Cod Almighty | Diary

Two wins away keeps all moaning at bay

20 October 2020

One of the things about writing a diary is your views are there for all to see. While the tweets in a personal capacity disappear, unless you are the type of nerd who can be bothered to trawl back three years, the diaries stay for eternity, or a while at least. Last week Casual Diary called into question the wisdom of playing form side Cheltenham having had, at best, two days training. A week and two victories later, this has not aged well.

Quite how Ian Holloway has managed, with so little preparation, to fashion a team that can produce the performances of the last week is beyond me. It is cause for optimism even from a miserable sod like me. The manager had previously said 
we looked like strangers and few would disagree. We also looked tired, leggy and lacking match fitness in all the games we played before the 14-day hiatus. Despite that, and playing what amounted to two different sides, the players put in two fantastic performances. They showed a resilience we consistently lacked in the charge of other managers.

The new signings look increasingly pleasing. Danny Preston and Owura Edwards had already caught the eye, combining well even before the Cheltenham game. Edwards excelled at Whaddon Road to the extent that the home side, reverting to type, felt it necessary to stamp on him. Montel Gibson could have had a hat-trick: he found space and positions in the box with a regularity not seen since the departure of Bogle and Podge. That, having received online abuse from the clown element, he had the bollocks to step up for the last minute penalty at Orient and dispatch it so clinically is proof of the character the manager seeks. Against Bolton, Owen Windsor looked beasted by their centre half, but he never once stopped putting his body in the way. Against Cheltenham his cool finish to secure the points was predatory, then at Orient he put in a shift James Hanson would have been proud of. He capped it with a Vernam-esque run halted only by the foul which drew the winning penalty.

Tonight we play Harrogate in our second home league game. Which XI runs out, and whether it includes Virgil Gomis, our new signing from Nottingham Forest, we will have to wait and see. You can however rest assured that the match will be anticipated with significantly more optimism than this time last week. You can therefore expect a defeat.

At least 30 fans will be inside the confines of Blundell Park for the game. Sadly, this sadly isn't a precursor to letting the rest of us in. The lucky 30 will be drawn from season ticket holders on a revolving basis and able to watch the game from the Trust Bar, courtesy of the Mariners Trust. Maybe the lucky few will get to hear the odd shout of the players or the clatter of a full blooded 50-50 challenge. They will undoubtedly get to walk along Grimsby Road toward the glow of the floodlights on a cold October evening. An experience the unfathomable government decision-making process denies the rest of us. Let's hope we are all rewarded either inside or outside god's golden acre. UTM.