Cod Almighty | Diary

Wishing the days away

10 May 2021

Miss Guest Diary writes: And so it begins: the long summer of waiting.

Waiting for the list of retained and released players which supposedly arrives tomorrow, and for the announcement of season ticket prices, possibly in the next couple of weeks. Then there's next year's line-up of teams in the Conference to be finalised with the automatic promotion place decided on 29 May and the play-off final for the other promotee on 19 June. I'm hoping that last place isn't claimed by Notts County – I've really missed those away days at Meadow Lane.

This probably means about a two-month wait for the fixture list which, for me, is high on the list of annoyances arising from Town's relegation. I like to make plans and get things organised well ahead of time, but it has long been the rule in our house that no social occasion can be arranged without first consulting the Town fixture list. How am I going to respond to family invitations for Christmas celebrations (which have already been mentioned) if I don't know where Town are playing on Boxing Day? What plans can I make for my birthday in the autumn? Grrrr, sort it Bananaramas.

In the meantime there will be many anxious hours spent on social media believing or discounting all those rumours about who Town might or might not sign while waiting for the dates of pre-season friendlies to be announced at which we can see the new squad in action.

And then, finally, after a wait of 15 – yes fifteen! – weeks, we can see Town once again with our own eyes playing in a competitive fixture on 21 August. Always assuming that there hasn't been another setback with the pandemic which keeps us away from sport again.

I really hope the positivity of the last week under our new owners can be sustained for that long. The outpourings of joy and euphoria from Town fans have been remarkable, haven't they. Fans relishing the prospect of the fresh start, albeit at a lower level, and joining the Mariners Trust in droves. I made my own little pilgrimage up to Blundell Park on takeover day and the atmosphere in the club shop and the ticket office was very upbeat. The promised fans' survey has already been launched and is well worth 20 minutes of your time to let the club know what changes you would like to see going forward. But, please, no inflatable sausages.

While we wait for the return of the mighty Mariners in August, I am fortunate in having another sporting distraction: cricket. I have been a member of Nottinghamshire for the last 10 years and have spoken here before of the joys of lazy days at Trent Bridge reading the paper and knitting with half an eye on the game. In that time Notts have had a fair amount of success in one-day cricket, but not so much in the County Championship. In fact, they were relegated into the second division in 2019 and, until last weekend, hadn't won a championship game since June 2018. This week Notts won a second game in a row and are top of their group in the Bob Willis Trophy (which is currently replacing the County Championship due to the pandemic).

I am taking this as an omen for Town. And what's even better – I have tickets to attend a game at Trent Bridge next week. Come on Notts and UTM!