Cod Almighty | Diary

Life's too short for plain crisps

8 February 2021

Miss Guest Diary writes: I've been hoping for the last six weeks to be able to come here on a Monday morning and report that Town had secured a victory under Paul Hurst and that the tide was turning. Alas, I'm still waiting. It was always going to be a long-shot this week, given that Town have never won a game at Rodney Parade, or even scored a goal there.

I have surprised myself by not feeling too gloomy about this. For a start, Saturday was the first time I have been able to bear to watch an entire Town game since November. And in the first half we played some decent attacking – and entertaining – football. If only the game had been played on a football pitch instead of a ploughed field, I think we could have scored a couple too. Regrettably, Town rather drooped after conceding the goal, but I put that down to most of the squad only having met each other a few days ago. A bit longer to bond as both players and people and who knows what might be achieved.

Whether the fruits of this improvement will come in time to save Town from relegation is questionable. On the Tony Butcher pessimism meter the current reading is "possible but highly unlikely".

It was noticeable that there was no-one from the Holloway signings in the team and only one player, Spokes, made it onto the bench. And I suspect that was only because Hurst was thwarted in his attempt to sign Giles Coke due to problems with that player’s registration. There is apparently still a faint hope of securing Coke, who is seeking advice from the Professional Footballers Association.

You've probably noticed that these days the media is full of advice about how to look after yourself and keep your spirits up during lockdown. I don't usually bother to read this stuff: apart from feeling down about Town's current predicament, I am managing quite well to stay cheerful and occupied. I put this down to being brought up at a time when shops had half-day closing, pubs were shut in the afternoon and there were only two TV channels. You learned pretty quickly to make your own entertainment in those days.

But I did come across something in one of those articles at the weekend which could be applied to the Town-related gloom. It suggested we should try to find the positives in any given situation and concentrate less on what has been lost and more on what still remains. Town may end up back in the non-League next season (no, I'm not saying I want that to happen), but no-one can take away the club's history. Living in Lincoln, I am only too aware that the Imps are odds-on to be promoted. But that will be the first time they have played in the second tier since 1961 – not within the living memory of most of their fans. During the same period Town spent 20 seasons at that level, most recently a mere 18 years ago; and Lincoln have never reached to top flight.

And then there's the potential for our club's future. With the announcement on Friday that the take-over by the Consortium has reached its final stages, Town are entering a new era where anything feels possible. Who knows what tomorrow brings.

UTM