The Diary

Cod Almighty | Diary

The police are getting younger, getting younger every day

5 July 2016

Wicklow Diary writes: The probability of dropping your phone down the toilet has diminished with devices that have grown too big to fit in a top pocket. Shirts with a top pocket; practical and smart I thought. A thought I may have to reconsider after I tucked a couple of pens in and got called grandad by the whippersnappers at work.

There are still many other ways to ruin your phone and one is visiting the Telegraph and SNOS in quick succession. So much flashing, freezing and popping, I almost chucked my phone in the nearest toilet in an attempt to cool it and shock it back to coherence. Despite this, I managed to glimpse some info for you so you can save your eyes and your phone by reading on.

The Lincolnshire County Cup tie with Stamford has been added to Town's pre-season schedule. The game will take place at Stamford on 13 July. This brings the total of fixtures to nine in twenty-four days or, as we used to call it in the Conference, "March".

According to the Telegraph, I've won a free iPhone 9 and "Boston United, Spading United, Lincoln United and Gainsborough Trinity are also in the county's most prestigious – and popular – competition". Who could argue with that. Further proof that staff, media and fans need the season to start is an article where Hursty suggests that players who play well in pre-season will make his team. He also reveals that he has no favourites (I'm assuming that he also mumbled "now that The Nathmeister General and Monkers Baby have gone" but this wasn’t printed).

The trust has an update on Operation 3k and 1,351 season tickets have been sold so far. This figure is 200 up on same time last year but perhaps even more impressive is that 250 are new season ticket holders. Keep an eye on email updates and social media from the trust this week as they're planning some Operation 3k stuff to coincide with the start of pre-season.

The trust is also supporting the worthy crowdfunder for Town superfan Graham Holness. The efforts of the trust to publicise the funder were picked up on by Curtis Woodhouse who has rather splendidly offered to donate his play-off shirt. Well done Curtis and more importantly, good luck and wishes to Graham.

Is there an age when it's ok to start pottering about in second-hand shops even though you're not looking to buy anything? There's possible a correlation to wearing shirts with pockets here. I can't pass the bloody things... this one, yes this one could be the one with the entire season of mint 1979/80 Shoot magazines for a quid. A while back I did buy a live Carter USM video that I hoped would inspire me to get the VCR from the attic (it hasn't). After some reflection, I'm pretty sure the copy I bought was actually one I'd donated when I put the VCR away in the first place.

A more successful purchase was a bundle of Town programmes picked up in Cleethorpes after the Chester game in April. I absolutely love programmes, perfect snapshots in time of the team, the club and even the town. Statistics, pictures of the squad looking awkward receiving keys to the new supporters' bus and ads for the local hairdressers or butchers. "Player at Home" features with accompanying pictures of Kevin Drinkell or Graham Cawthorne fiddling under the bonnet of a car. You'd like to stay in the game after playing John Ward? Yes, you'll become a manager! Hopeful young faces in the "One to Watch" section, some familiar, some now forgotten as footballers; Gary Lund, Paul Wilkinson, Andrew Foster, Daryl Cross.

Among the details that you'd forgotten or missed, (oh look, Chris Doig played for Northampton against us in that game in 2006) patterns, cycles emerge. Reading the manager's notes and you could be stuck in a loop. We're playing well but not getting the results we deserve....we're almost back to full strength, Kevin Moore has completed his suspension and Michael Reddy is nearing match fitness after a successful run out with Arthur Mann’s reserve team. The football as David Mitchell says - it's always on.

Why don't we get fed up with it? Retire on the high of Wembley perhaps and leave it at that. The football and the games are the focal point but they can't be the deciding factor. Otherwise, how can you explain the loyalty and support of a team that has played at a higher level? When you can just go support a better team that win all the time?

I suppose we all have our reasons but for me GTFC is a club and identity. Something that we are part of. Something that we've helped build. Something that we can be proud of and connect with regardless of the results. At the dawn of a new season, it's inevitable that we'll have targets and expectations for the months ahead. Just like the snapshots in the programmes we have no idea how the season will pan out. We could be on the up or about to go through another dip. We can only get behind Paul Hurst and his players again and give them the best chance of success. 

I haven't seen most of the new guys kick a ball before so I'm not going to heap unreasonable hopes and expectations on them. I want to see eleven lads on the pitch doing their best. If they are likeable and we can associate with them all the better. If their manager is someone who I can trust and I believe is honest and dedicated to the cause, put another tick in the plus column. I'm not going to ruin this buzz by mentioning the club ownership but the last few years have seen a move in the right direction. Hopefully this can continue and recover from the recent B team kick in the gonads.

If after all that, we win the league or promotion with a 94th minute goal, that would be nice too.