Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Monday 25 March 2013

25 March 2013

Miss Guest Diary writes: I was always going to go to Wembley, but was finding it difficult to muster any real enthusiasm for the trip. At best, it seemed like a bit of a chore, just another away game to travel to; at worst, there was the prospect of a team weakened through injury being humiliated in front of a big crowd. I suspect these negative feelings arose in part from memories of the miserable play-off final in Cardiff, when the players barely showed up, and the rather surreal game against MK Dons in the paintpot trophy which half the Cod Almighty team boycotted as a protest against franchise football.

But I was rescued at the weekend by Twitter, of all things. Sitting around on Saturday with one eye on the weather and the other on my Twitter feed I became increasingly enthused by all the posts from fans and players: reports of arrivals from far flung destinations, pictures of the gathering in Trafalgar Square, the players' shirts hung up in the Wembley dressing room, messages of goodwill from local businesses and ex-players. Suddenly it all seemed much more real and much more exciting.

On balance, I am really glad the game happened and that I was there to share in the experience. OK, Town didn't bring back the trophy, but not everything in life should be about winning. To quote the founder of the modern Olympic Games: "The most important thing is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well."

The fans braved freezing temperatures and hazardous driving conditions, some spending money they could ill-afford, to be there for the team. The players (with one notable exception whose name shall not sully this diary) ran their socks off and tried their utmost to bring back the trophy. Special mentions go to Frankie Artus who played well after a long absence from the team, Jamie McKeown for his brilliant saves, Shaun Pearson for his staunchness in defence and Craig Disley for his usual masterly display from midfield. And the management spoke with pride of their team's performance and refused to blame anyone for the eventual defeat on penalties. Let's face it, far better teams than Town have lost penalty shootouts. Even Germany.

I heard one fan rationalising crazily after the game that winning a non-league trophy would only record for posterity that Town had been in the non-league - something we want to forget as soon as possible. I'm not sure I buy into that rationale. But to me it didn't really feel like much of a defeat anyway: Town fought well and ended with the scores level at the end of ordinary playing time. And 17,000 or so Town fans were there to cheer them on. We all took part.

Of course, if Town are at Wembley again on 5 May, it will be all about winning. But that's a different story. Hope to see you all there.