Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Wednesday 14 March 2012

14 March 2012

For the second Tuesday running, Town lost a match in injury time. While at Fleetwood they arguably deserved a point, there can be few arguments that the Mariners came up short against a superior York City side. Perhaps that's a bit harsh on the players given the effort they showed to bring it back to 2-2 but it won't mask a rather patchy but energetic performance in which the managerial duo never really decided how they wanted their team to play in the absence of Liam Hearn.

In truth, York played like a side that were buoyed by the absence of our best player. Any thoughts of them being side-tracked by their FA Trophy progress were dispelled emphatically as they once again showed that they have a highly commendable blend of pace, skill and organisation to beat us for the third time this season. The only mystery that troubles your West Yorkshire Diary is why they're not challenging Fleetwood and Wrexham at the very top - a view shared by a dejected Shorty, who told Radio Humberside the same last night while pointing out that Town created just as many chances as "the best side we've played this season".

So if York are the yardstick and they currently sit fifth in the division, then our play-off hopes are just about shot - and that's all they ever were: hopes. Take a look at the top five teams in the division today and I don't think you'll find many arguments if the season ended right now. Are we really better than any of Fleetwood, Wrexham, Luton, Mansfield or York? We've failed to beat any of them this season. Town rather shot themselves in the foot in their first 18 league games when they contrived to lose 10 of them. It was fractious and, at times, painful to watch. I always thought it would come back to haunt us.

Although the unbeaten run had to go some way before it actually started feeling like an unbeaten run, positive things have happened in that time. It's not all doom and gloom, and nor should it be. The Mariners have become worth watching once again. Even last night, when we were supposedly down and out against a quality Conference team, we fought back. Town don't often 'do' comebacks; the players normally dissolve or disappear altogether due to the fragile mentality that has been lurking around Blundell Park - infiltrating the minds of every player that has represented the club - throughout the past 10 years. That sinister fog of negativity seems to have lifted considerably - something that can be attributed to the passion and hunger of two up-and-coming managers desperate to achieve success and who demand no less that 100% effort from players that share the same culture.

It feels, in some ways, that the club has returned to the fans (and there's no Mariners Trust or chairman Fenty (Con) undercurrent in that statement). We, the fans, roll up to Blundell Park every other week (or three times in a week when it's left to the Conference to sort out your fixture list) waiting to be entertained, and for the most part I'd argue that we've got our money's worth this season. Some of it hasn't been great - some of it has been magnificent - but, overall, while we will probably fall short of our lofty ambitions, we have to acknowledge that, sadly, at present, there are other clubs that are just better than us - York being the prime example. But the game last night, while it didn't end positively, was entertaining and "a great advert for Conference football".

Let's pat the team on the back for even getting us into a position where we thought the play-offs were genuinely on the cards. Given where we were in the league table in October it's an astonishing achievement. There were so many 'must win' matches along the way. A big thing was made about the match at Cambridge in January. A defeat at the Abbey, if my memory serves me correctly, would have poured cold water on the play-off chase before it could really start seriously and proved that Town couldn't beat opposition above us in the table. But we came through that - and we came through another huge test at Southport last month. In fact, we've passed many tests that got us to the position we were in last night, where a win would have drawn us level with York.

Perhaps it's too easy to discount the play-offs now. The managers and players will probably feel that it's still possible - if only as a professional duty to not give up and do the very best they can. Some fans won't want to believe it's still possible in order to avoid the inevitable pain that falling short will cause. Other fans will continue to monitor the situation daily until it becomes mathematically impossible. However you're dealing with the disappointment today, fellow Mariners, one thing is for certain - we're all feeling that little bit prouder of the players, managers and the club just lately.