Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Wednesday 16 November 2011

16 November 2011

I'm hearing the word 'austerity' a lot lately, in relation to the economy and, well, Europe in general. But, truth be known, I first learnt the meaning of the word many years ago in the context of Grimsby Town when the digitalised version of ITV went tits up and the club had to work out a way of paying players' three-year contracts using money that was promised but never paid. So yes, 'austerity' is very much the buzz word at the moment, and if I have to hear it said one more time by a second-rate, cliché-prone, sub-standard journalist, I may just put my head through a wall.

Your West Yorkshire Diary likes to say it as it is. The club has no money. The fans have no money. It's certainly a challenge supporting your debt-ravaged club when you're in debt yourself. Mine's a huge student loan, but that, according to my Conservative-voting brother, doesn't count as debt. He never went to university, and he says he was happy with that choice. But I think he secretly regrets it, going by the way he stands embarrassingly firm by his loose argument that he, in effect, paid for my education in the way of tax, while he seems to overlook the fact that I am paying both tax and my student loan off now that I'm working.

I guess what I'm trying to say is deciding what to spend your money on during this 'tough economic climate' (to use another irritating, stomach-churning phrase) is a proper ballache. With the cost of petrol due to rise again, and the price of a match ticket the same as it was when we were rubbish in the Football League, it puts us exiled Mariners in an awkward situation. Do we deny our team the money and support at a time when it needs them most? Or do we spend money we haven't really got to subsidise a club that's surely not far off from introducing the toast sandwich to its austerity menu at McMenemy's as part of a 'Bread Special' for the Stockport game at the end of the month?

I feel bad if I don't go, but the wallet really doesn't like it when I do. As a massive football fan I really need my football fix. Increasingly, in line with Town's new lows, I've been searching for cheaper ways to enjoy football and this has resulted in me supporting my local non-League teams. Dare I say it - never mind announce it on here - but I've really enjoyed watching teams who are on my doorstep and who barely have a pot to piss in.

Last night I went to watch Harrogate Town (where John McDermott is assistant manager) take on Bishop's Stortford (where former Spurs keeper Ian Walker is manager) in the Conference North. Quite why Bishop's Stortford are in the Conference North, when they share latitude co-ordinates with Colchester and are just 10 miles this side of the M25, is anyone's guess. It was a bitterly cold night and I'm guessing fewer than 200 turned out to see a scrappy 1-1 draw, but despite that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't even explain why (perhaps the entrance fee of £10 helped). Even the trip to the gents made me smile: the one and only toilet actually shared the same room as three urinals - no doors here, thank you very much. This is football at its simplest. This is where Peter Bore doesn't get into a team and hangs around the refreshment stall in his tracksuit and puffer jacket instead.

It cost me £7 to go and see a match last weekend in a league that consists of a sponsor's name and misleading words that suggest it to be a top division when it actually isn't. Cheap, local football - I can see why this fad took off over a century ago.

Of course, it goes without saying that I do everything I can to stay in touch with my hometown club when I can't be there to support them. I take my little portable radio with me to these local matches. And, as Miss Guest Diary highlighted on Monday, Twitter has proved to be an excellent source of information and entertainment on Saturday afternoons. I'm far from detached: I've just reached the point where I can't afford to do what I once loved. But I get the feeling that I'm not alone, either. If I lived in Grimsby, I'd be at Blundell Park for every game, rain or shine, win or lose.

Disley thinks Panther is a good player, Church will help Alfreton while he's there on loan, and Coulson is banned for this Saturday's home match against Newport County. That's today's news, folks.