The Diary

Cod Almighty | Diary

Jealousy is a form of hatred built on insecurity

18 January 2019

When the Mariners finally climbed out of non-League on that glorious day at Wembley in 2016, I looked back at the league table and counted my blessings that we weren't Lincoln City – bobbing around in mid-table after seasons of not even bothering to trouble the play-offs. Their future in non-League appeared to be sealed for the foreseeable future.

Fast forward a couple of years and, during the time it took the Cowley brothers to get Lincoln back into the Football League and lead the fourth division, the Mariners tear up the squad that delivered our promotion, let our most successful manager since Alan Buckley join Shrewsbury, sack "fruit loop" Marcus Bignot after just five months in the job, allow ex-boss Russell Slade take us back to the brink of non-League, and waste time and money on a series of players that were brought in by one manager only to be rejected within months of their two-year contracts by the next.

And breathe.

A quick glance down the A46 and you see a traditionally small club reconnected with its community. Fair weather fans or not, the crowds Lincoln are pulling in these days are impressive. The money the club received from its incredible FA Cup run two years ago has been invested wisely and, say what you like about the Cowleys’ attitude and style of play – they get results.

You may be thinking that your West Yorkshire Diary is confessing to a twinge of jealousy about how things are going at a local rival that, just three seasons ago, looked like they might have been going the way of York and Stockport. But you'd be wrong. Jealousy is very different from admiration.

I grew up at a time when Lincoln were nowhere near Town in the league standings. My first experience of the Mariners playing the Imps was when we beat them in an early round of the League Cup and although they took the lead and gave us a tough game that night (under the management of Alan Buckley) I felt no sense of a local derby.

All that changed of course, when we started meeting each other in the fourth division and then, latterly, in non-League. That sense of local pride was a little more prevalent – and I'm sure it's still there for many of our fans today – but my attitude towards the Imps isn't one of hate. I've never really bought into the equation that if a club is within a certain distance of your club then you must dislike one another when, in reality, your close proximity probably means you'd have more in common than, say, someone from another county.

But football is tribal and I get that. The closest to you can also be your biggest threat. I just don't wish Lincoln any ill, that's all. I see them at the top of the league, pulling in large crowds and the only thing I can say is good for them. Sorry if that dilutes the intensity that the football media demands us to generate, but most of my hate has been spent on Jamie Vardy since the night he cheated to win a penalty at Fleetwood and then celebrated the winning goal in the Grimsby Town dugout. The guy is a classless twat, and no amount of international caps – or a first division title – were ever going to change that.

Where was I? Oh yes – Lincoln, and jealousy. Let them enjoy their time at the top. I'm actually happy with the way things are going at Grimsby as I can see a brighter future. Would I swap league positions? Of course. It's disappointing that we're this far behind Lincoln on and off the pitch given the head start we had, but it does feel like we're gathering some pace in this weak analogy of a race.

The Imps are favourites for the three points tomorrow but Town can at least welcome back two central defenders. Alex Whitmore and Harry Davis seem the likeliest pairing at the back given there's still some doubt over Danny Collins’ fitness, Akin Famewo is out and Ludvig Öhman is probably going to be granted a bit more settling in time. Seb Ring could continue at left back although Luke Hendrie could deputise there now that Reece Hall-Johnson can revert to right back. There will be a late fitness test on Harry Clifton's hamstring.

Well done to Wes Thomas who won the fourth division goal of the month award. It was indeed a peach. You feel that something similar might be required tomorrow, although that would be to ignore the way the Mariners battered Lincoln 1-1 in the reverse fixture earlier this season. The intervention of antichrist referee Carl Boyeson denied Town the three points on that occasion.

At least tomorrow we’ll have a top league official in charge without the 'assistance' of VAR, so absolutely nothing can go wrong.

UTM!