Cod Almighty | Diary
Good news
22 May 2018
That James McKeown has signed a three-year contract to stay at Grimsby is welcome for many reasons.
First of all, it offers the reassurance that BBC Humberside commentaries next season will not be interrupted by exclamations of 'praise the lord'. John Tondeur has been promising "good news" so frequently and for so long that Middle-Aged Diary had begun to think he was an evangelical preacher.
It's not a day for deep analysis, but we can let Pádraig Amond put Jimmy Mack's three-year contract into perspective.
Great decision. Thankfully they have learned from mistakes before and hopefully it’s all positive from now on https://t.co/Okf9XR6mqd
— Padraig Amond (@padraigamond21) May 21, 2018
We know who he means by "they". You cannot trade footballers like frozen fish. You don't have great players without great teams, and you don't get great teams without loyalty.
If McKeown sees out his contract, his stay at Blundell Park will have extended to 10 years, and might have earned him the right to be called Macca, alongside Sir John. Testimonials for 10 years' service were not so unusual once upon a time, and long service is good for the club, good for the player, good for the fans. Familiarity breeds content, and understanding. McKeown's tweet shows understanding cuts both ways.
Thanks so much for all the messages/support,hopefully it carries on after I’ve had a few stinkers in the next few years. Been an unbelievable 7 years full of ups and downs,on/off the pitch,now it’s time to write a few more chapters for this club #utm@officialgtfc
— James Mckeown (@1Jamesmckeown) May 21, 2018
As a person, through two difficult years McKeown has kept alive the connection between club and community. As a player, he has done more than any other to keep us in the Football League. Think back not to the Port Vale game - certainly the best performance by a Grimsby keeper since Danny Coyne was between the sticks - but to the crucial win against Chesterfield.
There was the odd good save in there, but above all there was calm. Distance plays tricks with your sense of depth and when your team is trying to hang on to its first win in almost half a season, every cross in the general direction of the penalty area is fraught with tension. Your anxiety rises, but there is McKeown, perfectly positioned, his huge hands already poised to take the ball without fuss. Against Port Vale, he had conveyed urgency. Now he conveyed confidence, to his defence, to the team and to the entire crowd.
Over seven years, we have watched James McKeown grow. Now that he has pledged for three more years to try to fulfil his ambitions through us, we must build a club worthy of them.