Cod Almighty | Diary

Gardeners, dreamers, holidaymakers

29 March 2016

Yesterday's pig of a result at Moss Rose evokes a sense of déjà vu for Town fans in several ways.

First, there's a failure to perform in adverse conditions. Notwithstanding the excellent performances and results away at Barrow in November and at home to Wrexham just two days earlier, it was far from the first time Hurst's players have gone hiding in rotten weather. Then there's the opposition. Anyone who's been paying attention will note that, regardless of the two clubs' form, fortunes and league position, Town always bloody lose to Macclesfield. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, this is about the 34th time this season that Town fans have given up on automatic promotion.

Speaking of the play-offs, and being shafted by Cheltenham Town, Russell Slade has taken time out from trying to get Cardiff into the Premier League to look back fondly upon his exploits as GTFC manager ten years ago.

Slade – who would have returned to save the Mariners from relegation out of the Football League in 2010, but for the protests of fans who didn't like his ugly long-ball style and previous career in teaching – says he was proud of "getting to Wembley with a couple of the clubs that haven't had much budget at all really, in Yeovil and Grimsby Town". We've often lamented the way his team figuratively failed to turn up at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium for that final – but it all becomes clear now we know that Slade literally failed to turn up and went to Wembley instead.

Back to the present day, and your original/regular Diary is alarmed by reports that a bus containing around 60 visiting fans was turned away from North East Lincs by police ahead of Wrexham's visit to Town on Saturday. There are quite clearly serious implications for civil liberties in a climate where law enforcement officers are empowered to arbitrarily restrict the physical movement of citizens – not only when no crime has been committed but also where there is seemingly no evidence of criminal intent.

As if that's not bad enough, 60 times 16 comes to nearly £900 of lost gate receipts. One assumes Plod will be reimbursing GTFC for this sum. How will we afford to sign decisive impact-making players like Anthony Straker and Ryan Jennings again next season otherwise?

Town's reserves are playing away at Hartlepool United this afternoon, and when I say away at Hartlepool, obviously what I mean is against Hartlepool United away at Billingham Town. I suppose we Grimbarians forget sometimes that other clubs need to find local non-League grounds to host their home reserve games – what with the playing surface at Blundell Park being so good, and Blundell Park actually being a local non-League ground anyway. Incidentally, I'm sure I saw The Final Third Development League in the line-up for this year's Glastonbury.

And finally today, the Grimsby Telegraph reports that Town fan Graham Precious travelled to Macclesfield yesterday by narrowboat – a form of transport that is both pleasurable to experience and remarkably leisurely in pace. Insert your own Gary Jones joke here.