Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Monday 25 July 2011

25 July 2011

Mardy Diary writes: Apparently we're about to sign Anthony 'Not As Prolific As I Thought He Was' Elding from Rochdale. There, I've said it now. We'll just get that out of the way now because it appears to be one of those rumours that gathers momentum just because lots of people mention it over and over again. So I thought I'd help it along by mentioning it also. I've actually been hanging on today to see if it actually happens, but even though the Telegraph believes it may happen and officials at the club are hinting at it over Twitter, nobody seems to really know. We'll assume it's not happening shall we, and just brush over it? OK.

So what did we learn from Saturday? I wasn't there but the reports coming back seem to have quite a positive tone for a 5-1 defeat. Managers, players and journalists are all reflecting that the scoreline didn't reflect the play - only the lone voice of John Tondeur stood out with his hand tentatively raised at the back of the class saying: "Err, not sure losing 5-1 is good sir." Although, I tend to feel that a decently organised second division club shouldn't find it too difficult to beat a non-League outfit. And as with the other friendlies, the real test of how we're doing is the attitude and performance of the players at less 'glamorous' venues (ie. the sort we're likely to experience in league matches next season). The performance at Sheffield Club gave a better indication of where we currently are, and the upcoming matches against Winterton, Gainsborough and Lincoln will give us a better feel for progress.

The match against Lincoln is the final of the Lincolnshire Cup after they beat Scunthorpe on penalties last night, of course. And while there's some level of bragging rights up for grabs - Lincoln currently have one more Lincs Cup title than Town - the real appeal of the match will be how Town perform against an ex-League club and rival for next season. With the match taking place less than two weeks before the season starts, we should get a good picture of what we can expect for the rest of the season.

And... no... I've hung on and there's still no signing news. So, sorry about the rather crap diary: I've been a bit distracted today. Not to worry though, as we have a new diarist tomorrow so that should be a bit more exciting for you all. See ya.