Cod Almighty | Diary
The one with a nod to Stevie Wonder
25 January 2017
Town's match with Stevenage in August was special not just for a Bogle hat-trick but because it was the first time that our teams had ever met. This wasn't down to either party ignoring or avoiding the other, no. Stevenage FC have only existed for 40 years. By the time the Boro took their first, tentative baby steps in the Chiltern Youth League, Clint Eastwood was onto his third Dirty Harry movie and Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life was his 18th album. Pretty much everything has more history than Stevenage, including your humble Devon Diary.
Another reason for Town never meeting the Boro is, of course, that when they were getting promoted into the Football League, Town were crashing out of it – so opportunities would have been early rounds of the FA Cup or a kickabout down the park.
So, for clubs with so little history between us, it's perhaps no surprise to find that not too many players have called both Blundell Park and Broadhall Way home. However, I've never let a dearth of information get in the way of anything (especially when cobbling together imaginary dream teams) and so, in the absence of any news (at least until this diary goes live, at which point we will probably announce a signing or seven), I've had a quick look at the players we have in common.
It started off pretty well with Grimsby born keeper Steve Croudson, who spent a total of eight years at Town, the second spell as a coach/player, but as understudy to the mighty Danny Coyne his appearances were limited. Andy Quy was a keeper too but clearly not a keeper. No, me neither.
Defender Sam Hatton played over 50 games for the Mariners, but midfielders Conor Henderson and Simon Heslop played bit parts at best. Winger Peter Winn was born in Cleethorpes but arrived at Blundell Park on loan from the Boro. He's now playing as a defender for his (other) hometown club, the Owls.
The rest of the players to turn out for both Town and Stevenage are strikers. Roger Willis, Rob Duffy, Pat Hoban, Junior Mendes, Isaiah Rankin, Clint Marcelle, Anthony Elding, Oumare Tounkara, and Tony Thorpe made over 200 appearances between them but, apart from Duffy and Elding, tended to be short-term signings, loans and trialists. Take away Elding's 18 goals and the return from the rest is worth a shrug at best.
I would normally suggest a formation to line up a fantasy XI but I'm struggling. Let's go for 2-3-5 (sorry kids, one for the old fellas here) and be ready to concede plenty while the forwards struggle to find the net. Would any of them make the current Town squad?
Other than our own Pete Green getting his hair cut, there's not much else to report on. Marcuses is still trying to secure the services of Deano for the rest of the season and has being telling the Telegraph what he's looking for as he seeks to get the first-team squad headcount to at least 40 before the end of the month. It seems that beefier players (damn you Thatcher!) and decent left feet are on the shopping list, along with a few extra pints of full fat milk for the yoof team.
Is it just me or did you tingle with his acknowledgement of Dave Smith's leftiness? It's the little things, right? Good show, gaffer.
Oh, and the Bogle show goes on. Derby and Reading are the current favourites for his signature but the bookies seem less convinced that he's going anywhere. The Telegraph's Liam Wood told the local Reading rag: "There has been quite a lot of interest in Omar but Grimsby Town say he is not for sale. And there is no pressure to sell him from a financial point of view." Unless you're desperate to read the rest of what is a pretty dull article then do not click on this link because if the ads and pop-ups don't get you, the punctuation will.
Hold on, there's news! Next month, Town are putting on an evening with FIFA96 cover star Jason McAteer. Only 45 (forty-five) quid including grub and a comic turn, so get in quick if that's your thing.
That's it for now – expect signings at 7:30pm. Up the Mariners!