Cod Almighty | Diary

Not easy but not bad

18 March 2019

The therapist said not to see you no more
She said you're like a disease without any cure
She said I'm so obsessed that I'm becoming a bore, oh no…

Trentside Diary writes: Match day dawns, and @officialgtfc are advising supporters to arrive early at Blundell Park as they would be "carrying out full ticket checks and bag searches". If only I’d realised that we could have got away with sneaking in ticketless up until Saturday; would have saved us a tidy sum.

I'm curious, fellow Mariners. Has that been happening? I have a friend who used to sneak in the open gates before they closed them at lunchtime on match day because he couldn't afford a ticket, but this was in the early 1970s. He would lie down in the Main Stand until people started to turn up. I don't hold it against him: he was prepared to hide for a few hours to see the match, and he pays for his season ticket nowadays, but I can't imagine it's so easy to get in now without a ticket.

There’s always an edge of anticipation on match day. From that first distant view of the Dock Tower from the A46 to the majestic sight as you drive up Freemo. I always like that route to BP as you get the best view, albeit through the shabbiness of the area around the market. About time they regenerated that area, don't you think? There are certain days when the light is just so and the tower looks like it is flat scenery painted for a Hollywood blockbuster. Saturday was one of those days. Three weeks ago we were in shirt sleeves; now we're back to big coat weather, but the light was perfect.

Back to the bag search. The steward politely asked if she could search my bag. "Of course." I unzipped it. She peered in and from the top you could only see a multi-pack of Marathon bars.

"Thank you, that’s fine."

"Are you sure? Is that it? I could have anything in there, including a few flares disguised as Tampax." At this point I'm thinking maybe it's not wise to over- challenge any stewards, so I went in – but I'm still wondering what that was all about. If you're going to do it for security purposes, please do the job properly.

We walked in with our hot chocolate (sometimes lucky, sometimes not) to James on the tannoy. Great choice. The Mighty Mariners are a passion even though at times they drive us to despair. We've been through a poor spell and the Cobblers had been on a bit of a run, winning five out of the last seven and drawing the other two. It wasn't likely to be an easy afternoon.

West Yorkshire Diary was spot on last Friday. For many years we've been putting a plaster over our problems (apart from Slade, who was a builder more into demolition, not a plasterer), and this is going to take time. Smaller clubs that do well do it by bringing on young players and ultimately selling them on when they exceed their level. Mr Jolley has been bringing on some of our youngsters and it's starting to show a return. They are not going to make the grade if they don't get played – but it takes time for them to gain experience and settle into the team.

Saturday was hard work for everyone. The conditions were poor and it wasn't easy for play to build, but a clean sheet and a draw were OK in the circumstances. The numpty who messages Humberside after most results, poor or not, saying we need a new manager should go and follow the Gimps. Do we know where Slades lives?

UTM!