Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 30 December 2011

30 December 2011

It will be a year on Sunday since Town unexpectedly demolished Mansfield, scoring seven goals and luckily only conceding the two. Then we relied on Rob Atkinson, Straight Peter Bore and Dean Sinclair to shine. Alan Connell only got a couple that day, of course: hat-tricks just weren't his thing. Liam Hearn is scoring as fast as Alan did, although with more games played due to the winter weather last season. Town then went to thrash Histon with another six, before three dismal losses on the trot, to Wrexham, York and Chasetown.

With that inconsistency in mind your Guest Diarist notes that Grimsby are proper odds-on (8/11 with ToteSport) to beat Lincoln at home this Sunday, with Lincoln priced at a suspiciously long-looking 9/2 (Bet365). Those with cool heads would have a small piece of the latter. Those with passionate hearts will be thinking: "What could possibly go wrong?" and backing the Hearn hat-trick (being mentally past the post already). Who knows?

Whether the Town managers are frantically ringing Luton to try to get Will Antwi back is a moot point. Rumours abound among the comedy nether regions of football messageboard nesbitry. Rumours that Shouty has said something along the lines of 'sod that for a game of soldiers' and registered himself as a player. Once it was cometh the hour, cometh Robbie Stockdale. Now we have two ex-players to resurrect. But the chances of that are surely as slim as they are undesirable in a club with a million-quid playing budget. What happens today, in terms of organising a believable defence to face Lincoln, may influence thinking significantly on the value offered on Lincoln at 9/2.

Nick Hegggaarty has not been nominated for the Mariners lifetime achievement award but would score highly if it were based on positivity. The lad has left Mansfield, declaring his future lies down under. (He'd have a done a job for us this season - another casualty of the get-rid-one-season-before-the-team-is-crap-enough-to-appreciate-him syndrome.) Reader John Chablo has snaffled the bait though, writing in to say: "Paul Groves of course. Best striker, midfielder and defender at the club when he was there. Could probably still do a job for us." I'd have him John, as manager (and stand-in centre-half on Sunday too). Good call mate.

He's an opinionated midfielder who is much better without the ball (because of his physical harrying skills) than with it (because of his sometimes awful decision-making and passing deficiencies). Hanging on to Manny Panther esquire will be tough, I suspect. Having negotiated himself a decent contract at Aldershot, he then had no hesitation in triggering the one-year extension when his club was looking to move him on in the close season. Aldershot, I suspect, will be looking to Grimsby to take him off their hands for financial reasons. And that means overspend again if it's going to happen.

I suspect one of the managers will do a match preview interview after training today (Friday). So I can't share their thoughts on the back four conundrum with you, gentle reader, as I plan to to collapse into a comatose heap at noon and watch endless darts. Did you see that bloke yesterday who threw a 180 only to realise he only wanted 176? How we laughed. I'll be roused only to listen to the dulcet tones of John Tondeur on New Year's Day. The ticket office reports that the Lower Findus has sold out but there's loads of tickets available everywhere else. So as I've bagged the sofa, you lot had better get yourselves there. With Town you never know what you might witness, eh?