Cod Almighty | Diary

The best of times and the worst of times

22 August 2016

Miss Guest Diary writes: I have spoken before about how lucky I feel to be a sports fan and how I feel sorry for people who don't 'get' sport. The texture and meaning added to my life by supporting Grimsby Town, going to Trent Bridge to watch Nottinghamshire, following cycling on the TV, and popping along to see it live whenever a major race comes within striking distance, are immense. I literally don't know how my partner and I would spend much of our time if we didn't do these things.

But even people who don't see the point of competitive sport can get caught up in the Olympics. Just to watch the joy of someone like Laura Trott or Mo Farah, or the heartbreak of Tom Daley; the weird aggressiveness of handball or the incomprehensible scoring system in taekwondo all suck you into another world. Even my brother, who must be the most non-sporting person I have ever met, took an interest in the track cycling when it was on TV in the pub last weekend. But now the spectacle is over: two weeks of high-intensity competition and shared national pride are back in their box for another four years.

Not so with Town; the joy and the pain I get from supporting them are pretty much non-stop. I can honestly say that some of my very best and worst experiences in life have come as a result of being a Town fan. I won't bother to cite any examples. Some of them will be the same for you but others will be different: we all support Town in our own way. Suffice it to say that nothing that happened at Blundell Park on Saturday would make it into the top 50 of either best or worst moments.

There was frustration that we ended up losing a game in which we had more than twice as many shots on target as the opposition. Annoyance that Orient's goals came from our defensive errors rather than their creative play. Surprise that the crowd was almost 5,000 after two defeats on the road, followed by irritation at the number of fans who walked out with more than 15 minutes to go when the second Orient goal went in.

For goodness' sake! If these people think Town are incapable of scoring two goals in 15 minutes, why do they bother to come in the first place? I so, so wanted Town to get back on level terms. Not for the point but for the satisfaction of knowing that those fickle 'fans' would have missed Town's fightback. But possibly they wouldn't even care. Perhaps Retro Diary, who seems so good at understanding and explaining the football-supporting psyche, can help me out here.

I also need someone to help me to understand why Town having a new stadium is seen by many fans as so essential. I really do not get this desperate urge to flee Blundell Park and all that it represents, both in heritage and as a great place to watch football. A few years ago Cod Almighty's Tony Butcher wrote a piece for When Saturday Comes in praise of the Pontoon, which he describes as a sullen child which, when roused, "is a fearsome monster that forces the Town players forward through sheer willpower". This effect, he said, was worth ten points a season – the difference between survival and relegation.

Yes, a new ground will have lots of amenities for the staff and spectators – but what will it do for us on the field? Could the Pontoon effect be recreated at a shiny, new concrete stadium – especially one that might not even have a stand behind the goal for its first few years of life?

As Mr Butcher summed it up: "The football experience is not about being nice, it's about passion, a shared sense of place, a communal spirit. It isn't a tea party where you want your guests to feel welcome and leave happy."

It's time to draw on that Pontoon spirit to inspire the team, not show contempt for them by walking out with nearly a quarter of the game left.