Cod Almighty | Diary
Diary - Friday 22 October 2010
22 October 2010
A change today from the sapping tension of awaiting the latest, lowest notch to be carved on Grimsby Town's performance bedpost, gentle reader. Instead of worrying about conceding embarrassing league goals to clubs smaller in both ambition and budget (nota bene I make no comment about ability), we can concentrate on the distinct possibility of exiting the FA Cup before it even starts. Town are drawn away to Tamworth in the fourth qualifying round but we can draw small comfort from the fact that anything other than a second away defeat to those Lambs this season will put Town in the draw for the first round to be held on ITV at 12:30pm on Sunday.
The draw will be made by slightly famous people from the south coast, not retired footballers, in a very unwelcome change. Helen Chamberlain and Fatboy Slim to be precise. Town's number, if we are still in it, is 57. There you are - a useless but fairly exclusive little fact gentle, reader. A fact almost unwittingly gained in a fruitless search to find out who will referee the tie tomorrow.
Manager Woodses, your Guest Diarist has learned, is musing about starting with a 4-3-3 formation as a change from switching to it when Town go two down. With Wright absent owing to Scunny's refusal to allow him to get cup-tied, a three-man midfield is likely to feature Cummins, Hudson and Peacock. The front three might, just might, mind, feature Coulson, who suffered no ill effects from his reserve run-out and is in full training. Woodses grinned his sheepish grin again in his interview with Mariners Player. Ademeno always puts a smile on his face and the lad had done a couple of special things in training on Thursday. He admitted he wanted to take Charles but if he did then the temptation to play him (when Town go two down after eleven minutes or summat) would be too great for him to resist.
But with Bore, Eagle, Connell and Coulson competing for the front three places I suppose there is time to wait for Ademeno. Especially as he is almost certain to break down injured immediately after doing something really excellent, so we might as well play him at home so more fans are treated to a small dose of his pace and enthusiasm before his gammy limbs sideline him for another month. Kenny Arthur is training but it is obvious from Woodses' words that the finger is still sore and it will be a last-minute decision between him and the Kitten. Watt still has a crocked knee and is at least two weeks away, and Gobern, he of the tormented soul, has tormented his groin in training as well (nay, inner thigh, Mr Moore says) so is out of the squad.
The superb new official site reports that the Boxing Day away game at Mansfield will have a 1pm kick-off. It also begs us to pay them to sponsor a turnstile. The SNOS suggests, without a hint of emotional blackmail, that it would be nice to use the name of a deceased loved one (like, errm, the A. Hope turnstile perhaps?).
I suppose it is a relief to hear that Andrew Wright has committed to extend his loan from Scunny throughout the month of November. Although it will be interesting to see how Peacock performs if he replaces Wright in midfield on Saturday. Remember, it was always Woodses' plan to play the tattooed Mohican with the weird accent there before an assortment of injuries gave him a get-out-of-the-sack excuse for the erratic start to our season. Whether Peacock can dictate the play effectively from a 15-yard-radius circle game after game may be the difference between a season filled with loanee midfield journeymen and mid-table obscurity, or something a bit better. So, are we up for the cup? See yer.