Cod Almighty | Diary

Well done, Flamingo

2 January 2019

Happy new year to one and all. 2018 was a year of proverbial ups and downs – the Slade Trough, Jolley finding his feet, then losing them again before settling on a team full of youth, energy and commitment. 2019 will undoubtedly bring more of the same but with a little bit more of a Grimsby tinge.

Town have had a very good Christmas of points and goals aplenty, but it was always going to be asking a little too much against Mansfield. The festive fixtures are a curious thing: two home or two away games on the 26th and 29th mean that the home team on new year's day will always be at a disadvantage. Add in almost 1,000 miles of travel, a gallant 10-man victory and a depleted squad and I think we would all have taken a 1-0 defeat against a team that doesn’t lose.

Except there was a little disappointment come full-time yesterday – because the players have shown that guile, that passion, that desire to play for the stripes. Three fish on the shirt.

It was a confident enough display against a Stags outfit that were obviously dead good at football but still wanted to cheat and bully their way through it. A bit like Usain Bolt nudging the bloke in the lane next to him as he soars past. But as the game wore on and the defence began to resemble some kind of terrible football tribute act, it was never quite going to be, despite a late rally which might have seen a penalty awarded had the referee not been completely overwhelmed by the Mansfield players.

Thunderdiary noted some interaction on Twitter after the game about whether or not Town should be more streetwise. The example in question was when Neil Bishop – refereeing the game terrifically – threw Embleton to the ground. The ref saw it, spoke at length to the player and did nothing – a definite red card and a possible penalty denied. It was said in some tweets that Town should have surrounded the ref to get him to send the player off. Those antics are not for me.

Against Exeter the players rightly got the linesman to question his poor decision in awarding a goal, but that wasn’t gamesmanship. Surrounding referees, having a chat with the linesman and feigning injury have no place in football. Mansfield may well go on and win the league, but that’s not the way to do it – and I’m not sure they even need to. Their games against Lincoln must involve six players on the ground all match and the ref thinking he’s speed dating.

In the three Town promotion sides I have seen, there was one thing they all had in common. A midfield force, the captain of the team who would run through brick walls, drag the team to victory and galvanise all around him. But Shaun Cunnington, Paul Groves and Craig Disley had another great quality: they played fairly. No moaning at the ref, no cynical play acting and no cheating. They were wholesome footballers, committed to the team. And those promotions were all the better for it.

2019 might not be Town’s year. But as long as they keep playing the game as it’s meant to be played, in the right spirit and with the stripes in their heart, at some point our time will come.