Cod Almighty | Diary

Oh to be in Grimsby when Jack Bestall was here

13 November 2020

No game tomorrow (which may be a blessing) means a lockdown weekend of walks, box-sets and dreams. Thunderdiary is glad of the break to be honest: I've been suffering from iFollow fatigue recently. The rest will do us all good.

Something else to be positive about is the apparent agreement with the rich bastards in the top division that they will support clubs in the lower leagues. The £50million is unlikely to be split equally between the 48 clubs, as division three teams get a bigger percentage, but it must be worth around £350,000 to us. No small beans for a club like ours, but our cousins in non-League are getting nearly £100,000 a month from their bailout. The grass isn't always greener.

Also making news is the fact that 11.1 per cent of our matchday squad is homegrown. Only 24 other teams have a higher proportion, but given that Town have fielded 31 players so far, we've probably had a far higher number of players. Still, it is a very good indication for the academy set up. Let's hope even more can find their way in.

Our blank weekend is because of those pesky international breaks, which I'm not keen on. However, last night former Town loanee Dean Henderson made his England bow, the first time a debutant Mariner has gone on to represent his country since Martin Paterson won the first of his 22 Northern Ireland caps in 2008. Aside from the old guard of Bestall, Betmead and Tweedy, Town and England links are scarce, and usually operate the other way. Garry Birtles was an England man nine years before donning the stripes, while Neil Webb appeared at Blundell Park just over four years after he had played in Euro 92. Are there any more?