Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Wednesday 6 October 2010

6 October 2010

GTFC have hit on a brilliant thinking-outside-the-box solution to the problem of Nick Colgan's rumoured refusal to play on account of the vicious abuse he receives from the Blundell Park faithless. Whenever he plays, they're not letting anyone in to watch. That, at least, was the case with yesterday's reserves friendly against Oldham Athletic, which was not open for viewing by the public at large. A young Town side lost the game 2-1 (with a goal from Tom Corner) but more significant than the score is the news that erstwhile hernia victim Rob Atkinson played 90 minutes for the first time since, oooh, can't remember, ages. How we've missed those lustrous blond locks.

The Mariners' superb new official website also mentions a trial run-out in the game for "Chelsea midfielder Lee Sawer". Lee "Sawer" is actually called Lee Sawyer and he isn't a Chelsea midfielder: his contract at Stamford Bridge was terminated almost a year ago. So, a good effort there by GTFC's communications professionals, other than that small failure to spend 15 seconds on Wikipedia to check very basic facts and thus avoid making themselves and the football club look like a bunch of complete fucking amateurs.

Fans' forum! Fans' forum! Your original/regular Diary, it is fair to say, has on occasion been critical of the executive decision-making of John Fenty (Con). But I can't help admiring the three-times-relegated, Ofcom-bothering, non-stadium-building, English language-mangling, 14-points-on-his-licence Tory GTFC chairman for his willingness to put his head above the parapet at these public Q&A sessions. So it is, then, that on Tuesday 16 November, Town fans will be invited to ask the key movers and shakers why their football club failed to beat Forest Green Rovers and isn't 94 points clear at the top of the Conference league table. "Chairman John Fenty and manager Neil Woods will be there to answer your questions," grins the SNOS, next to a picture of David Burns. The event is at McMenemy's, so presumably only supporters wearing sober ties, crisply pressed shirts and sufficiently polished shoes will be allowed to have their say. Hey, it's the Tory Nation in microcosm!

Does the world really need another football blog? I dunno, but before I leave you for the day, the Diary is reading a new football blog because it's written by Jamie Forrester, and I used to really like Jamie Forrester when he played for Town. And Jamie Forrester started following Cod Almighty on Twitter last night which made me come over all starstruck and feel duty-bound to tell you all about his blog. So it's here if you want a look. There's nothing about Town yet, but it's surely only a matter of time before Jamie spills the beans on what was really said in the dressing room ahead of the Mariners' 6-3 defeat at Watford in April 1996.