Cod Almighty | Diary
Walking down the Grimsby Road...
29 March 2021
Miss Guest Diary writes: At the weekend there was an article in the paper praising the US medical drama Grey's Anatomy for helping provide comfort and consistency in these uncertain times. Now as it just happens to be my all-time favourite TV show, I was already onboard with this concept. The writer of the article says she finds solace from her own sorrows in watching the persistent, dramatic unhappiness of the characters. Grey's Anatomy first aired in August 2005, the last season in which Town had any realistic prospect of rising out of the fourth division, and it has kept me company during all the subsequent triumphs and disasters. In fact, during the first lockdown I decided to attempt a complete rewatch of all 16 seasons – that's a mere 364 episodes. I confess I maxed out halfway through season six but if Town are relegated I will definitely be getting the box sets out again.
There is a reference in the article to some consumer research which suggests that people like to watch things they've watched before because it gives "affirmation of experience and emotional regulation against existential insecurity". A fancy way of saying that the familiar makes us feel safe in difficult times. And what could be more familiar to the average Town fan than our current predicament. After all, along with the much-touted fact that we still hold the attendance record at Old Trafford, is the claim to the unenviable record we currently share with Notts County of having the most league promotions and relegations.
The results last week felt like two steps forward, one step back; definitely leaving Town one step nearer to claiming top spot in that promotion and relegation table. It has also left me in a no-man's-land of confusion. Do I still hope Town can survive? Do I think we're doomed? Do I care? Yes, of course I care. But when there's so much else going on in the country at the moment with the pandemic and the protests and people losing their livelihoods, it can feel rather self-indulgent to spend so much time agonising about sport. Maybe I'll just stick to investing my emotional energies in a TV show for now.
I was intrigued to see in last week's Mariners Trust newsletter an artist's impression of the upcoming fanzone at Blundell Park but I failed completely to work out where it is destined to be located. Either the artist has never been to the ground or it's so long since I did that I am misremembering the layout. I will be going up to Cleethorpes later this week for a now-permitted garden visit with some relatives, so I'll have to take a stroll down the Grimsby Road to remind myself.
Elsewhere, there is good news for an ex-Town player. Josh Gowling was another of the 2016 promotion-winning team who seemed to get a rough deal from Town, so I was delighted to see his Hereford side had beaten Woking to reach the final of the FA Trophy. Their opponents will be Hornchurch, who are in the division below them, and who beat Notts County on penalties in the other semi-final. The final will be played at Wembley on 22 May and there is some hope that fans will be allowed to attend. Good luck, Josh!