Cod Almighty | Diary

Put your shirt on Town

6 April 2015

Miss Guest Diary writes: Today's diary is going to be shortish because (a) it's a bank holiday and I don't expect anyone is reading this, and (b) we are setting off for Alfreton at some ridiculously early hour to ensure we avoid any traffic hold-ups, find a suitable parking spot and don't get stuck in a queue at the solitary turnstile.

Any regulars reading will be pleased to learn that the lucky shirt has been laundered and is available for the game. I'm a little worried it won't make it to the end of the season, especially if Town don't secure automatic promotion and it has to do for an extra three games. It's definitely wearing thin, the reason for this being that it is last season's lucky shirt which made an unexpected come back at the Barnet game and now can't be put back in the wardrobe.

There were a lot of nerves around before Saturday's game but I took heart from Carl Magnay's tweet which suggested we should forget our nerves and enjoy ourselves. Unfortunately, he didn't seem able to take his own advice and fell rather short of his normal standard, as did a few of the other players. Town had to settle for a draw against Gateshead, albeit a "winning draw" according to John Moore on the highlights. That may sound daft but I know exactly what he means. Saturday's draw, with the goal coming in stoppage time, felt like a win, for the same reasons that the draw at Chester felt like a loss.

But nothing short of an actual win will do today. I didn't see Magnay's special banner at Blundell Park, so I'm really hoping it will be at Alfreton today, and that he will make a magnayficent return to form and inspire his team-mates in the process.

There hasn't been much chatter on social media about any particular theme for the game – though I have seen suggestions that we should all wear retro shirts. This is one theme I could actually join in with. I'm way too old and boring to wear a wig or carry an inflatable, but I do have a signed Gary Croft shirt from 2005. And it has form: I was wearing it when Town beat Spurs in the League Cup, probably the last 'great moment' in Town's recent history.

Let's hope the team make it to Alfreton on time this year and play as well as we know they can: if we don't win today the lucky shirt will definitely be tested to its limits. UTM.