. Peacock's back has started playing up; Lee Ridley got a dead leg at Gainsborough, and Mark Hudson - well, he deserves his a small paragraph of his own.
It seems that ex-Town keeper Phil Barnes kneed poor old Mark up the jacksy at Gainsborough so hard that the lad wailed like a banshee. Said arse is now truly black and blue. Moore thinks it looks a lot worse than it is and that dignity will be restored within a few days. Meantime I bet that mooning has taken a whole new place in the player's life.
As for signings, well, Woodses has reconfirmed that he'd like two more players if possible to promote competition for places. One of them he would definitely like to be trialist Steven Watt. The usual caveats have to be applied though - Watt has impressed, ergo other clubs (Scottish and English league clubs) are interested in the lad. Next week should see a resolution one way or the other.
Finally, although the SNOS hasn't woken up to the fact yet, the horse Town drew in the Stewards' Cup (a valuable handicap race run at glorious Goodwood on Saturday), namely Hawkeyethenoo, has been balloted out of the race. For non-racing folk this means the horse was 'out of the handicap' on previous form; that there were too many runners entered and he didn't 'make the cut'. So all hopes of two grand prize money if it won, plus the outcome of a free hundred quid bet on the nag, are lost. Relax, folks: it wouldn't have won anyway. It is a notoriously hard race to call - being of the cavalry charge type with all kinds of shenanigans tried by crafty trainers intent on 'slipping in' a big-priced outsider which has been over-leniently weighted by the handicapper. So I won't bother wasting your money with my tip. Here's to winning the cup, and a great weekend. See yer.