Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Tuesday 25 January 2011

25 January 2011

Idle Diary writes: Tonight, Town play at Luton - and it's televised, internetised, and possibly radioised by Radio Humberside. So no matter what your preferred media delivery method, there's something for everyone who can't make the game. Which will probably be most of us.

Interestingly, and something we missed while previewing the game, tonight's match is a fourth consecutive home game for the Hatters. On Saturday at Kenilworth Road it was an all-action first half, with the visitors, Gateshead, two goals up by the 16th minute, before Luton dragged themselves level before half time.

So despite their mighty home record (discussed further in our preview), there are chinks in the home side's armour. Richard Money reckons Saturday was an off-day for his side, too many players off-colour and all that, expects a return to the "expected standards" tonight. Neil Woods isn't going to set his team up to just defend. We're worried this has all the makings of a tonking for Town. But at the same time, there's a glimmer of optimism that Town will raise their game again against one of the trailblazing teams in the Conference.

Guest Diary has watched a video interview "conducted by a big fat man on a little sofa" which backs the BBC summary up so you don't have to: "Sounds like Walker and Gleeson will be back as they trained OK, he said." For Town Peacock is suspended, while Ademeno and Coulson are still absent with knee injuries. Ridley is also out with that stomach issue. Which pretty much means that it's the same squad as on Saturday. Me? I can't wait to see Mofo in action. I'm proper, proper stoked about him. I've been mentally chanting "Mo-fo! Mo-fo! Mo-fo!" most of the morning. I don't know why. Come on, all of us together: MO-FO! MO-FO! MO-FO!

This is going to end in tears isn't it?

So that's who is and isn't playing. Two other players who won't be participating in tonight's or probably any future Town games are Mansfield striker Rob Duffy and Cambridge winger Robbie Wilmott. Duffy and Town failed to agree personal terms, while Town's valuation of Wilmott fell short of the Us' price tag. While the moves didn't come through, it gives us an idea of where Woods is looking to strengthen the team.

Talking of player acquisition, that's it, Evans. Keep up trying to buy your way out of the division.

In exciting news for the players currently contracted by Grimsby Town Football Club plc, Ron Atkinson has got an England C call-up. If Atkinson is selected to play against Belgium, it will mean a return to Kenilworth Road on Wednesday 9 February. Egale-eyed viewers will also note that Robbie Wilmott (read the above paragraph) is in the squad.

Sorry, I meant Rob, not Ron. The bloody N key is right next to the B.

Last on the open tabs in my internet browser is a mundane space filler in the GET about Lewis Gobern. Blah blah, new chance, determination, yes yes, now it's Ince, uh huh, "and there was a situation there which I can't really go into but he went to court and won his appeal". Sorry? Come again? "And there was a situation there which I can't really go into but he went to court and won his appeal." Get that? Just read that last bit again: "He went to court and won his appeal." Erm. Anyone?

So, finally, we reach the end of today's diary. And we need some help, readers. Some of the Cod Almighty team have been discussing the Boyes chain of stores, and how far it reaches. So far using our experiences of seeing Boyes stores - yes, without resorting to cheating by looking it up anywhere - we have worked out the northern (Scarborough), southern (Sleaford), eastern (Grimsby) and western (Bradford) limits of the Boyes empire. Are we wrong? Does the reach of Boyes extend even further? Let us know using the Cod Almighty feedback form (as we think our email is a bit dicky at the mo). T'ra!