Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 22 March 2013

22 March 2013

Mardy Diary writes: WEMBERLEEEEE, WEMBERLEEEE, we're the mighty Grimsby Town and mumble... mumb... WEMBERLEEEE, WEMBERLEEEE!

So the big day is almost upon us and you know what? I'm really bloody looking forward to it. Forget the league for now, forget the current slump in form, forget the bizarre January signings and the fact we've not been great since the new year, forget everything else - let's just go and have a bloody good time.

It's a cup final. It's a great day. I don't buy into this "tinpot" bollocks and I'm tired of hearing people trot out the "I'd swap the cup final for a place in the League" rubbish too - you know it doesn't work like that. Hey, I'd swap not getting promoted for not getting promoted and winning a cup. I'd swap a mid-table nothing season for a saunter in the play-offs. I'd swap relegation for a bag of crisps.

No, FA Trophy, League Trophy, League Cup, FA Cup - these are all great cups and people who sneer at any such competitions are only jealous because their club has largely won bugger all for the best part of a century. Success is very fleeting for the majority of football teams - and after a ten-year slump we should know this better than most.

So I'm off to Wembley - with my little boy kitted out in his special Wembley top and his (official) Wembley flag and we're going to have a good day regardless of the result. I'd love for us to win and to jump about like a loon at the final whistle, but if we lose, we lose.

Going to Wembley for the play-off final (should it happen) would be a whole different experience, as we know - winning would be fantastic and losing would be devastating. But Sunday - that's about enjoying yourself at a football match without any pressure. We don't get many chances to do that, so take it while it's there. And leave your tin pot at home.