Cod Almighty | Diary

Shield of dreams

20 April 2015

Miss Guest Diary writes: Here's a quote for you: "we have got to learn to attack teams when we are leading 1-0." Who said that and when?

Was it Hurst after Saturday's disappointing show at Southport, or maybe after the defeat at home to Lincoln, or when we conceded a late goal at Altrincham? Was it hell. If the manager had taken that line after Town let a 1-0 lead slip against Dover way back in August, we might well be the team celebrating automatic promotion next week instead of snoozing our way to the play-offs.

No, it was actually said by Mel Machin, the manager of Bournemouth exactly 17 years ago yesterday, and we all know why. Feeling thoroughly fed up with the way the current squad have performed this month, I took a trip down memory lane this morning and dug out the scrapbook I compiled after that Auto Windscreens Shield victory.

The competition itself was viewed as not very important, maybe even 'tinpot', by many in the footballing world – oh how ironic – which took a lot of the pressure off. It allowed us to treat the occasion as a grand day out with the possible bonus of a trophy at the end of it: that day was truly the high point in my 25 years of watching Town. By contrast, the play-off final the following month was the most nerve-wracking time I have ever spent at a match.

There are some real gems in the cuttings, not least a picture from the Grimsby Telegraph in which I can see myself slap bang in the middle of a crowd shot and another one of Alan Buckley apparently conducting a brass band. There is also a laughable snippet which touts Daryl Clare as being an England prospect and "a target for Leeds" worth two million pounds. But most of the coverage is about Wayne Burnett and the golden goal. I had already marked him out as a favourite, but that day and that sexy flick sealed his place as my all-time Town favourite. Happy days.

Saturday was not a happy day. Retro Diary was right when he suggested the theme was 'damn, I’ve already bought my ticket' and, in my case, booked and paid for a hotel room. Had that not been the case, I would most likely have found something better to do than travel 300 miles with a streaming cold to watch a repeat of the previous week's half-hearted showing from Town. Hurst may think that momentum is not important for the team, but what about the fans? After Saturday, how many will be up for a midweek trip to Eastleigh or Forest Green? I'm not sure I am.