Cod Almighty | Diary

Got my eyes wide open and I see the signs

18 October 2013

Mardy Diary writes: I'm looking forward to this Saturday. Well, I always look forward to Saturday given that it isn't a work day. However, this Saturday is different as this Saturday will be my first Town match of the season.

This is probably my latest start to a season since the turn of the century. It's not really down to disillusionment – that set in several seasons ago – just personal circumstances (time and money). Nevertheless, I am really looking forward to actually seeing how the team is playing this season.

You will be correct in your accusations that we've slacked off on writing a preview again this week – it's just that time of year, I'm afraid. However, Paul Hurst has told the Telegraph all the Town-related news for this weekend and a little bit about Forest Green, so that'll have to do you.

The Telegraph has also published another snippet of the forthcoming Alan Buckley book, this time focusing on his sacking in his third spell at the club. Cod Almighty wasn't happy about that at the time, and Tony Butcher's report on the Chester defeat which led to his sacking tends to agree with Buckley that we pretty much slaughtered Chester that day, aside from the actual result. Bloody Kevin Ellison got a hat-trick of opportunist goals which on another day would have ended up outside the ground.

Buckley also makes a fair point that we wouldn't have been relegated with him in charge. I'm also of this opinion. It's a fair argument to say that his team that season might not have challenged at the top, but I don't believe we would ever have been under threat of relegation. The injury to Paul Bolland (and another to Robbie Stockdale) is a detail that gets lost in time – it is things like that which can completely swing the fortunes of a team (see also: Reddy play-off final and following season; Coldicott/Pouton in 2003-04).

Also of note was the size of the squad Buckley used – probably one of the smallest we've had since Slade. He worked with what he had and got the best out of the players. Fans may not have taken to Hope, Heywood et al – but they forget that players that some considered 'better' actually got us relegated out of the League.

In other dwelling-on-the-past news, the SNOS has followed up the first of our three-parter on Dobbin's scorcher against Newcastle with a nice video clip of the goal (see below). There'll be more on that goal next week, so look out for that. In the meantime keep sending in your memories of the goal and we'll add them to the page.

Have a good weekend, and enjoy your Saturday.