Cod Almighty | Article

by Mark Wilson

26 July 2005

Some things in life have a certainty that can't be debated. Arsene Wenger will moan about fixtures this season; tax will always be taken from your pay packet on time; the Upper Smiths will never be satisfied; and John McDermott will one day retire. And it has come to pass (which is more than can be said about Slade's teams) that the great Macca has accepted the inevitable march of time and will make this season his last.

Just let me wipe away a tear and put my Wembley '98 shirt on...

At the end of last season John McDermott had played 592 league, FA Cup and League Cup games in a black and white shirt. With his participation in assorted other competitions he has made well over 600 appearances. He's had four promotions and three relegations, and played in both games at Wembley in 1998. He joined straight from school and has now been a Mariner for 20 years. John is Grimsby Town. In a game so full of hyperbole and bullshit as this, every Town fan should take a moment and consider the contribution to this club of a man who is rightly called a Grimsby Town legend. As the past couple of seasons have suggested, it is very unlikely that we will ever see again a player stay at Town (or anywhere else) for two entire decades.

Macca's prospects for this season are probably intertwined with his chances of staying injury-free and fit enough to keep those wiry little legs moving up and down the right side of the pitch. There is no doubt that he has lost some pace, but for me he has made up for it by his positioning and anticipation. He also looks very fit and has previously been praised for his professional approach to the game and personal preparation (this is a managerial metaphor for not drinking like a fish and spending Friday night in a nightclub before having a kebab for breakfast). Frankly, he often looked our best defender last year, except when the ball was played behind him and he was forced to turn and chase a guy half his age.

He may struggle if Sort It continues to play five at the back and expects both full-backs to dash up and down the line like a greyhound on espresso: at 36 he just won't have the legs for it. If he is used more sensibly then his experience, anticipation and ability will see him through another full season. We might also see him getting more games that last 75 or 80 minutes, particularly if we are doing well and we can afford to sub him.

Finally, at time of writing there isn't an obvious candidate in the squad to take Sir John's place and this suggests that Sort It sees him as the man for the right-back berth all year. Macca will be steady this year and he will never, ever, let us down.

So settle back in your seat at BP and savour every moment that John is on the field of play this season. An era is ending in front of your very eyes.