Cod Almighty | Diary

Balm for a tortured soul

6 May 2021

Trentside Diary writes: Is have been dotted, Ts have been crossed, Tyres have been kicked and judged worthy. You don't need me to tell you what happened yesterday. After we have waited in despair for years it finally happened. John Shelton Fenty has left the building and, after a period of handover, Phillip Day will be following him.

How does that feel Mariners? Not easy to describe, is it? Bloody marvellous doesn't quite cut it. Despite BOTB’s fears of yesterday it looks like he has actually gone. Unless of course he has Mariners Trust chair Kristine Green hog-tied in the snooker room and a slitheen-skin to slip into for board meetings. Too far-fetched? Maybe, but we know how hard he hung on until the bitter end. Each mummified finger was probably prised off, one painful club statement at a time. By the way, congratulations to Kristine. Another positive change on the Grimsby Town board.

Fenty managed his usual standard of gobbledegook with his parting best wishes, "This is a very exciting time for the club in that it has new custodians as of 3pm this afternoon which I thoroughly endorse as they are like-minded supporters of the club". Who cares? It finally happened.

"Like minded"? I think not. The overwhelming impression so far is of two people - Jason Stockwood and Andrew Pettit - who couldn't be more different from him. You could immerse yourself in a warm bath with scented candles and their comments playing over a sound-system, such is the good vibe they exude. They want the club to be a "source of pride", "a catalyst for change", "a focal point for positivity for the town". They have such a sense of community and the role that the club could play that it makes me proud that people with this attitude have taken over.

Did I mention it finally happened? We have waited so long for this, people who want to run the club properly, and no, for the Fenty apologists that doesn't mean patting yourself on the back for paying your national insurance bill while the club crashes and burns around you.

Enough. Let’s look to the future. It will be a challenging road ahead and the new owners genuinely want to engage with us. I’ll be interested to see how we can play our part but that's for another time.

Did I mention it finally happened? Let’s just take some time and enjoy the moment.

He's gone! UTM!