Cod Almighty | Diary

You haven't gloated enough yet

26 August 2014

"What a bloody marvellous weekend. Yes, it's me back, and I am flipping knackered."

Not perhaps the most erudite of Cod Almighty diaries, but lacking nothing in eloquence. One of the besetting sins for football fans is to forget to enjoy the moment. The moment being covered back then was Town's 6-1 demolition of Barnsley in 2004. It didn't stop us getting relegated, but Isaiah Rankin's goal and celebration against the club who still held his contract remains one of the definitive "[wish] I was there" events for Mariners fans.

Two previous goal-rushes are instructive. In January 1979, we scored 12 goals in consecutive home matches against Bradford and Darlington. It was only four points for two wins in those days, but the confidence we gathered changed the Mariners from promotion possibles to eventual runners-up.

On the other hand, in January 2011, we scored 13 goals in three days against Mansfield and Histon. Middle-Aged Diary has sometimes considered that it was those two wins that cost Neil Woods his job two months later. There was an air of complacency about our response to the wins, a genuine sense of "well, we should be scoring six or seven against these". When we couldn't sustain it, the frustrations grew.

So, Middle-Aged Diary's advice for those of you lucky enough to have been at Gateshead on Saturday and at Blundell Park yesterday is simple. Get yourself a T-shirt or a mug or a tea towel with the two scores printed on them, below the legend "I was there". Damn the consequences. Sure, Gateshead remain above us in the proto-table and both clubs may get a measure of revenge later in the season, and laugh at our gloating. Let them.

I spent yesterday at another match, unfortunately unable to get out of earshot of some of the moaniest, whingiest, one-eyedest supporters I've encountered watching football below Conference level. They swamped the home support by about five to one. When one home supporter called out sarcastically: "Who are you?", they responded with a straight-faced rant: "We're the famous fuckin'..." I won't name the club to avoid giving their no doubt many decent fans a bad name. The conclusion: a second besetting sin for football fans is an inability to laugh at ourselves.

One more point, then I'll let you get on with the more important business of trying to find the highlights on YouTube. Amid the many comments on the sheer perfection of the scorers' sheet for the win at Gateshead, I've not read anyone pick up on our fifth goal, the one that finally killed the game off after our slightly nervy response to Maddison pulling one back. Substitute Jack Mackreth crossed for substitute Craig Disley to score. As last season, Paul Hurst was slightly snippy when no-one pointed out how he brought on Andy Cook to score, it's worth highlighting. Take a bow, Football Club Repairman.