Cod Almighty | Diary

The Dirty Dozen

19 April 2021

Miss Guest Diary writes: Typical Town to leave their best performance of the season till the 11th hour when it is almost certainly too late to save them from relegation. Since our mini revival began last month I have been round the grief cycle from denial to acceptance so many times I am dizzy. When we beat the in-form Bolton on Saturday I skittered off down the hitherto untrodden path of blind optimism, but hit the buffers a few hours later when Colchester beat Walsall.

With Hendrie and Coke looking doubtful for tomorrow's game against Morecambe, a repeat of Saturday's performance may be too much to expect, but with Colchester playing Southend there are more straws to be clutched before this fight is over.

And here's another rescue opportunity galloping over the horizon – the European Super League! How can an elite invitation-only replacement for European club competitions help Town avoid relegation, I hear you ask. Well, with the FA saying it will not grant permission for English clubs to join the ESL, could the "big six" be ejected from the Premier League? If so, we'd all shuffle up six places. Right? Job done.

Of course, that isn't going to happen and who would want it anyway. Survival in the League at the expense of thousands of ordinary fans of those clubs would feel dirty. And a whole lot more undeserved than in 2009 when Luton's massive 30-point deduction saw Town stay up at their expense.

Returning to the real world – today is the anniversary of Wayne Burnett Day, better known as the Auto Windscreen Shield Final. Thinking back to that fantastic occasion fills me with even more longing than usual to get back inside a football ground. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could attend the last few games of this season and add our support to the team's survival fight. I swear that, once the current restrictions are lifted, I will never again complain about queuing to get out of the car park at a ground, or the cramped seating, or the feebleness of the hot chocolate, or the over-officiousness of the stewards. For the first month, at least.

Last week Trentside Diary mentioned that visiting Blundell Park is something on her "to do" list. Obviously, I haven't been inside the ground since February of last year but I did stroll through the car park a couple of times on match days at the start of this season, just to feel the connection. It has crossed my mind to do that again on the day of the takeover by Messrs Stockwood and Pettit. As business meetings all take place virtually these days, I dare say there won't be anything actually happening at the ground, but it would feel symbolic of Town's fresh start. For any fans wondering about the details of the buy-out, the Mariners Trust have now put a Q&A up on their website.

Seeing the turmoil currently facing the fans of those Premier League clubs proudly announcing their intention to join this 'super league' makes you realise that there are a lot worse fates than being bottom of the fourth division.

UTM