Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 15 July 2011

15 July 2011

If you support Grimsby Town then supporting Grimsby Town should be unconditional. And your weekend Guest Diary today is dedicated to the 1,500 or so Town fans who will buy season tickets this year. Through thin and thinner you have watched hundreds of players don the Town shirt, guided by as many managers as I have fingers in the last ten years. You have seen a hundred temporary slumps in form and read dozens of articles where players explain: "We've been a bit shit lately, but we'll get better soon, honest."

You've got past far too many dispiriting home draws; half a dozen truly embarrassing defeats to lowly part-time opposition; relegation season after relegation season; and the disappointment of realising that the one time we made the play-offs, the team and manager had fallen apart before the game even kicked off. You have coped with money worries: big tax bills, how to afford a new stadium we can't possibly afford, massive bills caused by signing players and managers on contracts and then paying them off. You've survived flask-gate and the after-effects of dodgy burgers; you are surviving John Fenty's public utterances. In the spirit of the Tour de France I say chapeau to you all.

Miss Guest Diary talked recently about 'Town players' and 'players who played for Town'. Well, the hardcore Town fans - and they don't all have season tickets, but you know whether you are one - all deserve a similar plaudit: you are all 'Town Fans'. Here's to the next chapter in our support of the Mariners.

Yes, season ticket sales really are going that well. A dedicated core of fans, and a few more innovative discounts to help attending supporters bring others with them, have paid benefits. And tomorrow we have a home game with Rotherham. The first chance to see the two managers with their new squad.

Minus Mr Kempson, sadly, who has apparently trained so hard that he's done his foot again and is reported to be out of contention for quite a while. But there'll be an appearance from Damien Spencer, whose poorly tummy impeded the start of his pre-season to the extent that he is reported to look like a fish on a bicycle during the running sessions even now. To the point where he's been sent indoors to practise both swimming and cycling under the ever-watchful eyes of Dave Moore, the great survivor. So be gentle with him tomorrow, oh loyal fans - he's got four weeks to get fit, four weeks to prove he's mobile and will be an asset in other places than a defensive wall.

The shouty manager burbled on about players gaining weight during this pre-season to the Mariner Player subscription channel. But don't worry: it's apparently a case of fat lost, muscle gained. Yeah, I'm heavy-boned too. He also mentioned Kenny Dalglish and made a totally spurious analogy between Carlos Tevez and one of our strikers.

But I'm not going there today, not with a match to look forward to tomorrow. As usual, the diehards have been issued a battle ration of hope with their season tickets. Whether you swallow it all at once or eke it out through whatever lean times may lay ahead, I'll leave you to decide, gentle reader. If we could flash forward like that telly programme, the third week of October would be a good time to visit, eh? But today's a day for hoping. See yer.