Cod Almighty | Diary

From hell, Hull and Halifax, good lord deliver us

17 September 2013

While recent seasons have featured a few too many trips to what felt like hell, Grimsby have not faced either Hull or Halifax in a competitive fixture for quite some time.

Tonight's visit to the Shay is our first since 7 April 1990, when Grimsby's seven-match winning streak was ended by a 2-2 draw. Town finished that season second in the fourth division. Halifax finished second from bottom. That symmetry is repeated in our recent histories. Grimsby have fallen three flights, and Halifax have risen through three divisions.

Although in 1990 only one side was relegated from the Football League, Halifax would lose their League status in 1993. They returned to the fourth division briefly in 1998 but in 2002 became the first club to be twice relegated to the Conference. The old Halifax Town AFC were wound up with debts of £2 million in May 2008. The new FC Halifax Town started the 2008-09 season in the Northern Premier League Division One North, and won consecutive league titles in 2010 and 2011. They were beaten by Gainsborough Trinity in the Conference North play-offs in 2012 before beating Guiseley and Brackley in last season's play-offs.

Forget your preconceptions based on Halifax's recent history. This has the look of a tough game, with Halifax yet to drop a point at home. Town's defensive injury concerns seem to be easing: Sam Hatton, Chris Doig and Alan Goodall are all in contention. This has encouraged trialist Julian Kelly seek a contract elsewhere; while Goodall is with us, he is surplus to requirements. Craig Disley is still out but Ritchie Jones is now available for selection.

The Shay has been home to Halifax since 1921. It is currently owned by Calderdale council, but they are currently in negotiations to sell it to a local businessman, Tony Abbott. Your Middle-Aged Diary is struggling to pin down the details on this, but this article sets out some different viewpoints. You do not have to be Che Guevara to know that when grounds get taken over, it is rare for the new owner to proclaim their plan is to up the rent, end the tenancy and flog it off for property development. Nevertheless, that is sometimes what they try and do. Ask Coventry supporters about the separation of club and stadium ownership. If I were a Halifax fan I'd want to know what is going on. As a football fan I want to know the club is being safeguarded. And if I were able to get there tonight, I'd be showing solidarity with whatever protests the Shaymen may have planned.

Incidentally, the Hull of "Hull, hell and Halifax" in the Beggar's Litany appears to refer to Hull gaol, and Halifax to an early guillotine, the Halifax gibbet. Insert your own reference to Grimsby's semi-decapitated state here.